Coincidentally, I am in the market for a new SUV to replace my 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I wanted to keep the Jeep until one of us dies, me or the car, but things are failing on the Jeep pretty regularly now and every time I take it to be fixed if costs me $3000. A few weeks ago I got a new message that the air suspension system failed and needs immediate repair. All of the Jeep dealers around here told me the soonest they can take the car in for service is the end of October or early November! The claim they have a shortage of mechanics. Where did they all go? I Googled the warning message and it appears the fix for the air suspension is probably going to cost me at least $2000. I am not interested in a new Jeep. The dealers around me are lousy at servicing their vehicles. Every time I have had to bring my Jeep in for a recall, something else goes wrong with the car. Once It was recalled for a potential short and fire in the passenger side vanity mirror/light. They fixed the potential short problem but broke the mirror and didn;t bother to replace it before returning the car to me! Another time they had to fix something around the water pump and managed to break a fuel injector - which they wanted to charge me to replace! I am done with them.
Anyway, I am thinking maybe it is time to replace the Jeep. I started looking and to me, everything is ugly or over priced. I don't need 3 seats, and I use the SUV like a truck as much as a car and I want something that is a true utility vehicle but is also a decent means of transportation - which rules out a large percentage of the SUVs I have looked at. I am told the Toyota 4Runner is a good truck, but it might be too much of a truck getting only 19 miles per gallon on the highway. My Jeep is actually a good combination but I would dread buying another Jeep.
My priorities are:
It needs to have enough power to get up hills without feeling sluggish.
I must have 4 wheel drive for the snow we get in the North East and for other things that require extra power to the wheels.
I want maximum space in the cargo compartment. If I can't get a 4' x4' sheet of plywood in the back with the seats folded down, it is too small.
I want a spare tire. No one offers a full size spare anymore, they just give you the donut but it is something. The Jeep has a full size temp tire at least or it did in 2011.
I don't need 3 rows of seats so either they have to be optional, no existent, or they have to fold away without seriously diminishing the cargo space.
Blue tooth for my phone - I think all cars have this now.
The cargo compartment has to be rugged so when I fill it full of building materials the damage is minimized.
I would love a fold down rear gate like in the old days of SUVs. I don't think anyone makes an SUV with a fold down gate anymore.