Personal Picks: Midsized SUVs, part 2

Our staff shares personal insights, and selections, inspired by the midsized SUV test featured in the August Consumer Reports.

Rick Small: These car-based SUVs are pretty nice vehicles--I like them better than the much more expensive ones we tested in July.  In this group, the Saturn Outlook is nice, but it felt a bit too big and sluggish to me. The Hyundai Veracruz is a quiet, well-rounded choice, but I don't fit in it that well and it feels less sporty than most. Overall, I like the Mazda CX-9 best. It has the best driving position for my tall frame, good rear seat room, and a useable and accessible third-row seat. Yet, with all this room, it still feels nimble. On the inside, it looks, feels and sounds better than the Ford Edge and the more expensive Lincoln MKX--which are all based on the same platform. The 3.5-liter V6 delivers lively performance and decent fuel economy and it can tow 3,500 pounds. It does everything I need it to do.

Gene Petersen: The Saturn Outlook is one that GM nailed right out of the box. It looks like an upscale SUV inside and out, but is reasonably priced. I must admit, though: I was a bit leery at first since the old Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT was not that exciting. GM pulled out all the stops on this one and included their "high feature" 3.6-liter V6 and six-speed transmission, resulting in fairly spry and refined performance. Granted the transmission could use some re-tuning, but it still works generally well. Ride and handling are carlike, too. Fuel economy is not a high point, but it's better than some of the competition and shines when compared to GM's truck-based SUVs like the Tahoe. And I would tell anyone considering a Tahoe to cross-shop this one--particularly if you don't need to tow more than 4,500 pounds (or you don't tow at all). Let's hope reliability will be at least average. Maybe this is the start of good things to come from GM.

Mike Quincy: A little bird told me that there's an editor in CR's home office who's tired of Auto Test staffers continually praising the Nissan Murano. So I'll join Tom Mutchler and get off the Murano bandwagon this month.

Instead, I'll turn to a vehicle that faithfully took my family and me on a Maine vacation a few years ago: the (marginally) politically incorrect Toyota 4Runner. Why would I pick a model that's slightly below mid-pack in the Ratings and not on any of my colleague's radar screens? I like the 4Runner because it's not uncomfortable (at least, not for me) for a long-distance drive. It's also reasonably quiet. And for a truck-based SUV, it handles pretty well and has standard stability control. For the rare times that I drive off-road, the 4Runner can hold its own for the type of terrain I'd attempt (which, admittedly, isn't much). I guess it's politically incorrect because it's not car-based, it's not a hybrid (only about 16 mpg overall...a big, black CR circle as far as fuel economy is concerned), and it's, well, a truck. I don't care. It has a reliability history any car maker would die for, which further puts me at ease. Not only can the 4Runner get me out of an off-road jam, it's built to keep me rolling down the road for years to come. Now, if only the Murano could go off-road...