As much as I would like this question to be 1198 vs. Streetfighter, soon to be baby#3 has us growing out of the Volvo and into the world of 3 car seats. My wife and I have narrowed the choices down to the GMC Arcadia/Saturn Outlook (same vehicle) or the Honda Pilot. Anyone own either and want to chime in pros and cons. My wife is leaning toward the GMC/Saturn (she likes the Saturn's looks more than the GMC), but I would have to bet on the Honda being a better car overall. Any info/advice would be appreciated!
Being from a family of GM workers, I would get a GMC over a Saturn but I would never buy any GM over a Honda.
Rented an Arcadia. It handled a week of bootleg and j-turns very well. [evil]
I vote Honda Pilot. Take it for a test ride.
Have you checked consumer reports?
I've never heard of an Arcadia-new model? I steer clear of new models. Except for Adriana Lima. Mmmm.
Quote from: MrIncredible on July 26, 2009, 09:02:55 PM
Have you checked consumer reports?
I've never heard of an Arcadia-new model? I steer clear of new models. Except for Adriana Lima. Mmmm.
07
The Arcadia has been out for 2-3 years now. It as some nice styling but in the end..is just a slightly bigger version of a Trailblazer..which is a POS! My Mother-in-law has one and it's turned out tp be a mess since day one.
Pilot. Not sure about the new model or it's styling..but I'd buy 10 before the Arcadia!!
Well I would look at it this way. One of those companies more or less went out of business, one didn't. I would like to say buy american, but Honda makes a great vehicle. Family members have owned a few and while I haven't spent much time in any GMCs. I have enjoyed the Hondas I have driven.
Are you sure you can't put three car seats one the back of a Streetfigher? Would be a great way to get the kids into bikes at an early age.
Just sayin'
We spent most of Saturday test driving both of them (and the Toyota Highlander, which is too small). GMC/Saturn had a noticable amount of more power. Honda was a hell of a lot smoother. You could barely tell the transmission was changing gears. Both were very quiet inside. The GMC/Saturn (more so, the GMC) had a lot of gimicky crap inside that was fun to play with, but would probably break soon after warranty elapsed. They had a nice layout and wasn't to over the top with styling. The Honda was kind of like a teenager's spaceship. Everything was where it should be, but had funny shaped buttons and a shifter that just looked out of place. Both cars, uh, SUVs, uh, whatever they are, rode really well. The GMC/Saturn is a little bigger inside and out, but Honda did a really good job of utilizing the interior space to its max.
As far as companies go, the salesmen at the two Saturn dealerships we visited are heads and shoulders about all of the folks at GMC and Honda. I know it shouldn't factor in, but I would just about pay more for a car to buy it from a legitimate sales rep instead of a wannabe con-artist.
Sorry, but this is bugging me. It's Acadia, not Arcadia.
And I agree with you about knowledgable salesmen. I do a fair bit of research before I go shopping, but I shouldn't be telling the salesman stuff about his vehicle that he doesn't know...
have you thought about the Mazda CX9?
drove one back to back with the Acadia.
liked the Mazda more. better ride. more
road feel. less isolation from the road.
I would take the Pilot over the Acadia just based on my experiences with Honda alone, but the Acadia is not a bad choice. I have driven my sisters - it seems solid, if a bit overstuffed.
I am kind of in the same boat (just two car seats, and by the grace of sweet baby Jesus that will be it for now) and here are the baby transport appliances I am looking at - they might be worth a look for you.
Volvo XC90 - not sure how a third car seat would work out on the third row. It is more compact than some of the other third-rowers. AWD, and airbags everywhere, is what I like.
Ford Flex - I like the 2+2+3 layout, but it looks like a Mini Cooper limo.
Mercedes Benz R350 - I like the layout of this one too. I would probably have to buy this used, but there are a lot of nice examples to be found under warranty for about half of what they originally sold.
Good luck on the search, and let us know what you decide on.
You can never go wrong with a Honda.
Quote from: NAKID on July 27, 2009, 04:38:11 AM
Sorry, but this is bugging me. It's Acadia, not Arcadia.
No, you're wrong!
GMC is WRONG!!
It's ARcadia dammit!! >:(
Arcadia (Duran Duran) - Election Day (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBPA21OJltI&feature=related#lq-lq2-hq-vhq)
not if they are continuing with their trend of naming vehicles after trendy and or outdoorsy things (colorado, yukon, acadia (national park))
what i ment to say was that the Acadia seems like a nice rig........much nicer than the envoy. its probably bigger than the pilot. but as others have said, its not a honda. so unless you are looking for a 1 ton truck or bigger...... :-\
Don't have FHE with either vehicle, but we have friends who drive Acadias and Pilots. Personally, I prefer the styling of the Acadia to that of the Pilot. However, I'd prolly buy the Honda for longevity reasons. We also have neighbors who bought a Highlander Hybrid, and it's really a nice vehicle. They're expensive, but very refined and stylish. (well, as stylish as a 7 passenger SUV can be... [laugh])
You own a Volvo now - why not check out a Volvo XC90? Three rows, super comfortable seats, and there are some nice, low-mile used examples on the lots. They also have a cool middle-row middle seat that can be pulled forward for easier access to your tot when he's hungry (or barfing).
Good luck
Quote from: bluemoco on July 27, 2009, 09:09:37 AM
They also have a cool middle-row middle seat that can be pulled forward for easier access to your tot when he's hungry (or barfing).
[laugh] [laugh]
mitt
shouldnt it be a cool middle row seat which has a shield which is impervious to sound, smell and vomit, and can be moved to the far back of the vehicle without taking your hands off the wheel?
Ah, Acadia. Now that you mention it, it does sound different when she says it. I asked my wife why she never corrected me when I was saying it wrong. Appearently, she liked watching / hearing me make a dork of myself. Anyway.
Volvo XC90 was the first car considered. She loves her AWD S60. The XC90 was just a little more narrow then the other cars considered (not as much noticed in the dimensions listed by volvo as when car seats actually put into the vehicle). It kind of had the "child able to reach child" factor. Not ideal during a long trip. It also didn't offer much in the "get to the 3rd row quick in the case of an emergency". We will have two car seats in the middle row (both facing backwards for a while. In that category, the GMC/Saturn was on top. There 60/40 middle row seemed to me to be the easiest to manuever around to get to the back in a rush if needed. The way my wife drives, might be needed. Honda wasn't bad and had reasonable access to the rear row. It also had better car seat security options on the third row.
Ford Flex was briefly visited, but the urges to drop the drivers seat down and back, tilt the brim of my hat, install some 21inch subwoofers, and prowl the strip for some hoochie didn't seem to fit into my 33 year old, married with 3 children lifestyle. Could have just been the one that we looked at.
Haven't looked into the Mazda at all. Gonna search the net now.
Thx for all of the opinions and the Arcadia / Acadia correction (complete with Duran Duran video).
The wife and I bought an Acadia about a month ago. 20,000 miles. She wanted it, and we got it. The sales man told us the factory says 17/23 mpg, but his experience was about 26 mpg. 2 weekends ago, we went to UCLA to see the kid. In town traffic, 14.7 MPG. WTF? Lightfooting it around and it seemed to improve. Drove to Sonoma last weekend for the NHRA Final Leg of the Western Swing (Our guys both went out in the first round). Being on cruise control for about 175 miles at 78 MPH, it got 18.9 mpg. A bit better, but nowhere near the factory estimate of 23 on the HWY. Maybe if I slowed it down to 65? At 78 mph it sits right on 1800 rpm, seems reasonable to me. I looked up the Consumer Reports deal on the Saturn (pretty much same everything), and they averaged 16 mpg. I looked it up after we bought the vehicle. Well, she wanted it, she got it. Other than the mileage, it seems like a really nice vehicle. Very roomy, very comfortable. Really good ride. My buddy was a GM Parts guy for the last 25 years, until they closed his dealership, and he said no issues that he knows about.
Oh yeah, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty, 36,000 bumper to bumper. At least it runs really strong (288 HP).
The guy I know with a Pilot loves it.
The GMC is cheaper than the Honda.
Quote from: corndog67 on July 27, 2009, 07:51:41 PM
The wife and I bought an Acadia about a month ago. 20,000 miles. She wanted it, and we got it. The sales man told us the factory says 17/23 mpg, but his experience was about 26 mpg. 2 weekends ago, we went to UCLA to see the kid. In town traffic, 14.7 MPG. WTF? Lightfooting it around and it seemed to improve. Drove to Sonoma last weekend for the NHRA Final Leg of the Western Swing (Our guys both went out in the first round). Being on cruise control for about 175 miles at 78 MPH, it got 18.9 mpg. A bit better, but nowhere near the factory estimate of 23 on the HWY. Maybe if I slowed it down to 65? At 78 mph it sits right on 1800 rpm, seems reasonable to me. I looked up the Consumer Reports deal on the Saturn (pretty much same everything), and they averaged 16 mpg. I looked it up after we bought the vehicle. Well, she wanted it, she got it. Other than the mileage, it seems like a really nice vehicle. Very roomy, very comfortable. Really good ride. My buddy was a GM Parts guy for the last 25 years, until they closed his dealership, and he said no issues that he knows about.
Oh yeah, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty, 36,000 bumper to bumper. At least it runs really strong (288 HP).
The guy I know with a Pilot loves it.
The GMC is cheaper than the Honda.
In Charlotte, NC, the Honda's are a bit cheaper. We drove a 2010 Honda Pilot. It was 4WD, leather, DVD & 6disc changer, little backup camera, towing package, sun and moon roof, and other crap to tear up shortly after the warranty expires. Sticker was a little over $39,000. The GMC Acadia AWD (spec'ed about the same) was $43,000 and the front wheel drive Saturn was $40,000.
The one thing that kills me about GM dealerships is the amount of "stuff" that they do to the vehicle after they receive it on their lot. $99.00 for nitrogen filled tires (last I checked, air works and is free) and my favorite, $545.00 for paint protection. When I asked what that was about, the salesman pretty much described the clearcoat finish.
Quote from: psycledelic on July 27, 2009, 08:04:21 PM
In Charlotte, NC, the Honda's are a bit cheaper. We drove a 2010 Honda Pilot. It was 4WD, leather, DVD & 6disc changer, little backup camera, towing package, sun and moon roof, and other crap to tear up shortly after the warranty expires. Sticker was a little over $39,000. The GMC Acadia AWD (spec'ed about the same) was $43,000 and the front wheel drive Saturn was $40,000.
The one thing that kills me about GM dealerships is the amount of "stuff" that they do to the vehicle after they receive it on their lot. $99.00 for nitrogen filled tires (last I checked, air works and is free) and my favorite, $545.00 for paint protection. When I asked what that was about, the salesman pretty much described the clearcoat finish.
Overall, Honda makes a better product, and for a lower price than the competition, I'm not sure how you can beat that. You should be able to get far more mileage and abuse out of it. I would suck up the looks, buy the Honda, and tell the wife you'll go on vacation with the difference.
For a bit of related entertainment, check out P.J. O'Rourke's story about the family road trip to Utah in a 2009 Ford Flex. Good stuff. ;D [thumbsup]
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/08q4/2009_ford_flex_the_o_rourkes_do_utah_s_lower_left-feature (http://www.caranddriver.com/features/08q4/2009_ford_flex_the_o_rourkes_do_utah_s_lower_left-feature)
Quote from: MrIncredible on July 27, 2009, 08:28:34 PM
Overall, Honda makes a better product, and for a lower price than the competition, I'm not sure how you can beat that. You should be able to get far more mileage and abuse out of it. I would suck up the looks, buy the Honda, and tell the wife you'll go on vacation with the difference.
Good point.
With a 4 year old, 2 year old, newborn, and a 120lb Wiemeraner occupying the house. I might save that vacation for myself.