Al's new toad

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Jim Dick said:
Tom,

Not to stir things up but our Grand Vitara is one of Suzuki's best kept secrets. It's not a luxury sedan but does quite well on the highway. Cruise is fine on flats but gets a little erratic on grades. The only problem I've found with it. As far as I'm concerned the back seat is MUCH more comfortable than the Grand Cherokee and it can climb a lot of rocks as we've proven in AZ and UT. Naturally it doesn't have the ground clearance for big stuff but CalMini makes a 2 1/2" lift kit for it. With that and taller tires one can do much more off roading!

There's an amazing amount of room in the vehicle for stuff. One can always get the XL7 with the longer wheel base but that will make it more difficult on our trails in the mountains. :)

The new GV is now being advertised as an off road vehicle. It has a more modern exterior and looks quite capable. I would love to test drive one. ;D
Click to expand...

Hi Jim,

If you do get a chance to test drive it, let us know.? 4x4 Magazine wasn't happy with the new unibody construction on the 2006.? Do you really need to follow the "stop every 200 miles and circulate the lube" recommendations?

Al
 
Jim Dick said:
Naturally it doesn't have the ground clearance for big stuff but CalMini makes a 2 1/2" lift kit for it. With that and taller tires one can do much more off roading!
Click to expand...

Jim

We've ridden in the back seat of a GV with the lift kit. Still more comfortable for the back seat passengers than the GC.
 
Jim Dick said:
... our Grand Vitara is one of Suzuki's best kept secrets.
Click to expand...

Jim, I think I expressed similar words to you when I first rode in your GV. I was expecting to be squished in a small seat in a small area (remember, I'm a lot bigger than you), but I was very pleasantly surprised.

Al, I can't recall if I mentioned the GV to you previously offline. Definitely worth a look.
 
Al,

Ask Pat what speed Jim drives towing the GV  ;D

If the 200 mile limit is like our old Honda (i.e. fire it up and excericse the transmission every 200 miles), that's not really a big issue since it could coincide with leg stretches, potty and lunch breaks.

BTW apologies for the phone snafu yesterday. Chris rarely turns hers on and I'd left mine in a drawer. By the time we picked up your voicemail you'd already resolved the issue  :-[
 
Al

>> Do you really need to follow the "stop every 200 miles and circulate the lube" recommendations?<<

I had one for 3 years & 65000 driven miles & 35000 towed miles & I NEVER started it up every 200 miles & usually cruised at 61-65 mph....It was a great toad & I would have kept it except we went full-time & I wanted a vehicle with more storage. We bought a GMC Envoy have had it for over 3 years, 73,000 miles & no problems, go's everywhere my RV friends go.<G>
 
Terry A. Brewer said:
Al

>> Do you really need to follow the "stop every 200 miles and circulate the lube" recommendations?<<

I had one for 3 years & 65000 driven miles & 35000 towed miles & I NEVER started it up every 200 miles & usually cruised at 61-65 mph....It was a great toad & I would have kept it except we went full-time & I wanted a vehicle with more storage. We bought a GMC Envoy have had it for over 3 years, 73,000 miles & no problems, go's everywhere my RV friends go.<G>
Click to expand...

Thanks, Terry!? That's good to know.

Al
 
Another vote for Jeep...
We loved our Jeep and had many years of trouble free towed experiences with it.

I read somewhere that the Hummers had the worst reliability rating. The particular rating system was based on number of cars per 100 returned to the dealership with problems within the first year (I think). Toyota/Lexus were at the top with a ratings of 10 or so. Most American cars fell in the 20-30 range with the Hummer at an astounding 98 per 100 vehicles.

Consumer reports doesnt think to highly of them either...(but they are not kind to Jeep either)

http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.aspx?contentid=4023544
 
AlGriefer said:
Hi Jim,

If you do get a chance to test drive it, let us know.  4x4 Magazine wasn't happy with the new unibody construction on the 2006.  Do you really need to follow the "stop every 200 miles and circulate the lube" recommendations?

Al
Click to expand...

Al,

I doubt I'll get the chance to really test the new GV without buying one but if I do I'll be sure to let you know.

I don't think it's really necessary to stop every 200 miles but I do. I'm ready for a break by then and want to check the tires to be sure everything is OK. It's really not a problem. One of our members bought a GV right afte I did and never stopped. As far as I know he never had a problem.
 
AlGriefer said:
Tom, I think you did, but my concern is the 200 mi/55 mph towing restrictions.  You know me, I NEED a no-brainer solution!  ;D

Al
Click to expand...

Al,

I normally drive somewhere between 65 and 67mph. Never had a problem. My previous GV, a '99, had 87,000 driven miles and 55,000 towed miles and didn't give me one hiccup except a minor problem off roading. Turned out to be a pin that dropped out of the transfer case lever causing it not to go into 4WD. My current GV has not had one problem in over 42,000 miles!
 
Jim Dick said:
Al,

I normally drive somewhere between 65 and 67mph. Never had a problem. My previous GV, a '99, had 87,000 driven miles and 55,000 towed miles and didn't give me one hiccup except a minor problem off roading. Turned out to be a pin that dropped out of the transfer case lever causing it not to go into 4WD. My current GV has not had one problem in over 42,000 miles!
Click to expand...

Thanks, Jim.

I'll add that to my stack of data.

Al
 
Hi Al, If you are in Las Vegas right now, for $10 you can put a new Hummer through the trials on an off road coarse that is probably far more challenging than any thing you would normally run across in the real world.  The attraction is called "GM Drive" and it is located at the northernmost monorail stop at the Saraha hotel. After you are done abusing a Hummer, you can take a 475hp Cadalic or a Corvette around the "Performance track"  I did this last week just after it opened, and found it to be the best value in all of Vegas!  I didn't drive the Hummer, nor have I ever been much of a fan of them, but after seeing what they could do on this track, I have a newfound appreciation for them....Get over there and drive one and give us a report!
 
Madhatter said:
Hi Al, If you are in Las Vegas right now, for $10 you can put a new Hummer through the trials on an off road coarse that is probably far more challenging than any thing you would normally run across in the real world.? The attraction is called "GM Drive" and it is located at the northernmost monorail stop at the Saraha hotel. After you are done abusing a Hummer, you can take a 475hp Cadalic or a Corvette around the "Performance track"? I did this last week just after it opened, and found it to be the best value in all of Vegas!? I didn't drive the Hummer, nor have I ever been much of a fan of them, but after seeing what they could do on this track, I have a newfound appreciation for them....Get over there and drive one and give us a report!
Click to expand...

Sounds great!? It'll have to wait until after Moab, though, but I'll certainly head there as soon as I get home.? For anyone who is going through LV on the way to Moab, here's a link to purchase tickets.? It's only $10!! http://www.vegas.com/attractions/on_the_strip/gm_thedrive.html

Thanks!
 
I posted a report on The Drive under Las Vegas Hotels and Rides, here.

I happened to like the H3 alot.? It was solid and never seemed the least bit weak or wobbly.? I'vde heard lots of bad things about Hummers from lots of folks, but none of them have experience with the H3 as far as I can tell.? For reference here's some specs directly from the two official spec sheets:

ItemHummer H3Grand Cherokee
Approach Angle39.434.1
Breakover Angle2520.6
Departure Angle36.527.1
Ground Clearance9.18.5
Wheelbase111.9109.5
Length186.7186.7
Width74.784.2
Track, Front6562
Track, Rear65.562
Height73.767.4
Weight47004376
Transfer Case4.032.72

I guess I'm just gonna have to get one AND learn to drive it before the next rally!
 
I see a ride-off coming at one of the forum rallies  ;D
 
I sure hate to see someone base their decision to buy a Hummer on what the manufacture provides as a test track which they built to convince prospective customers.  Ask them how it performs on the Rubicon trail. ;D ;D Odds are they never tried it there or they wouldn't want to talk about it. ;D :D ;)
 
Ron said:
I sure hate to see someone base their decision to buy a Hummer on what the manufacture provides as a test track which they built to convince prospective customers.? Ask them how it performs on the Rubicon trail. ;D ;D Odds are they never tried it there or they wouldn't want to talk about it. ;D :D ;)
Click to expand...

Of course, a test track for a manufacturer is designed for the vehicle, but it still gives you an idea of how it performs.? Some Jeep dealers do the same.

According to Car and Driver, the H3 does well on the Rubicon trail.

As for a drive-off, I guess we'll have to wait until I learn to drive well off-road!? ;D
 
AlGriefer said:
As for a drive-off, I guess we'll have to wait until I learn to drive well off-road!
Click to expand...

Sam has a head start on you and you're going to need to get in a lot of off-road practice just to keep up with her. There's a reason Sam leads many of the off-road trips at forum rallies  ;)  She's also driving a superior vehicle!

BTW I heard today that the H1 will end production in June. H2 and H3 might not be far behind.
 
Tom said:
Sam has a head start on you and you're going to need to get in a lot of off-road practice just to keep up with her. There's a reason Sam leads many of the off-road trips at forum rallies? ;)? She's also driving a superior vehicle!

BTW I heard today that the H1 will end production in June. H2 and H3 might not be far behind.
Click to expand...

There is also a reason that Grand Cherokee has been designated as an HRV. ;)
 
I heard there were two recalls on the JGC in the last month. Doesn't sound like a quality/reliable product to me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,017 (members: 27, guests: 990)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,929
Posts
1,387,674
Members
137,677
Latest member
automedicmobile
Back
Top Bottom