One of the perks of being an automotive journalist is that you have a vast array of knowledge about cars. This means that we can pick out certain criteria and turn those criteria into cars to look at. Sometimes, we have biases based on performance and driving dynamics. Blame the five-year-old in us. Anyways, being a font of information, almost no one asks me my option of what they should get. When they do, I write about them with different names but with their scenario. I call these: Ask Anthony on Autos!
Here is the first scenario: My friend, Sam, is looking for a new SUV. He currently drives a 2013 Ford Edge SEL with around 75,000 miles on it. The only options it has are heated seats, a rear-view camera, and an electric tailgate. He likes those options but would like a 2017 or newer SUV or truck with a heated steering wheel and an infotainment system with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. The max he wants to spend is $35,000 with a mileage cap at 50,000. Finally, he’s currently thinking about a GMC Yukon or Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT and whatever he gets, it must be black-on-black.
Well, Sam, I’m here to help! While most of what Sam is looking for can be found, finding black-on-black vehicles aren’t as abundant as I thought. Still, I pressed on just for you Sam and found a few different SUVs. I figure that with how tall you are and your preference for SUVs, there wasn’t any point looking at any other type of vehicle. At one point, I was looking at pick-up trucks but that’s for a different article. For now, I want to look at vehicles that will have as much comfort and performance that one would want. Every SUV here has either four- or all-wheel-drive, heated seats with the possibility of ventilated seats, navigation, and safety features such as adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring. With that, let’s dive into these all-SUV recommendations.
I’m sorry to tell you this, Sam. From what I’ve seen, you can’t get a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT younger than 2015 for this price range. Since I can’t find the high-performance model, I’ve looked into one that still has a V8. Instead of the SRT, why not go with the top-of-the-line non-performance Grand Cherokee? The Summit has mostly everything that including a 5.7-liter V8 producing 360-horsepower. Even without any options minus four-wheel-drive and the upgraded V8, a brand-new Grand Cherokee Summit is over $55,000 before rebates and deals. Finding a 2018 with 17,000 miles is a great find. The Summit trim gets FCA’s great 8.4-inch infotainment system and comes with heated and ventilated seats as well a partial digital dials. If Sam wants a big V8, the Grand Cherokee Summit is a great idea.
I actually surprised myself with this next one. When you think of a Ford SUV, does the Flex even come to mind? Probably not. In fact, my inspiration came from noticing a few Flexs. Looking at cars.com, I knew this would be a good idea. If you don’t know what the Flex is, it’s a combination of a wagon and an SUV. I’ve always liked the Flex because it’s very comfortable and has all the features that Sam wants. Oh right, it also has the EcoBoost 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 with 365-horsepower. Just a little tune and the Flex can be as powerful as a V8-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT. I found a 2018 Limited EcoBoost for around $35,000 with under 40,000 miles. Although the Flex is quite aged, the infotainment system is from a few years ago but the interior shows its age. Remember, this was made to drive the children in a unique-looking body. It’s a strong contender to replace one Ford with another.
Finally, one more American SUV. This time, the largest one. Let’s take a look at the GMC Yukon. Once again, the top-of-the-line trim level, the Denali, is out of our criteria. Thankfully, the SLT is available! It may not have the added luxury and trim pieces of the Denali, but it has everything that Sam is looking for. It’s a giant SUV, has heated and ventilated seats, power everything, and has a big V8. Speaking of, the V8 is a 5.3-liter V8 producing 355-horsepower. The one that I found is a 2017 with 45,000 miles. It has the most basic looking interior since the new Yukon jut debuted. It also has a column shifter which, along with its size, makes the Yukon as sporty as wearing crocks to Tough Mudder. You get the Yukon because it’s comfortable and can haul anything.
So that’s it, right? Three large American SUVs, two with V8s? Not quite. There is one more vehicle. This one still fits the criteria but has a few differences. First, it isn’t American. It’s German. Second, it has a regular V6. Third, it’s a Porsche. The Cayenne I found is a 2017 Platinum Edition with around 48,000, barely getting into this list. There are a few things about the Cayenne that bring it down. It has a 3.6-liter V6 with 300-horsepower which is the least-powerful SUV here. It’ll also cost a lot to repair once things go wrong. Still, you can get a mid-size Porsche which should fit Sam. Like every other SUV, this has heated and ventilated seats, navigation, navigation, and sunroof. It may not have a fire breathing V8, but the Cayenne is definitely the sportiest and has the most buttons you can find. Why not bring in a wild card just in case?
Sam, I think one of these SUVs will be for you. The criteria are actually quite easy to use, especially looking at larger vehicles. I’m a fan of having a V8-powered SUV but that’s not necessary. Out of three, the one with the most personality is the Ford Flex. The most sporty is the Porsche Cayenne while the most basic is the GMC Yukon and the one with the most features is the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Whichever one Sam picks, I know two things. One: he will have a quality SUV that has all the features he wants. Second: as soon as this article is written, I’m going to call him and see when we can test-drive SUVs.
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