Motor Trend's SUV of the Year competition article

OK...is there 1 solid axle among them?? the Ford Freestyle??? the Escape Hybrid?? OK putting the 05 X up against the LR3 would be a cool matchup but the rest?? Please...and all because the X is released a month later...I hope that SOME magazine includes the 05 X and does a fair comparison...

Why do you care?

Do you need outside validation to reassure you that you own a nice vehicle?

I dont...in fact it has nothing to do with MY truck...Mine is and '00 and has nothing to do with this competition...and my complaint was less about an Xterra not winning it and more about the fact that most of the "SUV"'s in that competition were pretty pathetic. I think the 05 X given what we've seen and heard so far, would wipe the floor with most of them...IF the magazines and "powers that be" would give it a shot...

The LR3 is an amazing vehicle, it deserves the win.

Anyway, Motor Trend are car fags. Last year they got stuck in a ditch and almost died in the desert. Then they complained about their ice cream melting or somesuch shit.

I'm sure the miniumum requirements for SUV of the Year next year will include a widescreen TV, 22" wheels and a bidet.

Otherwise known as the "MidnightX" option. If your arms are short and you can't quite reach back there then you can..well...you get the idea.

I've seen the LR3 in person. It's fugly as hell, but actually pretty cool.

Havent seen the LR3 yet...though I would imagine that it didnt have too much of a fight from those other trucks for the most part...Just curious but what was it about the LR3 that impressed you so much? and how do you think the new X would compare to it? Or are they just 2 completely different classes of vehicle--Luxury vs. Economy?

It looks like the IRS Pathy got screwed not the solid rear axle xterra in that article.

I just meant that the X got screwed by not being included...

[B]somesuch shit I liked those words...Might use them again some other day.
I think a bidet would be quite handy on longer trips!

I wish my truck had a bidet....especially after 6 days in the desert on an AZ run.....

I did run with a bumper dumper last year tho.

Since it hasn't been released nor is it close to being released in time for their best SUV issue that shouldn't be a surprise. Wait till next year.

Somehow I think they MIGHT have been able to get their hands on one if they had wanted to...we'll see with the other magazines how the X stands up...

The L3 is WAAAYYYYY Luxery with fancy offroad buttons and settings. I guess it's all air shocks? cause it seems like you can adjust ride height and such on the fly.

1. Find a water crossing.
2. Pull pants down around ankles.
3. Open door.
4. Hang ass out door.
5. 60mph through water crossing.

As many of you know we did the Nissan Titan launch for Nissan In Vancouver and Whistler, The Motor Trend Journalist was a dick, I later heard he got a speeding ticket driving the Titan. Then complained he drove the speed limit of 70...DUH he drove miles not km

Hey Ian,

Do you know if the LR3 has that same forced articulation thing as the Range? I always thought it does, but have never heard about it in any artical.

Picking the winner of a magazine comparison test merely involves knowing who the unofficial sponsor of the test is....

My favorite was the one where the car (It was a "off road" SUV competition....) that won, had lost every category except subjective ("Ride"...etc...), the only thing that made it up the every obstacle was a Jeep Cherokee actually.

The loss of the actual off road portion of the testing was blamed on poor OEM tires for off roading, ...

it was further postulated that if it had been equipped with better tires, it would have in fact won all of the off road comparisons, and ....

was therefore declared the overall winner in one of the biggest stretches I have ever seen a magazine go though to make the correct sponsor happy.



So - I might read a test to derive my own conclusion...I take a magazine's conclusion with a salt shaker or two.

How does Motor Trend get a hold of the vehicles? I know Four Wheeler sends out invitations to have new vehicles in their SUV of the Year competition. If that is the case with Motor Trend then it is Nissan who is at fault.

Since the next new Xterra will be a 2005, it will most likely NOT be in the next MT SUV of the year competition since the Xterra won't be new in 2006.

All I really care is that my Xterra gets me where I want it to go. It does that with or without the MT 2000 SUV of the Year award sticker on it.

-Michael

I think that is called an enema!

You're being generous. I take their conclusions with a salt mine. Then again, I've given up on reading most magazines.

Arizona needs more water crossings.

Down here that'd just make it worse because the wash would be dry and dust would stick to my ass.

C'mon Andy, you know once the dirt and dust cakes on and forms a nice crust, it can easily be cracked with a rock and chipped away

Yes, it does. Air suspension that acts like a live axle. The description I got from a LR test driver and instuctor was that the air resevoir at each wheel is connected to the other on the same "axle." As one tire goes up, it pushes the air through to the other, pushing it down. His comment was: "My truck will follow it, but with a whole lot more work." He drives a Series I Disco, lifted, locked, regeared, bumpers, tires, etc, and he knows how to drive. I'd still rather have his 5-speed ol' school Disco to play with, but the LR3 is a nice vehicle. Maybe someday when I need to keep kids in back...

-Matt