Finally got to test drive a wagoneer, series 3. Nice truck. I'm going to talk about each item as a comparison between it, the gms, my 18 armada and the fords.
Space: I like how roomy the interior feels and the third row is genuinely as spacious and comfortable as the fords. The nissan has the worst third row, not gonna indulge on why. The gms is roomy, but the worst ergonomically for my body type (im 5'8") as the seat back is too upright, flat, hard and the seat is too parallel to the floor. Wagoneer has a good amount of space behind the 3rd row, about the same as the gms. Nissan has more length than Ford, but higher floor. Second Row Space between all four feels about the same. The wagoneer also seems to have the most headroom. The first row also feels wide, though not as wide as the gms. The fords feel the most narrow, I think this has to do with the console as it's narrow. The others don't allow space btw the seats and the console like the fords do.
Displays: The displays are very sharp and clear. The wagoneer tach feels similar to the nav as its mostly black and minimalistic. I didnt toggle through it too much. The denalis I drove were all 21s so they didn't have the full digital tach. I driven a 21 f150 with the digital tach, its very Informative, clear and colorful, but not very configurable. Of note, the expy can't be had with a rearview digital mirror display or heads up display like the other.
Seat comfort: The front seats are soft and supportive, but feel narrow. I felt like I was falling out the seat on tight turns. I had no problem with visibility and the seat was high enough to see over the hood well. The gms felt the flattest and hardest but had the most thigh support. The seat is high from the floor but the bottom was angled aggressively upwards so it feels like you are sitting closer to the floor. Also, the dash is stupid high up and the hood is high so visibility forward is almost non existent. I liked the balance of my old expys seats; supportive, yet supple. The backrest was at a weird angle that made your shoulders feel unsupported though, and the seat bottom was the shortest. Visibility was great, but the steering wheel was oddly high, I could never get it low enough to sit near my lap unless I jacked the seat up. Same in the nav. Speaking of nav, of you don't get the 30 way seats, it feels awkward. The segments meet at weird angles, so the top half feels uneven to the bottom half of the backrest. Also, the "wings" aren't adjustable and squeeze too tight at your ribs and kidneys. Also, the top of the seat sits too low, so it pokes the bottom of your shoulders. However, the seats are stupid cushy and pillowy, and unlike the expy, give great thogh support. The 24 way seats are better, but lack massage. Hey Lincoln, why not drop the 10 way seats, put the 24 way seats in base trim, and make 30 way seats std on reserve and up trim? Nissan has flat but wide seats. Soft seats, but pedals don't adjust. Speaking of pedals, jeep and gm place the brake pedal too far forward, making your ankle rest uncomfortably. This makes a very uncomfy relationship btw seat, wheel and pedals for those two trucks. Ford thankfully fixed this on the 4th gen(3rd gens had this problem) Also, both jeep and ford made it easy to reach the dash and screen.
Exterior: wagoneer is kinda ugly. Imposing, but it's parts don't mesh well, esp the rear. I like how wide the running boards are though. Denali is the best looking gm, and has the best rear end. The grille is too big though. The pre refresh plat expy is gorgeous. I like the refresh expy, esp spp. Nav is the best looking truck pd, to include jeeps gw and gms escalade. However, the c pillar on the fords have this weird cut above the rear door that drives me crazy. I think it's the meld point for the swb/lwb rear, but I hate it.
Interior: Interior material around the console area was nice, but the molded dash felt cheap. The wood felt cheap and hollow. the steering wheel was nice but very thick, Probably the thickest steering wheel in its class for now. Uconnect is fast, but theres a lot of menus and it takes time to find things. Gm probably has the easiest system to learn, but I believe the 22s have an even newer system. The f150 i drove with sync 4 was also easy to use, but I remember it feeling somewhat laggy. The model I tested has the 19 spkr Macintosh system. It sounded very good if a bit bass heavy. It also sounded kinda choppy playing lows? However, vocals and highs were crisp, solid A. The 12 spkr b&o is the best at power and tone distinction and clarity, but it wasn't very dynamic, which would also cause it to sound muddy at high volumes. But it's still a very good system, A-. The bose in the denali was very good as well, but behind the other two as it sounded somewhat tinny compared to the other two, B+. This must be a bose thing because I feel the armada has the same issue of getting tinny, B. As far as sound quality goes, the 14spkr unit revel is the best, but its the weakest by far. To match a 12 in the expy, the revel would need to be at 17, an A off the back of its sound. I liked the power slide console of the gm. My wife loved it how it makes the console very configurable and open. I like how thoughtful jeeps console was set up. There's a place to keep ur phone and key without taking away space. However, the console was too high so I had to reach up to get my phone. I hate the fact that fords only has one USB and one USB c port when the others have two of each.
Drive: all four are quiet, but I will admit the expy is the loudest of the four, the nav is the quietest, but it's a lux variant. I havent driven a gm with air springs, and I havent driven a jeep with coils. Armada is sloppy compared to the others in all aspects. The gms are firm, you feel all road textures but the dampers do a good job at compliance. Also, tied with base spring expy in terms of ride body control. Gms have great cornering control and stay flat well. The base expy felt firm, almost too firm most of the time. The nav is a lot softer and on smooth roads feels the most glass like. However, on both, imperfections are felt more readily and sharply than the others. Also, ccd likes to "bounce" in the rear, esp in comfort mode. I've noted before that my expy had an extreme ride variance, different days gave me vastly different rides. On its best day though, it was by far the best of any of these and smoother than any fs suv I ever driven; soft, but controlled and highly compliant. However, on it's worse days, the ride felt like a shopping cart. Hopefully 22, they fix those issues. Jeep is a happy medium, it's cushy, and the bumps are felt, but not intrusive as the others and was never harsh. I noticed, the body is more jittery than the others, it shook on every bump I hit. The steering in the denali is very light, like the jeep. Fords have more heft, without the feel or self centering as the others. I like that the fords feel more natural on turns, but on the the straights felt gluey. However, sport mode in the fords felt the best in all situations compared to the others. Nissan actually put feel in the steering, but you will only feel it in some extreme situations. The 5.7l is kinda slow, the 8sp is smooth though and the engine stays quiet. The others are more peppy, with the 6.2l feeling slower at low sp but stronger at higher sp. The 3.5l is great at low sp, but feels strained at higher sp. Also, the expy pumps in too much grainy engine noise, id rather it be quiet like the nav. Gm has some funky feelin brakes. That killed my drive and I will not own one for that reason. The ford brake is also softish, but it's very progressive, so you always feel in control. I also would purposely trip the pre collision warning, as this would pre charge the brakes, giving you a firmer feel. Jeep and nissan have rele good feeling brakes, Very little play, firm, and strong.
Conclusion: all manufacturers mark up there vehicles in guam to equate for tax and Transoceanic shipping. The jeep was 105k. the denali was 88k, but it wasnt fully loaded. The nav was 95k, but also wasn't fully loaded. The jeep is nice, but not 105k nice. It didn't feel special. I felt the same when testing the grand cherokee l after testing an acura mdx. Jeep is asking lux car prices, and though the interiors are nice, as a whole, it doesn't feel worth the price. Gms are nice, but the brakes and overall package feels very tame and unfinished. Gm knows consumers and journalists will eat up whatever they put out for this market, so they did "enough" and left it at that. I have noticed and won't get over the fact that xt6 interior gets panned compared to aviator, but escalade fares favorably to navigator when escalades and xt6 uses more "gmc" parts than nav uses "ford" parts. Fords feel the most unpolished. Great ideas and dynamics that need more tuning that they refuse to give it. I was hoping the refresh would help, but the early nav reviews quelled those hopes. However, to me, they have the best balanced packages so it looks like I will stay a ford guy atleast for this segment.
Space: I like how roomy the interior feels and the third row is genuinely as spacious and comfortable as the fords. The nissan has the worst third row, not gonna indulge on why. The gms is roomy, but the worst ergonomically for my body type (im 5'8") as the seat back is too upright, flat, hard and the seat is too parallel to the floor. Wagoneer has a good amount of space behind the 3rd row, about the same as the gms. Nissan has more length than Ford, but higher floor. Second Row Space between all four feels about the same. The wagoneer also seems to have the most headroom. The first row also feels wide, though not as wide as the gms. The fords feel the most narrow, I think this has to do with the console as it's narrow. The others don't allow space btw the seats and the console like the fords do.
Displays: The displays are very sharp and clear. The wagoneer tach feels similar to the nav as its mostly black and minimalistic. I didnt toggle through it too much. The denalis I drove were all 21s so they didn't have the full digital tach. I driven a 21 f150 with the digital tach, its very Informative, clear and colorful, but not very configurable. Of note, the expy can't be had with a rearview digital mirror display or heads up display like the other.
Seat comfort: The front seats are soft and supportive, but feel narrow. I felt like I was falling out the seat on tight turns. I had no problem with visibility and the seat was high enough to see over the hood well. The gms felt the flattest and hardest but had the most thigh support. The seat is high from the floor but the bottom was angled aggressively upwards so it feels like you are sitting closer to the floor. Also, the dash is stupid high up and the hood is high so visibility forward is almost non existent. I liked the balance of my old expys seats; supportive, yet supple. The backrest was at a weird angle that made your shoulders feel unsupported though, and the seat bottom was the shortest. Visibility was great, but the steering wheel was oddly high, I could never get it low enough to sit near my lap unless I jacked the seat up. Same in the nav. Speaking of nav, of you don't get the 30 way seats, it feels awkward. The segments meet at weird angles, so the top half feels uneven to the bottom half of the backrest. Also, the "wings" aren't adjustable and squeeze too tight at your ribs and kidneys. Also, the top of the seat sits too low, so it pokes the bottom of your shoulders. However, the seats are stupid cushy and pillowy, and unlike the expy, give great thogh support. The 24 way seats are better, but lack massage. Hey Lincoln, why not drop the 10 way seats, put the 24 way seats in base trim, and make 30 way seats std on reserve and up trim? Nissan has flat but wide seats. Soft seats, but pedals don't adjust. Speaking of pedals, jeep and gm place the brake pedal too far forward, making your ankle rest uncomfortably. This makes a very uncomfy relationship btw seat, wheel and pedals for those two trucks. Ford thankfully fixed this on the 4th gen(3rd gens had this problem) Also, both jeep and ford made it easy to reach the dash and screen.
Exterior: wagoneer is kinda ugly. Imposing, but it's parts don't mesh well, esp the rear. I like how wide the running boards are though. Denali is the best looking gm, and has the best rear end. The grille is too big though. The pre refresh plat expy is gorgeous. I like the refresh expy, esp spp. Nav is the best looking truck pd, to include jeeps gw and gms escalade. However, the c pillar on the fords have this weird cut above the rear door that drives me crazy. I think it's the meld point for the swb/lwb rear, but I hate it.
Interior: Interior material around the console area was nice, but the molded dash felt cheap. The wood felt cheap and hollow. the steering wheel was nice but very thick, Probably the thickest steering wheel in its class for now. Uconnect is fast, but theres a lot of menus and it takes time to find things. Gm probably has the easiest system to learn, but I believe the 22s have an even newer system. The f150 i drove with sync 4 was also easy to use, but I remember it feeling somewhat laggy. The model I tested has the 19 spkr Macintosh system. It sounded very good if a bit bass heavy. It also sounded kinda choppy playing lows? However, vocals and highs were crisp, solid A. The 12 spkr b&o is the best at power and tone distinction and clarity, but it wasn't very dynamic, which would also cause it to sound muddy at high volumes. But it's still a very good system, A-. The bose in the denali was very good as well, but behind the other two as it sounded somewhat tinny compared to the other two, B+. This must be a bose thing because I feel the armada has the same issue of getting tinny, B. As far as sound quality goes, the 14spkr unit revel is the best, but its the weakest by far. To match a 12 in the expy, the revel would need to be at 17, an A off the back of its sound. I liked the power slide console of the gm. My wife loved it how it makes the console very configurable and open. I like how thoughtful jeeps console was set up. There's a place to keep ur phone and key without taking away space. However, the console was too high so I had to reach up to get my phone. I hate the fact that fords only has one USB and one USB c port when the others have two of each.
Drive: all four are quiet, but I will admit the expy is the loudest of the four, the nav is the quietest, but it's a lux variant. I havent driven a gm with air springs, and I havent driven a jeep with coils. Armada is sloppy compared to the others in all aspects. The gms are firm, you feel all road textures but the dampers do a good job at compliance. Also, tied with base spring expy in terms of ride body control. Gms have great cornering control and stay flat well. The base expy felt firm, almost too firm most of the time. The nav is a lot softer and on smooth roads feels the most glass like. However, on both, imperfections are felt more readily and sharply than the others. Also, ccd likes to "bounce" in the rear, esp in comfort mode. I've noted before that my expy had an extreme ride variance, different days gave me vastly different rides. On its best day though, it was by far the best of any of these and smoother than any fs suv I ever driven; soft, but controlled and highly compliant. However, on it's worse days, the ride felt like a shopping cart. Hopefully 22, they fix those issues. Jeep is a happy medium, it's cushy, and the bumps are felt, but not intrusive as the others and was never harsh. I noticed, the body is more jittery than the others, it shook on every bump I hit. The steering in the denali is very light, like the jeep. Fords have more heft, without the feel or self centering as the others. I like that the fords feel more natural on turns, but on the the straights felt gluey. However, sport mode in the fords felt the best in all situations compared to the others. Nissan actually put feel in the steering, but you will only feel it in some extreme situations. The 5.7l is kinda slow, the 8sp is smooth though and the engine stays quiet. The others are more peppy, with the 6.2l feeling slower at low sp but stronger at higher sp. The 3.5l is great at low sp, but feels strained at higher sp. Also, the expy pumps in too much grainy engine noise, id rather it be quiet like the nav. Gm has some funky feelin brakes. That killed my drive and I will not own one for that reason. The ford brake is also softish, but it's very progressive, so you always feel in control. I also would purposely trip the pre collision warning, as this would pre charge the brakes, giving you a firmer feel. Jeep and nissan have rele good feeling brakes, Very little play, firm, and strong.
Conclusion: all manufacturers mark up there vehicles in guam to equate for tax and Transoceanic shipping. The jeep was 105k. the denali was 88k, but it wasnt fully loaded. The nav was 95k, but also wasn't fully loaded. The jeep is nice, but not 105k nice. It didn't feel special. I felt the same when testing the grand cherokee l after testing an acura mdx. Jeep is asking lux car prices, and though the interiors are nice, as a whole, it doesn't feel worth the price. Gms are nice, but the brakes and overall package feels very tame and unfinished. Gm knows consumers and journalists will eat up whatever they put out for this market, so they did "enough" and left it at that. I have noticed and won't get over the fact that xt6 interior gets panned compared to aviator, but escalade fares favorably to navigator when escalades and xt6 uses more "gmc" parts than nav uses "ford" parts. Fords feel the most unpolished. Great ideas and dynamics that need more tuning that they refuse to give it. I was hoping the refresh would help, but the early nav reviews quelled those hopes. However, to me, they have the best balanced packages so it looks like I will stay a ford guy atleast for this segment.
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