In search of the right, comfortable SUV

In search of the right, comfortable SUV

Zatni Arbi, Contributor/zatni@cbn.net.id

My twelve-year old Honda Civic has been forcing me to make the trips to the repair shop at an increasing frequency of late.

The signals are loud and clear: It's time to change my horse. But, there are a couple of things that must be taken into account as I mull over what to replace it with.

To start with, as you must also have noticed, the flooding in Jakarta just gets worse each year. It also occurs unexpectedly and more often, regardless of the season. Secondly, people have been laying speed bumps everywhere, and, as no standard exists for these popularly called "sleeping policemen" here, they repeatedly scrape the bottom of my car.

To overcome these two problems, it is obvious that my next car must have plenty of ground clearance. Short of driving a Big Foot monster on Jakarta streets, I know I have to get myself a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) instead of an ordinary sedan.

Besides, there are definitely additional benefits of driving a larger SUV as opposed to driving a subcompact like the Honda Civic in the notoriously hostile Jakarta traffic. At least, other drivers won't take an SUV as lightly, and they won't cut in front of you just like you were non-existent.

The Big Question: Which SUV?

In my case, there is another requirement. My carport is only 4.4 meters long. That immediately eliminates a Chevy Blazer, Nissan X-Trail and the like from my list of candidates. Toyota Land Cruiser, Jeep Cherokee and the others in that class have never been on my list as they are simply beyond my financial reach. Toyota Kijang, which is a van rather than an SUV, would be a good alternative, except that several of my neighbors have had their Kijangs stolen in the past few years and I just have no intention of being the next statistic.

Two years ago, right after the Great Flood of 2002 hit Jakarta, I took a very serious look at the Nissan Terrano. I visited Nissan's showroom a couple of times to ensure that I would be making an informed decision. The Terrano is a great, tough-looking car with a very comfortable ride and a conventional but powerful 2.4 liter engine. It has ground clearance that few other cars can match. Best of all, it has an excellent resale value.

The body of the Spirit, the most affordable Terrano, has a total length of less than 4.4 meters. Unfortunately, to keep it this short, the spare tire has to remain inside the cargo room.

That may be a problem, as I just couldn't imagine having to breathe the air inside the cabin with the spare tire just a few centimeters behind my head. There is no telling what the tire picks up from the pavement. In addition, because of its body-on- chassis design, the floor is high and flat, providing the occupants with very minimal headroom. The rear passenger doors are also rather narrow, so getting in and out of the car is a bit of a struggle for a bulky person like me. So, it was finally dropped from my list.

Another alternative was Honda's CR-V. The first generation that entered the Indonesian market did not really impress me, but the New CR-V does. Firstly, it is a Honda. Having had two Honda Civics in the past, I have developed a strong fondness for Honda cars. Secondly, like the Nissan Terrano, it commands a very good resale price. Third, like all the other Honda cars, it is a notably refined car with all the space-saving efficiency inside it.

Furthermore, because it has a unibody platform, Honda's designers were able to make the cabin floor lower and give the driver as well as the passengers a lot of headroom and legroom. There is a narrow, foldable bench for two kids in the back, just in case my wife's relatives come to visit us in Jakarta with their kids and we would like to take them around in our car.

There are a couple of things about this very popular SUV that I don't really like. Firstly, all the New CR-Vs assembled in Indonesia come with dark-colored interiors.

I want a light-colored interior. Secondly, the rear gate swings to the right while, for various reasons, I strongly prefer a tailgate that opens upward. Third, the spare tire is mounted on the rear gate, bringing the car's total length to 4.53 meters. Should I decide to buy this car, I would have to put the spare tire inside the well under the cargo floor. While that would shorten the body to under 4.4 meters, the sales clerk at the Honda dealer told me that it would raise the cargo floor and leave an unattractive void on the rear door.

Besides, the front and rear bumpers do not seem to provide enough protection during Jakarta's wild street fights - should I ever get into one. The rear lights are too fancy, and I suspect they would cost a fortune if, God forbid, I ever had to replace them after a skirmish with a city bus or a sideswipe from a container hauler.

Still undecided, I checked out the Ford Escape. This compact SUV has just the exact length for my car port. Unlike Honda's New CR-V, Toyota's RAV4 and Hyundai's Santa Fe, the Escape has a very conventional but handsome look, all with the large and unpainted front and rear bumpers as well as bodyside cladding. Moreover, it is very roomy for all passengers.

All the doors open wide, making it easy to get in and out quickly. It has a liftgate and a flip-up glass window in the rear. The spare tire is stowed under the cargo floor, and its high ground clearance should be enough to let me sail through most of our flooded streets.

The interior, unfortunately, is not remotely as classy as the New CR-V. Only the top of the line for the Indonesian market, the 4x4 XLT, comes with factory-made leather seats. This model is very expensive -- almost Rp 80 million more expensive than the New CR-V. Its engine, which has received tons of accolades from testers and drivers, is a six-cylinder, 3.0 liter Duratec EFI.

Since my daily trips are mostly stop-and-go around the city, this car is very likely to be too powerful and too fuel- inefficient for me. Even more troubling is the fact that, up to now, it has a very poor resale price in Indonesia.

Ford offers a four-cylinder, two-liter engine on its low-end Escape, but this variant only comes with a manual transmission. Mazda's Tribute, which is basically Escape's twin, does have a version with a 2.0 liter engine and an automatic transmission, but I find Escape's macho bearing far more appealing.

This one, or that one?

So, here I am, still undecided, still cannot make up my mind whether to go with the Honda New CR-V or the Ford Escape. The New CR-V has a smooth 2.0 liter i-VTEC engine, good acceleration and a more car-like ride. The Escape has the body style that I love the most. The reviews that I have read on the Internet and the comments I have heard from Escape owners consistently underscore its comfortable ride and superb handling. However, to really enjoy the fun I will have to opt for the premium, 201 horsepower 3.0 liter XLT engine.

According to the April 2004 Edition of Consumer Report, Honda CR-V and New CR-V have been receiving almost perfect scores in reliability categories such as engine, transmission, brakes and body integrity since it first became available in the U.S. in 1997.

Both the brand new and the used CR-Vs have been on this publication's list of recommended cars. Meanwhile, Ford Escape, which has been tremendously popular in the U.S., has much improved scores for the reliability of its 2003 model that Consumer Report believes they can now recommend it, too.

Incidentally, Consumer Report is the publication of the U.S. Consumer Union. I have been subscribing to this monthly magazine for around twenty years now. Because of its unbiased reviews, a lot of consumers around the world use it as their source of reference.

Now you understand why, until now, that I am still torn between these two great SUVs.