Thinking of adding more McIntosh gear… 2023 Grand Wagoneer series 3
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That's a sweet looking ride for sure.SystemLuxman L-590AXII Integrated Amplifier|KEF Reference 1 Loudspeakers|PS Audio Directream Jr|Sansui TU-9900 Tuner|TEAC A-6100 RtR|REL T/9X SE Sub
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We have had a Jeep Grand Cherokee for quite a few years and it’s a pretty good SUV.
Gets decent MPG and comfy for my family of 4."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
EndersShadow wrote: »We have had a Jeep Grand Cherokee for quite a few years and it’s a pretty good SUV.
Gets decent MPG and comfy for my family of 4.
That was a pre-Stellantis design that goes back to when Benz and Chrysler were joined at the hip. The newer stuff...well, I think enough has been said. -
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Minivans can't tow worth a damn and payload capacity is often lacking for the size of the vehicle.
Big SUVs can.
Any one of the big SUVs from the usual suspects has a litany of reported issues, all big and small problems alike. Extended warranties on any of them is a very good idea.
The Wagoneer is the fastest if you get the short wheelbase and while it can haul and tow I've seen complaints that it tends to get pushed around by heavy trailers.
The Expedition/Navigator is bigger inside while being the smallest outside and can tow/haul more than the Wagoneer with the added benefit of being able to fit 4x8 foot sheets of building materials with the seats down if that is one of your needs.
The Tahoe/Suburban/Escalade is slower than the other two but it comes with a big V8 instead of a turbocharged 6-cylinder. They don't tow as much unless you get the diesel in the Suburban but they have higher payload capacities than the other two so you don't have to limit how many fat friends you take along with you.
The first year that the Toyota Sequoia could actually compete with the Ford, GM and Chrysler offerings was 2025 when they finally broke the 7K towing capacity benchmark with it. Prior to that, the only Toyota SUV that could hit 8K+ pounds was the Land Cruiser which is small compared to the "Big 3" offerings. That said, the Sequoia is "big" by most people standards until you park it next to am Expedition Max or a long wheelbase Wagoneer and you see how big it isn't, comparatively.
That said, the Wagoneer is as good as any of them. I found it cramped inside for the size of the vehicle but it's at least as nicely appointed as the Navigator even if materials felt a little more low rent than the Caddy or the Lincoln. Performance/capability it's almost a dead heat between the Big 3. I think the slowest one is the Suburban which is still a sub-6.5 second jaunt to 60 for the 6.2L V8 and even the diesel Suburban gets to 60 in less than 8.4 seconds. For pigs that tip the scales at over 6,000 pounds that is a massive amount of horsepower to get them moving that fast, that quickly.
Also, having taken extremely long road trips in a pickup truck, a minivan, a crossover, a sedan and a massive SUV, the massive SUVs are, by far, the preferred road-trip vehicle. The power, the size, the weight and typically the long wheel base make them excellent at eating up the road and absorbing bumps and poor weather like it was nothing.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
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Any one of the big SUVs from the usual suspects has a litany of reported issues, all big and small problems alike.
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That said, the Wagoneer is as good as any of them.
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Agree. And in case anyone missed it the OP’s Subaru had to have the motor rebuilt at 45,000 miles. Ironically, Subaru happens to be one of the highest rated brands for reliability. Just goes to show they all have their problems.
Brian -
If it was a Subaru with the 3.6 engine those have known leaking problems and were discontinued. Their more recent reliability is because they're down to two basic boring engine types and have worked the trouble spots out of them for the most part over the last decade.
The Hurricane twin turbo inline six cylinder was pretty new to market in 2023 but I haven't really heard of many problems with them. Definitely not compared to the Toyota twin turbo engine! The main issues I have heard of with the Hurricane six have been electronic control related or hose/clamp build quality problems. -
Subaru still has issues with cam seals on the 2.4 engines... They fail at 40/50k like clockwork. I also had to replace both front struts, and all I do is street driving. Those were 1200 each.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon MiND2 Shunyata Triton
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it? -
An update... Spent a couple days with the Grand Wagoneer SIII, which is top of the range. Let me state that the Mcintosh system is the best factory installed audio I have heard, bar none. This behemoth drives like a smaller vehicle than it is, and I loved every bit of it. Taken as a whole, it was the most pleasurable driving experience I have had in a number of years now. The only bad thing is that even during normal driving with the family, both of my boys get nauseous because of the floating sensations provided by the air suspension.
Looks like I may be heading back to square one in the vehicle search...The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon MiND2 Shunyata Triton
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it? -
Was that a new GW or a used one?
'Cause in all the reviews I've seen of the GW, "floaty" wasn't a descriptor. Wondering if you're dodging a bullet there with a messed up air suspension.
The Caddy and the Lincoln both abandoned full air ride suspensions because of the cost and complexity. Cadillac kept the air ride but added their magnetic damping system to control the float. The "air springs" are optional, though and traditional springed suspensions are standard.
Lincoln abandoned it completely and instead uses a system that scans the road ahead for imperfections and dynamically stiffens or softens the suspension in preparation.
The Jeep uses air springs all around but standard monotube gas charged shocks/struts for bound/rebound control but they do use "smart" technology to dynamically adjust the rates. But without the magnetic ride tech in the Caddy or the hydraulic based tech in the Lincoln, the Jeep is likely using adjustable damper valving to get the results they want.
The GW is pretty much described as "plush and smooth" by reviewers and the Navigator as more "floaty" because it's traditional spring based system doesn't handle heavy bumps as well, especially in the long version. It's less floaty on the 2020 and newer models because of improvements to the "Continuously Controlled Damping" tech, though. So if that GW was used and riding "floaty", it probably has a suspension control system issue that either hasn't been diagnosed or hasn't been disclosed.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
As a driver, it reminded me a lot of my jaguar XJ in the air suspension it had in it. I really like the way it rode and handled, and I didn’t feel what they felt. Even when my wife was driving and I was a passenger it still felt pretty smooth to me.
I don’t think there was anything wrong with the suspension on this one as it only had 28,000 miles on it. My oldest boy has had issues with car sickness pretty much from day one even with the Subaru.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon MiND2 Shunyata Triton
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it? -
Many times the second (and third) rows feel quite a bit different. It’s nice they let you drive it long enough to figure that out. Too bad you liked it but it didn’t work for the fam. I can relate. 😩
Brian -
Many times the second (and third) rows feel quite a bit different. It’s nice they let you drive it long enough to figure that out. Too bad you liked it but it didn’t work for the fam. I can relate. 😩
Not entirely giving up yet... there may be something about the way he sits in the vehicle or other factors like an empty stomach. My 4 year old literally cried today when he found it was not here any more. He called my wife and told her mean daddy took his car away.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon MiND2 Shunyata Triton
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it? -
Your boy will probably be fine as long as you let him drive.
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He's only 4. lmao
Never too young to start. I was driving tractors, trucks and combines at 9. -
I have some stories to tell you. I'm not gonna disagree. Unless it incriminates me.
But, 4?!
Brian -
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Plus, "Insightful," "Agree," "Like," "Vote Up," and "Awesome."
Brian -
My 2.5 year old grandson is trying the golf cart.2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Norma Revo DAC-2, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon, WAY power cables for all other sources. -
You would be surprised at what young people can do, given the right direction and chance.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
I started to let my daughter steer from the beginning of the neighborhood to the house starting around 4... Obviously with some guidance
- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
nooshinjohn wrote: »Many times the second (and third) rows feel quite a bit different. It’s nice they let you drive it long enough to figure that out. Too bad you liked it but it didn’t work for the fam. I can relate. 😩
Not entirely giving up yet... there may be something about the way he sits in the vehicle or other factors like an empty stomach. My 4 year old literally cried today when he found it was not here any more. He called my wife and told her mean daddy took his car away.
My son's ex has motion sickness at the time she was looking into and researching glasses that should could wear in the car to help for this. Perhaps it's something you can look into. Heck tell Jeep to include a couple pair into your deal. Anyway, just food for thought. Btw I think you can purchase some on Amazon, if they don't work ship'em back -
Although I intended my post to be tongue-in-cheek, I had a manager who insisted on driving to projects because that was the only way that he could avoid car sickness.
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Is there a “sport” suspension setting? That might take some of the floatiness away.
Brian










