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http://autos.msn.com/advice/article...2&src=LP%20utes
Top Sport Utilities
on MSN Autos
The midsize Honda Pilot was new for the 2003 model year and has become the most popular SUV among shoppers on MSN Autos.
compiled by MSN Autos
The most popular sport-utility vehicles on MSN Autos, based on visits to the site's vehicle research pages during the third quarter of 2004.
When it comes to sport-utility vehicles, cyber-shoppers on MSN Autos seem to favoring import brands such as Honda and Toyota, with the Honda Pilot at the top of the list for the third quarter of 2004.
Although the Toyota 4Runner was second, it was followed by a veteran in this category, the Ford Explorer. The Explorer is still the best-selling SUV in America, and one of three Ford SUVs on this list. Toyota's Highlander took the fourth position, with the top five rounded out by Volkswagen's first-ever SUV entry, the Touareg.
The list of the top ten SUVs on MSN Autos is based on the number of visits to the site's vehicle research pages during July through September of 2004. Here is the complete list:
1. Honda Pilot
Based on the Odyssey platform when it debuted in 2003, the midsize Pilot seats up to eight passengers. For 2005, the Pilot receives a new 255-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine with an all electronic drive-by-wire throttle system.
2. Toyota 4Runner
Toyota's midsize SUV was one of the first SUVs—really a version of the Toyota pickup with a removable hardtop and extra seats—when it was introduced as a 1985 model. The fourth-generation 4Runner, which debuted as a 2003 model, retains its original high level of off-road capability, but also has room, power and luxury.
3. Ford Explorer
Total production of the Explorer reached five million vehicles in 2002, and the Explorer continues to be one of the most popular SUVs with shoppers on MSN Autos. The Explorer Sport Trac was added for 2001 and combines the passenger room and comfort of the 4-door Explorer with a pickup cargo bed in place of the typical enclosed SUV cargo area.
4. Toyota Highlander
Toyota's car-based SUV has a unibody platform with 4-wheel independent suspension for a midsize sedan ride combined with a higher ride height. Highlander offers available 4-wheel drive and the cargo capacity of a midsize SUV. An optional third-row seat was added for the 2004 model year, as was a larger optional 230-horsepower 3.3-liter V6 engine. Highlander gets a number of new standard features for 2005.
5. Volkswagen Touareg
The Touareg is Volkswagen's first entry into the SUV segment, sharing a platform with the Porsche Cayenne. The Touareg offers German luxury, exceptional road performance and excellent off-road capability. Three powerplants are available, including a powerful V10 diesel.
6. Ford Escape
The Escape is Ford's compact SUV that joined the Ford SUV lineup for the 2001 model year with unibody, 4-wheel independent suspension and either front-wheel-drive or four-wheel drive. Much interest has been generated by the 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid, which went on sale in fall 2004. The world's first production hybrid SUV is powered by a gas-electric hybrid drive system with a high-tech electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT), and has either front-wheel or 4-wheel drive.
7. Lexus RX330
Introduced six years ago, the luxury SUV from Lexus is now in its second generation. Completely redesigned last year, the RX 330 receives a number of luxury and safety enhancements for the 2005 model year. New features include roll sensing curtain airbags (RSCA), an adaptive front lighting system (AFS) and a standard power rear liftgate.
8. Nissan Murano
Named after elegant, sculpted glass art from islands near Venice, the Murano is Nissan's new crossover SUV that debuted for the 2003 model year. Murano features dramatic exterior and interior styling, which is designed to accommodate two couples, although five adults can fit if necessary.
9. Honda CR-V
A compact SUV built on the Civic platform, the CR-V debuted in the U.S. in 1997 and quickly became the best-selling compact SUV. For 2005 the CR-V gets exterior updates that include redesigned headlights, grille, front bumper, taillights, side sills and wheel arch flares with mud guards.
10. Ford Freestyle
The Freestyle is an all-new crossover vehicle which Ford says offeres the looks of an SUV, the versatility of a minivan and the confidence of an all-wheel-drive sedan. With seven-passenger capacity, Freestyle offers versatility for passenger or cargo use, and available all-wheel drive. |
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