Unibody construction, right? Bad design for an SUV- I much prefer the bolt-on frame that Land Rover USED to go with until Ford bought them and cheaped them down…
Kinda sucks doesn’t’ it.
My Wifes ’02 Jeep is on a ladder frame with solid axles.
My ’06 Pathfinder is independent suspension all around. But it is built on one of Nissans truck frames. Box ladder construction. No uni-body crap.
That’s one of the reasons I bought it. That’s why it can tow.
As to the OP. And continuing from my post #9. ……
My Wife just completed a Marathon distance triatolon on Sunday. We had lot’s of stuff in the Pathfinder. Including two dogs. At the hotel, I don’t have to worry about the $3000 bike, because I just take it off the rack and put it in the car. Bingo. Done.
What a great weekend. Great food on the Boulder Mall where we where listening to to young siblings play the harp, chello and violin. The young man was perhaps 8 years old, his sister about 10.
These races are very stressful, on both the racers and the pit crew (me).
It was Fun fun fun. And it was made a lot easier by having a car that could take care of all of us.
Pearl Street! I miss it so much! I used to work in an office above Abercrombie & Fitch, across from Potter’s.
It depends what you use your SUV for. If it’s mostly used a glorified station wagon, then Unibody can be lighter and stiffer. Unibody vehicles tend to ride nicer and handle better on pavement (although I’ve heard the new Explorer is really nice). They also tend to get better gas mileage due to being lighter.
Body-on-frame vehicles are serious working vehicles. If you’re serious 4-wheeling, or hauling huge loads or otherwise stressing the vehicle, body on frame is better.
Well, we love our '05 BMW X3, which is classified as an SUV. But I really tend to think that’s just because the term “station wagon” is so passe. Technically, it seats five, but the three in back would be pretty crowded, and it’s not big enough to haul a bunc of stuff. On the plus side, it’s cute, sporty, handles well, and is easy on gas.
Ooh, we’re thinking seriously about an X5! It will never go off-road, though… strictly an insane station wagon! 
My MIL just got an X5. Nice vehicle. She only had it a week when she volunteered to bring a load of bricks 100 miles to my house with it. She did it to. It is beautiful but the utility is there.
We weren’t interested in the X5 because my husband commutes so far to work, we couldn’t afford the gas for a V-8! But they are great vehicles!