[decooney]

Thanks to everyone for the replies.

well... after plenty of research, driving, testing... I decided and purchased a Chevy Tahoe with the 5.3 litre Vortec instead of a mid-size SUV. 5.3=325HP, and plenty of grunt. Wow, what a vehicle for today's market-adjusted pricing out there...

Speaking of deals...
boy the deals are goin' on at the dealers right now for new, and even used vehicles now. Even less than private party who paid too much two years ago. 0% dealer financing is killing the used market some, so now dealers are dealing on used too with low interest rates. Some other big new tow type vehicles that seemed like a great value right now are the Dodge RAM QuadCab Trucks. New Dodge Ram Big Horns with leather - nice truck for 22K and a 7/70 warranty included. These are selling new for the same price as fairly used Chevy and Ford trucks from two years ago. It's a buyers market right now. Some dealers offering $3,000 under (true invoice) +$3,000 rebates just to move that metal out! Good for buying consumers right now...