Thoughts on a 2011 or 2012 CX-9? Towing capacity of 3,500lbs. Decent interior. Plenty of room for dogs. Gas mileage isn't great but neither is MS6 and I'd be filling up with regular instead.
I've been thinking about the CX-5 some more and even if I waited for the Diesel I'm 99% certain they'll only offer it in the states mated to an automatic. It only has a 2,000lb towing capacity anyway which is not really enough for my camper. I'd risk it with a manual transmission but automatics have a habit of catastrophic failure when over loaded.
I'm not really a SUV guy but I gave some thought to what I use my daily driver for. Driving to work twice a week. Shopping and occasional outings on weekends. Then there are longer trips I'd like to take with the camper that the REPU simply isn't ideal for. I'd like to visit my sis in Baltimore, my wife's friend in St Louis. Maybe check out Nova Scotia. I can't see crossing the country with the REPU. If something breaks that I can't fix myself I'd have to find a specialty shop to do the repair.
So maybe I should just suck it up and by a large SUV and deal with it. I still have the REPU when I want to tool around and drive stick.