Top SUVs for Exploring Your Favorite Town: Clifton Park

Call us biased, but we believe Clifton Park truly has it all. There are plenty of places to hunt, fish, hike, and bike; farms offer family fun all year-’round; and we have performing arts venues to visit, as well. When you’re looking for new ways to explore all that the region has to offer, DePaula Chevrolet is the best Clifton Park used car dealer. We have all the top SUVs to help you enjoy the southern gateway to upstate New York. From loading up the family for a day at the park to towing an RV so the whole family can enjoy getting away from it, we have an SUV for everyone.

Family Fun

Family fun abounds at Clifton Common with its massive wooden playground full of towers, bridges, and climbing structures – perfect for imaginations of all ages. And to get everyone there, you’re going to want a used SUV with top safety ratings. Luckily for you and your family, many SUVs have earned the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) top safety award in recent years. No matter what size class you are shopping in, there is a safe used SUV waiting for you.

Just to narrow it down a bit, we’ll start by looking at the Honda CR-V. U.S. News & World Report has named it the Best Compact SUV for Families and the Best Compact SUV for the Money in recent years. An IIHS Top Safety Pick for the better part of a decade, even models as far back as 2015 come with available forward collision warning with automatic braking, a passenger-side blind spot camera, lane keep assist, and adaptive cruise control. Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking are some of the available features on the current generation of CR-V, which began with the 2017 model year, so you will easily be able to find these options in used CR-Vs for sale.

The CR-V has comfortable seating for a family of five. The rear seat isn’t just good for your smaller passengers, either. For example, the 2018 Honda CR-V has over 39 inches of headroom in the backseat and over 40 inches of legroom. In addition, the rear seat has two full LATCH systems for car seats; the middle rear seat has a partial set of connectors, as well. The whole family will appreciate a Honda-typical smooth ride, and you’ll appreciate that some used CR-Vs have power or even hands-free tailgates to more easily load strollers or sports equipment.

If you’re looking for a great used SUV for larger families, consider the Toyota Highlander. Three rows of seating are standard – though the back row is best for smaller passengers. While older models only had advanced safety features like blind spot monitoring on higher trim levels, the 2017 and on Highlanders have forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking included standard. Toyota introduced the 2.0 version of their Safety Sense system in 2019, and used Highlanders equipped with it will have additional safety features, including road sign assist and lane departure alerts.

Room for Activities

When you’re looking to pack up coolers, lawn chairs, and blankets after taking in a live performance at the Clifton Common Stage, you’ll want to consider a used SUV with excellent cargo space. Reviewers have been praising the Nissan Rogue’s storage capabilities for years. Most used Rogues you’ll find for sale have over 39 cubic feet of space while still fitting five passengers comfortably. That means you can haul – approximately – 150 bowling balls. If that’s not a handy reference point for you, it means you can fit suitcases and carryons for everyone. When you fold down the second row of seating, you’ll have a class-leading 70 cubic feet of space.

Of course, no compact SUV can compete with the storage space in a full-size SUV. The Chevy Suburban and GMC Yukon XL have been leading the pack for years. Looking at the 2019 model year – a good place to start if you’re searching for a used SUV – you’ll find nearly 122 cubic feet of space in both of these vehicles. Even with a full three rows of passengers, you’ll still have nearly 40 cubic feet of cargo space in both of these heavy-hitting haulers. Both of these large SUVs have comfortable seating, with the Suburban having a slight edge thanks to a sliding second row, allowing for a bit more space in the rear seat. In addition, owners of older Suburbans still rate them as “Great” when it comes to quality and reliability through J.D. Power & Associates surveys, which means you can have confidence in a used model.

Tow Time

One of the major reasons people love SUVs is their hauling capacity. Even if you’re not looking to haul it all, a used compact SUV can have a surprising amount of strength, perfect for taking kayaks or a canoe or rowboat out on the Mohawk River. Ford introduced its EcoSport to the U.S. market in 2018, and it is one of the most affordable ways you can tow a ton. We mean this very literally. The ability to tow 2,000 pounds is what sets the EcoSport apart from other subcompact SUVs. If you have an EcoSport with all-wheel drive and the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, you can even tow more than some larger crossovers. On top of that, even a new EcoSport has an MSRP of just over $20,000, so finding one used will be even more budget-friendly.

Ford also leads the way in towing capacity when it comes to full-size SUVs. The 2019 Expedition, in particular, was a standout in this particular market segment, towing up to 9,300 pounds when properly equipped. If you get the Max version of this Expedition, you’ll have an additional 15 cubic feet of storage space behind the third row of seats while still having an impressive 9,000 pounds of towing capacity. U.S. News and World Report even rates the 2019 Expedition #1 when it comes to affordable large SUVs calling it “outstanding.” Used Expeditions are still so spectacular in comparison to their peers, thanks, in part, to a comfortable ride and a roomy cabin, with at least a solid yard of legroom in even the rear seat. Camping is a great way to get away from it all, and with a used Expedition, you can easily do that.

Top Marks

There are almost as many SUV models as there are things to do in Clifton Park, whether you’re looking for a compact with top safety marks to take your little ones to the playground or a full-sized model to haul a large RV to get away from it all. SUVs continue to dominate vehicle sales, both new and used, and with their versatility and extra height, it’s no wonder they are in the fast lane, leaving traditional sedans behind. No matter what you’re looking for to enjoy all that this area has to offer, you’ll find it just down the road, right here at DePaula Chevrolet. With the help of our friendly and knowledgeable sales staff, we will help you figure out which used top SUV is right for you.