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Small SUV/Crossover owners come in!
We are finally FINALLY in the market for a new car for DH. We've been saying it for ages and then cheaping out when it came time to actually act. But now DH is likely to be doing a lot more driving for gigs and I want him in a safe and reliable car for the winter.
So - - we are looking as small SUVs and crossovers - and these are the top contenders (listed in order of preference).
Subaru Outback
Ford Escape (perferably hybrid, but we'll see)
Honda CRV
Nissan Rogue
Hyundai Tuscon
Toyota Rav 4
We are looking at a 2011 or 2012 - new or very lightly used (we like warranties) and our concerns are MPGS and safety - followed by roominess.
I have an older Subaru Outback and it has been very good to me - plus I've driven the new model and have liked it - so I am familair with that option, but not to much with the rest.
If you have experience with any of the above cars, I'd love to hear your views.
Thanks!
ETA - any thoughts on the Mitsubishi Outlander? Seems to get good mileage, but I have no clue about Mitsubishis (hell, I can hardly spell that!)
Re: Small SUV/Crossover owners come in!
I had a Nissan Rogue for 7 months as a company car and I didn't like it. I liked the space, interior, looks, etc but the one thing that would 100% make me not get this car is the blind spot. It is terrible. I'm about 5'4" and had a few near accidents because it was so hard to see out of the back windows. My husband is about 5'10 and he had the same issues with blind spots. After a couple close calls, I actually felt really unsafe in the car because I didn't trust myself changing lanes. My friend recently bought one even after I told her about how bad the blind spots were and reading reviews were people mentioned the same thing. She ended up trading the car in after about 4 months because she had the same issue with the blind spots. It's a great car, but just make sure you can see out the rear side windows. It also definitely doesn't have much get up and go.
Photo taken at 16 months old
We just went through this same dilema! I had been driving a Subaru Impreza...loved it but was wanting something bigger. We were going to upgrade to a Subaru Outback but had a horrible experience (multiple times) at the dealership. To make a long story short...they were really rude, didn't even acknowledge that we were standing in the middle of their sales floor for a good 10 minutes, and wouldn't work with our budget (our budget was $350/month) and kept saying "can't we make a deal??" When we left, my husband got a call from the sales guy and told him we would be going a different route, he replied "Well good luck with that!" and hung up on him.
We ended up getting a 2011 Honda CRV and absolutely love it! It handles well, is more spacious inside than it looks from the outside (there is actually more cubic square feet inside the CRV than the outback) and our sales people were great. We went to Richfield Bloomington Honda...they have a sign and drive event going on (I think through this week???) on all of their 2011 models. Great experience and would definitely go this route again!
My sister did say the same thing about hers but she was ok with that because she liked everything else about it.
I should ask her about the blind spots...
I remember you saying this when I asked about the Rogue ages ago and it has stuck with me. That is a big issue! DH and I are both tall, but looking at the Rogue (and the Tuscon) I can totally see how that would be a problem. We found similar issues with the Matrix/Vibe cars years ago when we were shopping for DH's first car - not good!
Yes, sorry to be such a negative nelly. Also, I have several friends that have the Honda CRV and they love it.
Photo taken at 16 months old
We have a Honda CRV and a Jetta TDI. I love both but I prefer the Jetta TDI for winter and long distance driving. It gets close to 50mpg on the highway, which makes-up for the higher per gallon cost of gas. It also feels much more stable in the winter and also handles much better than the CRV. The trunk space is large and have been able to fit some things in there that we couldn't in the CRV.
We both say after the CRV our next car will be another Jetta TDI (either wagon or regular).
*M&M* Super Pitbulls
I second or third Bijou's comment about the rogue...that whole line Rogue, murano, all are horrible for visibility, you could hit a short person or kid backing out of a parking spot in one of those things, and its funny because I've seen a few with dented quarter panels, so I guess some people have learned the hard way.
As far as the Ford's go, I'd really check into them. My co-worker just got his escape hybrid AWD and he ordered it back in July (got it last saturday to be exact)...so they might be in high demand and not available, or it could just be the AWD version. He had a hybrid escape before but it was just a front wheel drive vehicle and after last winter decided he needed either AWD or 4-wheel drive.
Honda's make really fuel efficient vehicles, but I also second the diesel responses...my DH says our next one will be diesel because they get phenomenal gas mileage.
I have nothing to say about subaru.
Another pro to diesel is that you don't have to shut the car off in the winter! wahoo!
I also forgot to add above that our CRV gets about 30 mpg on the highway compared to the almost 50 mpg of the Jetta.
*M&M* Super Pitbulls
I have a 2001 Escape (the first year it was released). I really love it. My mom actually had one first and I got mine a few years later because I liked hers so much. It has held up pretty well over the years. It is roomy and open and has good cargo space. I have a V6 and it flies.
I really like the hybrids, but I would look into what the battery life is. I have heard that the hybrid batteries are 3-5K to replace.
my read shelf:
The torque may be appropriate for the size of that vehicle, but the horsepower is really bad, and to be honest they should have never made a rogue in a 4-cylinder, the only reason they did is to get the better gas mileage out of it. A heavy vehicle like that on only a 4-cylinder is going to tax the engine more than it needs and cause you a lot more problems down the line.
thanks for all the feedback, ladies!!
At the moment, I think we are ruling out the Rogue and Tuscon for the blind-spot issues. DH didn't even question me on that - I guess it is pretty important for him (plus he checked out independent reviews that also complained of the visibility). The Outlander is probably out on that problem too - plus DH saw a less than positive Consumer Reports review of it (noise, ride quality,etc). The price and 10 year warranty, however, still have me interested.
Still in the running are the Outback and Escape - and maybe the Rav 4, but that is on the margins, along with the CRV. I prefer the CRV over the Rav 4 based purely on looks, but the Rav 4 has a better Consumer Reports review - however, the back swinging door (versus a lift door), might put us off.
New to the race, however is the 2012 Subaru Impreza 5-door. It isn't available until November (I think DH wanted something sooner), but it is AWD and gets 27/36 mpg!!! YES PLEASE! I've found one very positive review of it and one that was ever so slightly negative (mainly regarding the engine not being peppy enough) - and it doesn't have as much room as I'd liked, but I figure that we can get a roomier car for me when its my turn for a new car (next spring?).
Next up, testing driving! I think DH just wants to pick a car based on 3rd party reviews and just go to the dealership to buy it, but I am all about getting an in-person experience and kicking tires. Should be fun!
I hadn't thought of it like that - that is a good point! I think DH is more concerned with ease of loading and access for larger items. While I am hoping he'll mount his bike on the roof, it may sometimes get thrown in back and the Rav 4's door could make that a little more difficult. But . . . the potential increase in cargo space may be worth the hassle.
Does your Rav have the flip seats in the rear? The ones where the fold up and then turn under? I wasn't sure what to think of that - it could be really good or it could be a pain.
We toss a bike in the back of the RAV with no prob, as long as the back seats are folded down, which is REALLY easy to do, you just pull a switch from the back and they flop flat.
You get whatever vehicle you like best, but I LOVE my RAV and wanted to defend the back door a bit
there's so much space in there, it's ridiculous.
No, not the 3rd row seats - the normal back seats. I think it was the Rav 4 where they rolled under instead of folding flat (stow-n-go style, I think). It wasn't bad - just different. Maybe I'm wrong - we looked at so many review videos of various cars everything is blurring together!
The Rav 4 is still very much in the running - but it has some different things that make me wonder if they are "yay" things, "meh" things or "ugh" things.