Looking for a small SUV

[rauchman]

Greetings,

Currently in a 10 year old VW Jetta, that is feeling 15 years old. When recently at Home Depot, buying a tool box (think Snap On style mechanics tool box rack) and then having a moment of clarity in the parking lot of "how do I get this home?", it really brought home that I need something practical with cargo room.

Considering the following options....
Honda CRV
Mazda CX5
Ford Escape
Other?

Have absolutely zero interest in the Chevy Equinox or Jeep offerings. Would prefer to keep cost at $30k or under.

I was already decided to get a new vehicle in 2017. Was originally thinking of a 6 cylinder Camaro, VW GTI (had a 2001 and LOVED it, but cargo area is still too small) or GLI, or something with a more sporting premise. Having my moment of clarity at the Home Depot parking lot changed my mind. Is there a smaller SUV with something akin to sporting prowess?

I commute about 30 miles / day and also ride my Harley into work in the warmer months. I like the idea of a dash rearview cam and Bluetooth. Not really interested in tech that takes the driving control out of my hands.

Thoughts??????

[Malamute]

Ive quickly become fond of the Toyota 4Runners. Built on a real frame, tough enough for heavy duty use and moderate offroading. Enough room to sleep in. Enough towing and carrying capacity to do real things with. Mileage isn't quite what smaller rigs will get, but its all a tradeoff. The 05 2wd Ive been driving has been getting 22-24 mpg on the road. Newer ones are likely better.

[Welder]

Most anything is a step up from a VW IMO, as I've both owned and worked on them. Never again. I even sold all my VW special tools to be SURE I'd never have to work on them again.

Although I personally prefer either a truck or a car, my wife's Subaru Crosstrek XV has turned out to be a nice vehicle. It's no sports car, only having around 150 hp, but rather is an Impreza with a factory lift and a little different body cladding. We've had ours for about 1.5 years, bought it new. She wanted all the bells and whistles so it has leather, sunroof, built-in nav, etc. Also a CVT transmission which returns in the 30 mpg range if she's driving, 33 mpg if I'm driving. Has the rear camera and Bluetooth that you're interested in although the voice pickup on phone calls leaves something to be desired. It drives well, rear seats fold down to provide a reasonable storage area, etc. The CVT has a lot of low-speed gear reduction and it has surprisingly good takeoff with light throttle input, usually more than I want, from a stoplight. Do-it-yourself service is pretty easy with the oil filter right there on top of the engine. We have around 17k miles on it at the moment. Oh yeah, unlike the Impreza, it has a factory tow rating. Pretty tiny at 1500 lbs if I recall, but existent nonetheless.

Hers stickered at $28k but we got it for $25k as it was a 'loaner' vehicle from the dealer. It had a whopping 58 miles on it and was the burnt orange color she wanted. Getting a loaner also meant an automatic 100k mile powertrain warranty was included and the availability of 0.9% financing for 4 years. Unlike other manufacturers, Subaru doesn't usually drop their prices a ton at certain times of the year, so the $3k off we got was pretty reasonable. I would *highly* recommend checking out the factory loaner type programs based on our experience.

[rauchman]

Most anything is a step up from a VW IMO, as I've both owned and worked on them. Never again. I even sold all my VW special tools to be SURE I'd never have to work on them again.

Although I personally prefer either a truck or a car, my wife's Subaru Crosstrek XV has turned out to be a nice vehicle. It's no sports car, only having around 150 hp, but rather is an Impreza with a factory lift and a little different body cladding. We've had ours for about 1.5 years, bought it new. She wanted all the bells and whistles so it has leather, sunroof, built-in nav, etc. Also a CVT transmission which returns in the 30 mpg range if she's driving, 33 mpg if I'm driving. Has the rear camera and Bluetooth that you're interested in although the voice pickup on phone calls leaves something to be desired. It drives well, rear seats fold down to provide a reasonable storage area, etc. The CVT has a lot of low-speed gear reduction and it has surprisingly good takeoff with light throttle input, usually more than I want, from a stoplight. Do-it-yourself service is pretty easy with the oil filter right there on top of the engine. We have around 17k miles on it at the moment. Oh yeah, unlike the Impreza, it has a factory tow rating. Pretty tiny at 1500 lbs if I recall, but existent nonetheless.

Hers stickered at $28k but we got it for $25k as it was a 'loaner' vehicle from the dealer. It had a whopping 58 miles on it and was the burnt orange color she wanted. Getting a loaner also meant an automatic 100k mile powertrain warranty was included and the availability of 0.9% financing for 4 years. Unlike other manufacturers, Subaru doesn't usually drop their prices a ton at certain times of the year, so the $3k off we got was pretty reasonable. I would *highly* recommend checking out the factory loaner type programs based on our experience.

Excellent info. Thanks!

[rjohnson4405]

Wife drives a 2007 Toyota Rav-4.

Good amount of cargo room, pretty decent power in the 6 cyl and so far typical Toyota reliability and ease of maintenance. Towing hitch and roof rack are useful.

Definitely wouldn't tow anything real with it, a lawn trailer would be fine. I'm 6'4" and can't get in the front comfortably for long periods. It sits upright like an SUV without the size to really get away with it and my knees hit the dash as a passenger, and especially as the driver. If you're even a couple inches shorter though, I doubt it's a big deal, 5'10" wife loves it.

Folding down rear seats sit flush and would be feasible for most larger items like you mentioned.

[TCinVA]

The CRV has improved considerably over the previous generations as far as interior quality goes. They tend to be very reliable and relatively low maintenance. They aren't going to be great rock crawlers, but for a people and stuff hauler they are pretty good. I know several people that own them and they all seem to have relatively trouble free ownership experiences with them.

[orionz06]

The CX5's are very nice and priced quite well. A little tint and they're nice looking too. Tiguan's just got a light refresh and can be built for a smidge more than a GTI.

[TGS]

CX5s are nice. My sister owns one, and I would likely own one if the Subaru Outback wasn't available and the BMW X1 was out of my price range.

With that, given your "Others" option, I submit the Subaru Outback, with the Mazda Cx5 as runner up. The Outback being a crossover may not meet the strict definition of an SUV (even though NJ registers it as one), but it's a great vehicle that gives you much more utility than a sedan with better gas mileage than most SUVs.

[JHC]

Most anything is a step up from a VW IMO, as I've both owned and worked on them. Never again. I even sold all my VW special tools to be SURE I'd never have to work on them again.

Although I personally prefer either a truck or a car, my wife's Subaru Crosstrek XV has turned out to be a nice vehicle. It's no sports car, only having around 150 hp, but rather is an Impreza with a factory lift and a little different body cladding. We've had ours for about 1.5 years, bought it new. She wanted all the bells and whistles so it has leather, sunroof, built-in nav, etc. Also a CVT transmission which returns in the 30 mpg range if she's driving, 33 mpg if I'm driving. Has the rear camera and Bluetooth that you're interested in although the voice pickup on phone calls leaves something to be desired. It drives well, rear seats fold down to provide a reasonable storage area, etc. The CVT has a lot of low-speed gear reduction and it has surprisingly good takeoff with light throttle input, usually more than I want, from a stoplight. Do-it-yourself service is pretty easy with the oil filter right there on top of the engine. We have around 17k miles on it at the moment. Oh yeah, unlike the Impreza, it has a factory tow rating. Pretty tiny at 1500 lbs if I recall, but existent nonetheless.

Hers stickered at $28k but we got it for $25k as it was a 'loaner' vehicle from the dealer. It had a whopping 58 miles on it and was the burnt orange color she wanted. Getting a loaner also meant an automatic 100k mile powertrain warranty was included and the availability of 0.9% financing for 4 years. Unlike other manufacturers, Subaru doesn't usually drop their prices a ton at certain times of the year, so the $3k off we got was pretty reasonable. I would *highly* recommend checking out the factory loaner type programs based on our experience.

And the Subaru Forester. Don't leave that gem off your list.

[vcdgrips]

I presently have a 95 Jeep Cherokee with 85K original miles. It has the usual, 20+ year old potential car issues. I decided to decide what would I replace my jeep with if I hade to replace it quickly.

The Suburu Crosstek is at the top of the list. I I would look at the Mazda CX 5, Honda CRV and perhaps a Buick offering as they did so well (3rd overall) in a recent Consumer Reports quality survey.

I would note that the Corsstek and the Impreza are essentially the same vehicles absent some body panels, a few more inches of ground clearance and about 3k v. a comparable equipped Impreza.
A lightly used, certified Forrester XT (turbo) would be intriguing as well.