SUV/Truck RFI

[Darth_Uno]

Man I love white on 4Runners but my wife wanted grey.


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[Nephrology]

yeah this one is near us
https://www.carmax.com/car/15992985

I'm also not convinced that we'll get there with a hard $15k but that's at least our target.

You might get there in the base trim 2.0L 2WD CX5. They are pretty anemic but are fine vehicles and a good value.

For whatever it's worth, I shopped those vehicles (minus the Ford) and ended up with the CX5 because of the handling, quality of the interior, and drive train; didn't want a to be a guinea pig for a new CVT or low displacement turbo engine.

I like to whine about my car because crossovers are dorky vehicles, but the CX5 is a well-made car thats enjoyable to drive and also eminently practical. It makes for a nice commuter, has a roomy interior that can handle most crossover/wagon-appropriate cargo/passenger transport needs, and is a generally high quality vehicle. I came from a '10 RAV4 that I liked a lot, but the CX5 feels much more refined and was basically the same list price.

Best of luck shopping around.

[ranger]

My daughter has newer CX5 and I have been thoroughly impressed. She plans on buying it when the lease runs out this year.

[23JAZ]

I need to buy a vehicle in the next couple of weeks.

I live in the Pacific Northwest. Lots of rain but only occasional snow. I’d like 4WD to be on the safe side. I rarely if ever drive at elevations above 5,000 feet, and below 3,500 is much more like it. Definitely need ability to pull a smaller utility trailer, but nothing much bigger.

Just bought a house and have a major landscaping honey-do coming up in the spring, so I’m thinking of a short-bed pickup or an SUV. I’ve had great luck with Jeep, Volvo, VW, and Toyota products in the past.

I expect mostly city and highway miles, with some use on wet logging roads but very little true off-road use.

I’m 5’9”, so a Tacoma could work.

Budget is ideally under $30k, so it has to be used.

What do we think?

Thanks,


Okie John

I’m 5’10” and I have a 2017 Tacoma. I love it. Great mileage, rides nice, and it’s just the right size. Holds value well too.

[littlejerry]

That's basically the reason I ended up getting the CX5 to begin with; rear passenger compartment + trunk space is just bigger in the CX5. It's just annoying that they gave it a 3" lift kit + AWD and charged me ~$5k for it.

Either way, I do really love the design and handling of my Mazda, even if it is a CUV. It drives much more like a sedan than I expected, big improvement over my previous '10 RAV4. I will definitely take a look at their offerings if I'm shopping fo a sedan/CUV in the future. A CX-9 seems like it would be a good car for a small family.

The 19 CX5 with turbo caught my eye. AWD, 250 HP, ~300 lb-ft of torque. Not sure I'd spend $35k on one though...

[rob_s]

You might get there in the base trim 2.0L 2WD CX5. They are pretty anemic but are fine vehicles and a good value.

For whatever it's worth, I shopped those vehicles (minus the Ford) and ended up with the CX5 because of the handling, quality of the interior, and drive train; didn't want a to be a guinea pig for a new CVT or low displacement turbo engine.

I like to whine about my car because crossovers are dorky vehicles, but the CX5 is a well-made car thats enjoyable to drive and also eminently practical. It makes for a nice commuter, has a roomy interior that can handle most crossover/wagon-appropriate cargo/passenger transport needs, and is a generally high quality vehicle. I came from a '10 RAV4 that I liked a lot, but the CX5 feels much more refined and was basically the same list price.

Best of luck shopping around.

The good news is that this isn't for me, it's for a 70 year old grandma on oxygen, so I don't think the getup and go will much matter. Oldest daughter is 10 so the likelihood of her inheriting this car is pretty small, but I'm not sad that if she does inherit the car it won't have any pep.

[txdpd]

The 19 CX5 with turbo caught my eye. AWD, 250 HP, ~300 lb-ft of torque. Not sure I'd spend $35k on one though...

We have a 17 CX5 with the NA 2.5, it’s no slouch. I’m not going to BS anyone and pretend that it’s a high performance machine, but in DFW traffic I have never been at a lack of power. Cruising on the freeway is effortless.


It’s the best handling of its class and enjoyable to drive, but it’s very lacking in the utility department. It’s not a good sedan and it’s not a good CUV. I like, more importantly the wife likes it, but it’s not the most practical vehicle.

[dontshakepandas]

Man I love white on 4Runners but my wife wanted grey.


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My favorite color is the cement grey they did on the TRD Pros a few years ago, but that was limited to just that year and I wanted the new features available on the 2019 (sunroof, FOX shocks, premium audio). I like the new Voodoo Blue color a lot too, but its a bit too flashy for me.

[dontshakepandas]

We have a 17 CX5 with the NA 2.5, it’s no slouch. I’m not going to BS anyone and pretend that it’s a high performance machine, but in DFW traffic I have never been at a lack of power. Cruising on the freeway is effortless.


It’s the best handling of its class and enjoyable to drive, but it’s very lacking in the utility department. It’s not a good sedan and it’s not a good CUV. I like, more importantly the wife likes it, but it’s not the most practical vehicle.

We also have a 17 CX5 that the wife drives and we have been very happy with it. It replaced a 2014 CX5 that we also really enjoyed, but felt a little underpowered. I don't think the turbo could hurt, but I definitely wouldn't say it is necessary on the 17 unless you just want the extra power.

I don't know that I'd say that it is lacking in the utility department. It doesn't have the space of some larger options but it fits our two large dogs with ease, and we've even used it to move some large bedroom furniture in a pinch.

[Nephrology]

The good news is that this isn't for me, it's for a 70 year old grandma on oxygen, so I don't think the getup and go will much matter. Oldest daughter is 10 so the likelihood of her inheriting this car is pretty small, but I'm not sad that if she does inherit the car it won't have any pep.

That's what I figured. for those purposes, the 2L 2WD is probably a great deal.

It’s the best handling of its class and enjoyable to drive, but it’s very lacking in the utility department. It’s not a good sedan and it’s not a good CUV. I like, more importantly the wife likes it, but it’s not the most practical vehicle.

It doesn't have the interior space of the CRV/RAV4, but it's got plenty of cargo space for trips to Costco, road trips for ~2-4 people, etc. It's no SUV or pickup, but frankly, this is true of basically every crossover - it isn't really that much less than my old RAV4.

The AWD is also really well done - it's no 4X4 but it handles really admirably in snow, certainly better than my older RAV. Probably less relevant in TX than it is here in CO.