Hyundai vs. Subaru maybe Kia or Mazda

[vcdgrips]

I was kind of you 3 years ago. When I took AWD off the table because I still have an old Jeep in the stable, I went with a Jetta 17 because I was leasing and it hit the price point. I have been extremely happy and it has been a great car. I get 38-41 on the highway running 78 mph with regular unleaded. It it quite stable/comfortable at higher speeds when applicable as well. VWs in the 2020 year down form 6 yr 72K warranties in the 2019 model year.

Having said that, if price is not as much of an object, I would go with either the Cross-Tek for safety feature set to include AWD or the Mazda CX5. By most accounts, the fit/finish/feature set of the Mazda trimlines far exceed the intersection of quality and value. The 2.5L powered ones (Sport/Premium?) review particularly well in that area.

When trying the various hatchbacks, their cargo areas are not quite as big as first thought given possible slopping roof lines. Make sure they will hold your gear in the manner in which you would like it to be secured.

Let us know what you do.

[5pins]

I have had my KIA Soul for about 6 months now and very happy with it. I'm 6'2'' 260 and fit well in it. Around 32MPG but my commute isn't all highway. If I have the AC going it drops to around 29. My only complaints are the Android auto doesn't work as it should and it has a gas-saving feature of turning itself off at stoplights. You can shut it off but you have to do it each time you start it. My cost was about $15,000 with a $2000 trade-in.

[Chance]

I have had both a Hyundai Elantra and, presently, a Tuscon. If the Elantra had not been totaled in a wreck, I'd still be driving it. They will absolutely *not* provide any variety of driving excitement, but I have had zero issues with both, and the warranty is tough to beat.

For a high-mileage road car that is reasonably comfortable, reasonably quiet, and cheap to maintain, Hyundai is definitely something to consider.

ETA: The Tuscon will average over 30 mpg if you don't drive it like an ass.

[Wendell]

...Trying to keep it under $24,000 (so that cuts out Toyota and Honda...

In my opinion, initial purchase price is just one side of the coin; the other side is resale value (or trade-in value).

If you look at the likely Hyundai resale value (or trade-in value), that will probably 'cut out' Hyundai, and reinstate both Honda and Toyota.

[RevolverRob]

We're on our second Mazda, and family has bought four more. We're firmly in the Mazda camp. So, my suggestion is - a Honda Fit.

Tons of space, plenty of speed, manual gearbox, fine to drive on the freeway, inexpensive. Discontinued after this year, so move quick, but the 1.5L Honda engine is a great motor and the Fit is not only easy, but is also fun to drive.

The fit sits up higher than the Mazda3 or Rio 5, and more importantly, has WAY more space inside than either. Nothing comes close to the Fit in terms of functionality.

I like our Mazda2, but I would trade it for a Fit Sport in a heartbeat if we suddenly needed a new car.

It's no contest, the Fit has more interior space than most CUVs.

Edit: I'll be brutally honest, despite owning multiple Mazdas now. I doubt they'll got 250k, like a Toyota or Honda. Mazda simply doesn't have the kind of history to inspire 250k+ confidence. And while build quality is excellent (particularly compared to the Korean and American cars in the same segments), there is just something I can quite put my finger on, that tells me that the little Mazda2 we have will die at about 200k despite being extremely well maintained. Maybe it's that I've had to replace the rear shocks every year for the past 6 years or the front struts three times in 95k miles, whatever it is, if the car were a Honda Fit, I'd be confident in it going the distance.

[FNFAN]

I have a 2016 Forester, because the only way to get a small SUV with AWD and a manual transmission in 2016 was to buy a Forester.

Shit sucks. The body is too big for the engine so it's slow as shit. Boxer engine + 0W-20 oil (for CAFE reasons) = oil burning; my block was replaced at 25k under warranty for oil burning issues. The infotainment is trash. I think the only OEM with worse infotainment than Toyota is Subaru. I didn't think this was a big deal until I rented a Chevy Malibu that was unimpressive in most ways but had decent infotainment. Based on my experience I can't in good conscience recommend a Subaru.

From your list I'd recommend the Mazda. I had a Mazda 3 for 10 years and I liked it a lot. I've driven friends' Mazdas and I always found the driving experience to be pleasant.

Son had a 2019 Forrester that was in for drivetrain issues often enough that they took the car back .

[JodyH]

I have had both a Hyundai Elantra and, presently, a Tuscon. If the Elantra had not been totaled in a wreck, I'd still be driving it. They will absolutely *not* provide any variety of driving excitement, but I have had zero issues with both, and the warranty is tough to beat.

For a high-mileage road car that is reasonably comfortable, reasonably quiet, and cheap to maintain, Hyundai is definitely something to consider.

ETA: The Tuscon will average over 30 mpg if you don't drive it like an ass.

I am an ass, but I drive like a Grandma.


Right now it's down to a 2020 Crosstrek base and a 2020 Kona SEL.
Mainly due to the dealerships and service departments reputations.
I'm headed out to test drive and buy tomorrow morning.

[Spartan1980]

When my wife's CRV got totaled out we had a Hyundai Santa Fe rental while the insurance was messing around with the body shop to determine if it was in fact totaled. That was the most comfortable and quietest vehicle of the bunch that we test drove. I'm not a fan of the Android'ish instrumentation/infotainment layout at all but the car was nice to drive for sure.

We ended up with a 2017 Crosstrek for a lot of the reasons you state, the biggest for me was the extended FACTORY warranty. I've never had one before, I've heard of too many horror stories about using aftermarket discount parts on a claim. None of those issues with Subaru.

I've actually come to like the CVT. Never was a fan before but I'm liking this one. I compare it to my mom's 2016 Ford Edge Titanium with a 3.5L and it's 6 speed auto. That thing has 6 gears and it never seems to be able to determine what gear it wants to be in. Its got the typical slow ass Ford shift programming so that's probably why. The CVT in the Crosstrek has definitely grown on me. If you have inclimate road conditions the AWD system seems to be a no-brainer in favor of the Subaru to me. It's a step above all the rest with their history of offering it in basically everything they sell for years now, IMO.

Our Crosstrek had 26.5K on the clock when we bought it and we are coming up on 60K. So it's fixing to get a trans flush and diff oil change. I've been an Amsoil proponent for almost 30 years, I have it in everything. Running their 0W20 XL at 7-10K intervals now and have yet to burn a single drop. My wife will sit at a store with it idling and the A/C on (much to my chagrin) waiting for someone to get back or a drive-in fast food place all the damn time <grumbles>. It's almost like she is a walking torture test on engine longevity. She does everything she can to wear one out without having a clue that she's doing it. No issues at all with the Amsoil 0W20 so far and that's just what I would expect from Amsoil. When the warranty is out I'll switch to the Amsoil Signature series oil and run longer extended intervals. Right now I'm happy with the XL and the dealer doing the changes since they only charge about $14 for an oil change when I supply my own oil and filter. I have a record of the service and don't have to mess with doing it. The trans will be getting Amsoil CVT fluid and the diffs Amsoil Severe Gear fluids at 60K.

One thing that Subaru does that is a lot different from all others that I know of is that they spec a very high bypass pressure spec in their oil filters (compared to other manufacturers). Subaru specs a 23PSI oil filter bypass pressure in their oil filters. This is considerably higher than any other automotive gasoline engine that I'm aware of. They do this because they run very high volume oil pumps. I suspect that to get the oil volume they need all the way out to the VVT stuff and rockers at the end of the heads, and it's a long oil path in the flat boxer engine, they have to run really high volume. Anyway they're seriously pumping the oil out of the oil pump. The only filters readily available that meet this spec are OEM Subaru and Wix. NAPA Gold and Platinum are rebranded Wix filters so they meet the spec too. The US version of the OEM filter is blue and made by FRAM complete with the fibre end caps on the filter media. That's no bueno for me, so I run Wix or NAPA filters. The blue filters are seemingly very good except for those fibre end caps and the black OEM Subaru filters are made in Japan and much higher quality overall. If you can get your hands on them they are good to go but pricey online so Wix is the obvious choice.

[GJM]

Not sure if you looked at one, but the orange Honda Fit we got for my 89 year old mother in law is my favorite econobox ever.

[spinmove_]

Bought a 2012 Mazda3 hatch brand new that I drove until two years ago and traded in for my truck. Had 0 mechanical issues and loved it.