Recommendations for Compact 2-Row SUV

[GoPappy]

I’m looking to replace my wife’s 2011 Toyota RAV4 with something new that‘s about the same size. The contenders seem to be the RAV4, Honda CRV, Subaru Forester, Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Santa Fe, etc. I’d be interested in thoughts, opinions and recommendations from anyone who owns one or has seat time in one or more of them.

Here are her priorities:

Reliability
Rear and side visibility for driver
Ease of controls - I.e., knobs and buttons, NOT joysticks and touchscreens
Comfort
Ride quality
Acceleration/power (for passing/freeway on-ramps, etc.)

Price isn’t all that important.

 

[BRD@66]

re: reliability - Consumer Reports really likes Subaru.
I'll be watching this thread.

 

[Fishkiller]

Bought the Mrs. a Subaru Outback lat year, the touring edition. We looked at Rav4, CRV, Lexus, Buick . The wife wanted a 6 cylinder and this was the only one that had it. Ride is nice, controls are elderly friendly, roomy, heated seats front and back and heated steering wheel. Wife really likes the heated steering wheel. About the only thing it does not have is remote start. Very god power and visibility.

Anyway the CRV had a small (1.4) turbo engine and sounded really cheap on acceleration. Actually the subaru was the only one not a turbo. The buick had very little backseat room, and backseat was hard to get in and out of.Not sure you can find a new one these days that does not have the turbo. I suggest you go out and test drive them all it is really the only way to see how they ride and creature comforts.

Regards, Ed

 

[Sam Colt]

And once you've driven them all, buy a year old used one from Carvana and save the hit on 1st year depreciation.

 

[lonestardiver]

A lot of the manufacturers are going for the smaller turbo charged engines to reduce emissions and boost gas mileage.

I like Subaru’s over all but there are a couple of cost of ownership things to consider. Being all wheel drive, having to replace a tire could become a replace 4 tires in order to keep the circumference the same on all axles. Been there done that. Also, the 4 cylinders still use rubber bands for the timing, so at 90k-100k you can expect to do a timing belt and additional items since you will have all that exposed...(water pump, seals, etc.). The 6 cyl models I believe use a timing chain. A friend used to be a master mechanic for Subaru and he spent most of his time doing warranty engine replacements. They seem to be using a soft metal in their rings so they tend to burn/use oil. These issues may have been resolved in the last couple of years.

RAV4 holds its value well.

 

[SQLGeek]

I like my Edge. Plenty powerful and goes quickly. Controls are well laid out. I can't think of anything I don't really like about it other than the payment.

The KIA Sportage I had as a rental for a month was pretty good, too. I'd consider buying one if I were in the market.

Those are the two I have experience with.

 

[txgirliegirl]

had a CRV and unless they have really changed the design, would not recommend...i got rid of it quick due to the terrible blindspot caused by the placement of the rear side windows...i know, blind spot monitoring technology and all, but did not want to have to rely 100% on that

had an X3 M-sport but would not recommend that either...too many electrical issues and had it at the dealership 3 times in the first 2 months having it.

now have a tahoe and love getting into that car every time i drive it and i have had it 2.5 yrs!

 

[pronstar]

The new RAV4 Prime hauls the mail unlike any other RAV4 before...and great mpg, too.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[rotor]

I sold a 2012 Prius Vi and bought a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe turbo and the reason was simple. My model is the Ultimate, top of the line. Wonderful acceleration when you need it, fantastic safety features (cameras, blindspot, etc). Driving in the big cities was a nightmare before in the Prius but with all of the new safety features life is so much better. It is my wife's car as I drive a pickup but I really love the car. Also has Bluelink smart phone app, you can locate the car, lock the doors remotely, all kinds of ability. You get 3 years of map updates. I couldn't be happier with a car. Excellent warranty too. I had a Subaru once, was a terrible car. Just my experience. No longer have a Subaru dealer in town and I won't buy unless there is local service. Consumer reports car reports give the Santa Fe very high remarks.

 

[Bozz10mm]

I would narrow it down to 3. The Honda CRV, the Toyota RAV4, and the Mazda CX5

Reliability - CRV or RAV 4
Rear and side visibility for driver - CRV and RAV4
Ease of controls - I.e., knobs and buttons, NOT joysticks and touchscreens - Toss up CRV RAV 4 CX5
Comfort - CX5 or CRV
Ride quality - CX5
Acceleration/power (for passing/freeway on-ramps, etc.) - CX5

Skip Subaru and Hyundai. They are 100K vehicles.

 

[Sasquatch]

Reliability - Toyota or Honda are tops. It's only been a few years since I stopped driving a tow truck in favor of other ventures - towed a LOT of Hyundai and Kia vehicles (newer) for transmission issues. I'd steer clear of them.

As for other controls being knobs / dials - touchscreens are becoming the direction for most vehicles that aren't base model, even some of the higher-end base models are going touch screen too. Don't be afraid of the touch screen. Toyota's infotainment system is pretty straight forward to use.

Comfort - toss up - I find Chevy and Fords to be more comfortable than a lot of other manufacturers, but I'm also 6'4" and cars designed by the Japanese tend to not have taller people in mind - my 2016 Toyota Sienna has plenty of front leg room for tall people, which is a bit of a deviation for them. A friend of mine is similarly sized, drives a Tacoma. I would not buy a Tacoma because I find it uncomfortable. The Tacoma and the 4Runner share similar cabs and styling. The last vehicle my old business bought was a Ford Transit Connect minivan, and it was more comfortable for me to both drive and be a passenger in than the Tacoma, which was a larger vehicle.

Years ago the wife & I rented a Rav 4 to take a trip to the Oregon coast (we lived just outside Portland, about 80 miles from where we planned to stay) as I didn't want to constantly be filling up my barely 10MPG Suburban for that trip. IIRC it was a 2013 or 2014 RAV4 with 4 cyl and AWD, had plenty of front leg room for me, though I found the B pillar way too close with the seat back, I kept hitting the pillar when trying to use the arm rest.

Subarus aren't bad but they have known issues like any other manufacturer, and for a long, long time they were known to blow head gaskets by 100k on their Boxer motors. That's a spendy fix.

Someone else already pointed out a pitfall of AWD vehicles - you replace one tire, you usually replace them all. Dealers don't like to point this out at time of purchase. I've towed vehicles before because they blew up a tranny or a differential due to mismatched tires. That's not a cheap fix either. You don't have that same issue on 2WD vehicles.

It just comes down to what you guys like though - if the warranty is good (and warranties are generally getting a lot better) then buying a car that's comfy, but doesn't have the highest reliability rating isn't the end of the world. One factor that's big for me in major purchases after this year, I want products made in the USA by American workers, I'm tired of sending money overseas instead of supporting American jobs and American industry. I love my Toyota, which was made in Indiana. They also make vehicles here in Texas. My last Chevy was made in the US, but my last Ford was Canuckistanian in origin, and I've had other GM products that were hecho en Mexico.

 

[SQLGeek]

I'm probably the only person on this forum that generally hates Toyota though I did briefly look at buying a Tacoma.

Do they even have automatic headlights yet?

 

[Sasquatch]

I'm probably the only person on this forum that generally hates Toyota though I did briefly look at buying a Tacoma.

Do they even have automatic headlights yet?

Have for years. 16 years in roadside assistance industry made me really appreciate Toyota. When I started that work, I was a die-hard Ford guy. Towing shittons of Fords for similar reasons over and over - my love of them waned. I like Ford trucks and SUV's, but at this point I'd pass on anything smaller than the Explorer or F150 - reserving judgement for the Ranger to see its track record. Chevy is hit & miss in passenger cars, they partner with Japanese auto makers a lot with technology sharing, or straight up rebadging Jap cars as Chevy products. Chrysler products are all dumpster fires. I don't give a damn about 700hp when your car is shit, electronics are shit, transmissions are shit, and they like to randomly catch fire. One of my employees bought himself a few year old Challenger. He'd had it for about 4 months, then it caught fire in his garage and damn near burned his house down. Come to find out that's a known problem with Challengers, I knew Jeeps were prone to it (the newer Wranglers) but hes lucky the damn car didn't burn his house down with him and his kids in it.

We had two Chrysler vans in our fleet (my former business partners bought them prior to my joining the company) - the damn things were constantly in the shop. My 07 F-150 (we scooped one up with 60k on the odom) had two periods I can recall where it was out of service for a few days other than when I got rear ended back in January in it, and the body shop drug ass for a week and a half after the other parties insurance drug ass. My own experience with personally owned Chryslers (and their forebearers ala AMC) was less than thrilling. I loved where my old Grand Cherokee could take me, and how it drove. It just couldn't pass a gas station (5.2 liter V8) and burned thru crank shaft position sensors like a chain smoker (which, thanks to that 5.2 liter V8 made it a bitch to change out, because they shoe horned a big V8 into an engine bay originally meant for the inline 6 cylinder)

Toyota is boringly reliable until you start bolting shit onto them (kind of like Glocks) but they occasionally put out a stinker (kind of like Glocks) - like the rear ends in some of the recent Tacoma's breaking. And they are heads & shoulders ahead of everyone when it comes to hybrid vehicles.

Hondas are similarly reliable.

Hyundai/Daewoo/Kia are hot garbage. I think a disgraced Chrysler engineer moved to Seoul and begged a job from them. They've got a few gems, but they're throw away cars for the most part. Good for about as long as the average lease, then they're shit. Transmission issues are number one concern with them. They're at least good for an entry level car for someone who can't afford a nicer car, but has to have a newer vehicle. I'd rather have a 5-10 year old Honda or Toyota vs a brand new Kia though.

Its a shame there's not a modern version of the old Suzuki Samurai sold here in the states. They were prone to roll over but they were damned reliable little SUV's that would go just about anywhere any half-sane person wanted, and they didn't suck down gas like it was still 1960.

 

[FireInTheWire]

Let this be your guide. https://www.carcomplaints.com/

Good way to vette what your looking for.

 

[SQLGeek]

Weird. Every rental Toyota I've had in the last 5-6 years, none have had automatic headlights.

My disgust with the brand comes from having owned a Rav4 who's transmission shit the bed. It was a known problem and Toyota covered it up.

I just have a hard time liking them after that experience.

 

[Sasquatch]

Weird. Every rental Toyota I've had in the last 5-6 years, none have had automatic headlights.

My disgust with the brand comes from having owned a Rav4 who's transmission shit the bed. It was a known problem and Toyota covered it up.

I just have a hard time liking them after that experience.

prob got the el-strippo models. Camry's have had auto head lights for probably 15 years, maybe more. Lexus had them at least as long, maybe even going into the late 90s? When I was still doing the AAA contractor thing, older cars with automatic lights (like old Camry's, because they were so damn prevalent) were $$, because when the sensor fails, the head lights don't always turn off like they should.

 

[Byrd666]

Tag - Had a friend ask me my opinion on just this subject the other day

 

[Bozz10mm]

What are auto headlights? And why do I need them?

 

[Fishkiller]

What are auto headlights? And why do I need them?

The headlights turn on and off automatically. So when it is dark you don't have to remember.

 

[dsgrey]

Mazda CX-5. Wife has a 2016 w/o any issues and we compared to the CRV back then which would have been our 2nd option but comfort and price beat Honda. I've owned a lot of Mazdas and wouldn't hesitate buying another if needed.