Small SUV recommendations

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud Have you asked the dealership to see what they can get from Honda on the paint job Even at 7 years, paint should not be falling off a car... .

I called the dealership and I called Honda corporate costumer service about both the problems . Answer Tough Luck . That is another reason why I am trading the car in . Honda should stand beside their product when there is a design problem.

[rodi]

I had an early RAV4 (97) and loved it. The issues I had with it were:

1) Not enough cup holders... They fixed that in their next version. But it was annoying only having 1 cup holder for the front seat... Not a deal breaker - but definitely made me grumble periodically when I had passengers and we both wanted a place to put our cups.

2) Not great for super tall people. I'm 5'8" and fit fine. My husband is 6'4" - and I had the car when we met... I sold it because he couldn't drive it. I had a manual transmission and his knees hit the steering wheel when he was shifting. Perhaps I should have married a shorter man. (Obviously kidding). We were planning a major cross country drive trip and no way we were taking his truck with a bench seat, and no way I was doing 100% of the driving... so I got rid of it.

I really liked the RAV4. Small enough to make maneuvering and parking a snap. High enough (SUV) to see the other cars better. Mine was 4WD and handled well in the snow. But my info is a few decades old - so take it with a grain of salt.

[Koogie]

Another very happy Rav4 owner (2012/Sport/V6) Feels solid, handles well for an SUV, good room.

I would buy one again. I hope to get 10 years out of this one (it only has 40K miles) and my fervent hope is by 2022 that they offer an all electric Rav4 that gets about 6 or 8 hundred miles or more per charge. A guy can dream..

[aja8888]

Take a look at the VW Tiguan for 2017. The S model has technology, 4 Motion (like Mercedes and Audi) and all the other goodies. Starts at $26,970:

2017 VW Tiguan Mid-Size Sporty SUV | Volkswagen

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFW_M5 I think part of the problem that when AC troubles occur is getting it fixed correctly the first time. I am not sure that many dealers do a good job on AC repairs, and it usually results in a partial fix, but continuing problems are not uncommon.

Not anything that the OP should do, but frequently after a compressor failure, there is debris in the evaporator and condenser that needs to be thoroughly flushed. I believe that they can even add an additional filter to protect the new compressor.

Auto Air Conditioning - Replacing your auto A/C compressor

[Independent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skipro33 I've owned 3 Subaru Foresters and have loved every one of them. If you get a Subaru, be sure to get the EyeSight option. It's an enhanced speed control thingy. Car practically drives itself!

I'm interested in a Forester or Outback specifically for the EyeSight.

How do you define "practically"? Will the car track down the center of an interstate traffic lane by itself, or does it bounce back and forth between the lane markings?

Have you had experience with automatic braking? Too quick or too slow to react?

My other choice is a Honda with "Honda Sensing". Same questions for Honda if any reader has experience with it.

[Big_Hitter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skipro33 I've owned 3 Subaru Foresters and have loved every one of them. If you get a Subaru, be sure to get the EyeSight option. It's an enhanced speed control thingy. Car practically drives itself!

+1 for subaru foz

[timo2]

I'm happy with the 2016 VW Tiguan (gas) that I purchased this years. It gets a nice german ride.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud If you want to go upscale a bit, the Highlander is very highly rated...

Might be worth looking at.
A friend raves about his. He was stopped at a red light and got rear ended at high speed. Totaled his car but he and his three passengers walked away without even a bruise. Loved that experience so much he went right out and bought another.

[OnTheBeach]

I bought a 2014 Toyota RAV4 with 25K miles on it for my daughter - runs great and she loves it. Would recommend it to anyone.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Might be worth looking at. A friend raves about his. He was stopped at a red light and got rear ended at high speed. Totaled his car but he and his three passengers walked away without even a bruise. Loved that experience so much he went right out and bought another.

I'm in the process of buying a Highlander. For 2017 it has the standard Toyota safety package that includes automatic braking for pre-collision or pedestrians, lane departure, laser cruise control and automatic headlight dimmer. Also has a ton of air bags and other safety features.

[Accidental Retiree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover I'm in the process of buying a Highlander. For 2017 it has the standard Toyota safety package that includes automatic braking for pre-collision or pedestrians, lane departure, laser cruise control and automatic headlight dimmer. Also has a ton of air bags and other safety features.

We just bought a 2016 Highlander XLE AWD in November. We downsized from our 2004 Sequoia and were looking for a smoother ride.

We love it. It's been back and forth to Palm Springs a few times and on a longer road trip from SoCal to the PNW, about 2300 miles R/T.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Accidental Retiree .........We love it. It's been back and forth to Palm Springs a few times and on a longer road trip from SoCal to the PNW, about 2300 miles R/T.

Seems like it is made for road trips.

[frank2009]

Another Forester owner here. Very happy with it. Judging by mine, it looks like Subaru's oil burning engines are in the past. The Eyesite is good but can make for an annoying car with all the beeps and warnings. The Eyesite won't steer the car but will beep if you stray on to a painted line. It will also brake in some conditions if you get to close to a car or object.

I guess it comes down to reading reviews, going for a few test drives, and deciding what fits you best.

[Accidental Retiree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover Seems like it is made for road trips.

It has a good amount of interior space, and both the 2nd and 3rd row of seats fold down nice and flat. We get 2 medium dog crates in as well as our stuff.

I also like that the 2nd row footwells are totally flat, with no hump in the middle. We were surprised at what fit into it.

We're still getting a cargo carrier, though, just to keep lighter but bulkier stuff out of the way.

[DrRoy]

We have had a Chevy Equinox for 5 very satisfied years.

[Texas Proud]

I think the Subaru people have drank the cool-aid....

According to CR, they are good on repairs at first, but seem to drop to avg or worse after 5 years.... except the Legacy...

The VW Tiguan is just horrible.... someone might like it and have a good one, but I would not go buy one on what I see....

[Masquernom]

If you're considering the Rav 4, definitely test drive the hybrid version. Reviews have the hybrid driving better than the standard gas version.

[cbo111]

I fully recommend the Outback. Get the Limited. We have a 2016 Outback with all the doodads. We like this vehicle more than previous Lexus RX. After more than a year we are still discovering neat little features. You should join the Outback enthusiast forum and read some of the posts. Good stuff by some hardcore subbies!

[Tailgate]

+1 on Subaru Outback...drove Direct competitors from Honda, Toyota and Mazda and the Outback kicked butt..YMMV. Eyesight is awesome feature.