Small SUV recommendations

[Independent]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

.........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]

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.

 

[Music Lover]

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

One of my friends has a 2007 Rav with 140k kilometers (86k miles) and it's been in to the dealer a dozen times for various repairs of things that should not have failed. Yet, he continues to tell anyone who will listen how great Toyota is.

I wonder how many people like him drank the Kool-Aid and fill out Consumer Reports with high ratings?

My 2007 Subaru Impreza has never had anything other than regular maintenance. 100% perfect reliability. My friend is now looking for a new vehicle (yes, another Toyota) and won't consider Subaru because he thinks Toyota is more reliable.

 

[travelover]

One of my friends has a 2007 Rav with 140k kilometers (86k miles) and it's been in to the dealer a dozen times for various repairs of things that should not have failed. Yet, he continues to tell anyone who will listen how great Toyota is.

I wonder how many people like him drank the Kool-Aid and fill out Consumer Reports with high ratings?

My 2007 Subaru Impreza has never had anything other than regular maintenance. 100% perfect reliability. My friend is now looking for a new vehicle (yes, another Toyota) and won't consider Subaru because he thinks Toyota is more reliable.

I think that is the difference between data and anecdotes. Get enough data and you can make a real determination, listen to anecdotes, toss out the ones you don't like and you have an opinion.

 

[Texas Proud]

One of my friends has a 2007 Rav with 140k kilometers (86k miles) and it's been in to the dealer a dozen times for various repairs of things that should not have failed. Yet, he continues to tell anyone who will listen how great Toyota is.

I wonder how many people like him drank the Kool-Aid and fill out Consumer Reports with high ratings?

My 2007 Subaru Impreza has never had anything other than regular maintenance. 100% perfect reliability. My friend is now looking for a new vehicle (yes, another Toyota) and won't consider Subaru because he thinks Toyota is more reliable.

Since I have taken the CR survey, they ask if you have had any repair in a number of items... so if he is honest and has taken it in so often it would show up as 'bad'.... I do think they did ask if you would recommend it to a friend or buy again.... not really sure as it was so long ago when I filled it out...


Also, the whole thing is probabilities.... IOW, an avg score might be anywhere between 1 and 5%.... where a bad exceeds by 3% (if reading right).... so, it can be bad with less than 10% of the cars having that problem... or 100% of the cars having that problem... if it is 10%, then 90% of the people think the car is great (why so many Subaru owners are saying how great their car is when some of the stats say otherwise)...


So, any car made can have some that are really good... except Yugo....

 

[niven]

Sorry to hear about your CRV troubles. We still have a 2000 CRV, two 2005 CRVs and a more recent 2015 CRV in our families. None of the older ones have experienced the issues you've had. Only the 2000 CRV has had any kind of actual repair (cracked plastic radiator tank at about 12 years I think). I have heard about the problems getting an AC repair done correctly, but the paint issue is puzzling. Is it the actual paint coming off or the clear coat?

 

[Jerry1]

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

We leased one for a couple years and now just bought one. I'm sure an Equinox is not the greatest suv, but the price was right and I have no reason to believe we can't get over 10 years out of it and over 100,000 miles with little repair. Been a GM person all my life and they are a much better car now than they've ever been. Since they are changing over the design, they are running great deals. As much as I think GM is doing well, I would not buy any company's first year on a major redesign, so I'd stay away from the newer models. The Equinox is a little dated, but I believe it's a solid vehicle.

 

[Moemg]

, but the paint issue is puzzling. Is it the actual paint coming off or the clear coat?

It is the actual paint .It is coming off in weird areas .

 

[braumeister]

Just from curiosity, have you pursued redress under your state's lemon law?
It certainly sounds as if you have one.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

Our '08 Honda had AC issues a couple of years ago. It would work some days, then not the next, then work fine again. Turned out to be a simple relay. Thank God I researched the issue on Youtube. New relay was $5. No issues since then.

 

[Music Lover]

I think that is the difference between data and anecdotes. Get enough data and you can make a real determination, listen to anecdotes, toss out the ones you don't like and you have an opinion.

I agree. My point was that Toyota owners are just as likely to drink the Kool-Aid as Subaru owners.

The reality is that if you buy from one of the top dozen or so auto makers, in all likelihood, you will have a very reliable vehicle for at least the first 100k miles or even more. Therefore, unless there is solid evidence that it is a lemon, buy what you like and enjoy it every day instead of worrying about a repair 5 years down the road that may never happen.

 

[Mango1956]

We have his and hers RAV4's, both white. The determining factor was cargo space-at the time, the RAV4 was reported to have the most. DW needs to haul his drum kit to gigs, and everything fit!. 4WD was needed as well, for driving to trailheads on sketchy roads. We went for the 4 cylinder, which has proven to give great gas mileage. We liked it so much we bought a second one. The ride is a little clunky, but both cars have been trouble free. Each cost approx 20K out the door -Toyota certified used vehicles each with about 37K miles at the time. We're happy, but may sell one to buy a camper van or truck now that we're both retired.