Help Pick Daughter's SUV

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Originally Posted By: raytseng
Forester. the elevated driver positioning and window designs give the forester some of the best visibility available.

Will passively contribute to "safety" by reducing driver error especially if driver is shorter and not as experienced.
Its not really reduction of injury to humans, as much as about avoiding fender bender or other minor accidents and bumps because she just didnt see it. However equally as frustrating in life.

also symmetric awd.


I love how easy it is to see out of my Forester. It has a little more blind spot than my Cherokee, but still better than almost anything else!


You two beat me to it.
My wife has been very fond of both of our Foresters and yes they are very easy to see out of, which can't be said for some other current small CUV models.
Fuel economy is very good on the current models and impact test results look solid.
You can also pick up a nicely equipped Forester new for well under $30K.

 

[mcrn]

Forester would get my vote easily.

 

[aquariuscsm]

In the end it may come down to what she can afford.

 

[Voleak]

Crosstrek.
Forester.
Option either one with EyeSight, even better.

 

[sw99]

Originally Posted By: Speak2Mountain
1) Trading in her college ride for something new or nearly new
2) Needs to be small or midsize SUV
3) Reliable
4) Very Safe
5) 30k or less

Esp chime in if you've owned the particular car
Thx


Subaru is what you need!

 

[Thax]

KIA Sportage in EX trim. Great warranty ,you really do get so much for your money. For under 30k you can easily get leather, heated & cooled seating , 8 inch touchscreen head unit with android auto or apple carplay. Drives nice , good mpg's and nice interior. In my opinion it is one of the best that KIA has put out recently.

 

[CharBaby]

Any of the Compact SUVs would work well for your daughter, it just depends on what she likes. Any CR-V, RAV4, CX-5, Rogue, Santa Fe Sport or Tucson or any of the others will be a wonderful vehicle for her.

The Luxury Compact SUVs are too expensive and the smaller Subcompact SUVs(HR-V, CX-3, Renegade etc.) are compelling arguments to get into the Compact listed above.

 

[MParr]

Ford Escape with a 2.5l engine
Hyundai Tucson Sport 2.4l
KIA Sportage EX 2.4l
Toyota RAV 4

NOTE: Avoid the Ford Escape with the 1.5l Ecoboost
NOTE: Avoid the Hyundai Tucson with the 1.6T/Dual Clutch

 

[sparky123]

Wife drives a Nissan Rogue Sport. Wonderful small SUV. Extremely comfortable. See the reviews...If you want a rocket ship, Toyota Rav 4 w/v6. A blast to drive. Very, very nice. You'll find something very nice for sure. Lots of great choices.

 

[93cruiser]

My, or the wifes, 2013 RAV4 with 4 cylinder has been perfect for 68K miles. Got it for 23500 new, sticker close to 29k. I expect it to hit 200k with zero issues. 10k oci's.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

If your daughter wants to actually get any money back if she decides to trade it in, the Subarus are really her only option for an investment instead of a disposable. There's a reason they've gotten 3 "best resale value" out of the past 4 years or so. When you go to a Subaru dealer, you can find 2-3 year old Subarus for only a couple hundred bucks less than new.

Like fdcg said, you can option out a Forester pretty nicely brand new and still be well under $30k, IIHS Top Pick+, and best-in-class mileage (not to mention unparalleled AWD system). My mom bought her '18 Forester about 6 months ago after I told her for about 10 years (and two new Chevys) that she needed to buy a Forester, and she still calls me at least once a week to say how much she loves it and wishes she had bought one sooner. And it hasn't even snowed yet!

 

[RTexasF]

Quote:
If you want a rocket ship, Toyota Rav 4 w/v6. A blast to drive. Very, very nice.


I agree completely, we own two. Unfortunately they are tough to find and demand a premium. Only built from 2006-2012. Stay well clear of '06-08 RAV4 four cylinder 2.4l. They are known oil guzzlers.

You'd be hard pressed to do better than a 2013+ RAV4 if in the budget. They are pretty bullet proof. The 2.5l engine is proven.

 

[Tahoe4Life]

One of my friends recently bought a Honda HRV. I thought I would hate riding in it but it rides extremely well and even takes the nasty railroad tracks like a champ. The a/c does a very good job in Miami jungle heat. It is very well built all around plus it is a very nice looking vehicle. Honda a awesome job with HRV. I recall the base model is around 20K bucks and is worth every penny IMHO.

 

[hpb]

Depending how much room she wants, a top of the range Honda HRV, Mazda CX3 or Toyota CHR would be hard to beat.

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted By: RTexasF
Quote:
If you want a rocket ship, Toyota Rav 4 w/v6. A blast to drive. Very, very nice.


I agree completely, we own two. Unfortunately they are tough to find and demand a premium. Only built from 2006-2012. Stay well clear of '06-08 RAV4 four cylinder 2.4l. They are known oil guzzlers.

You'd be hard pressed to do better than a 2013+ RAV4 if in the budget. They are pretty bullet proof. The 2.5l engine is proven.


I’d skip the 06-12 RAV4 with expensive AWD defects. $1500-$2000 repair lurking my sister encountered 1000 miles over. She traded for CRV and dealer missed in trade valuation.

https://www.toyoheadquarters.com/threads...on-lsc-zf4.554/

 

[fdcg27]

In fairness, either a CRV or a RAV would also offer very good resale value, although neither has the outside visibility the Forester offers and the mini models from Honda and Toyota appear to be even worse while even Subaru's baby CUV is pretty good.
OTOH, a 2WD Rogue could be bought new for maybe 70% of the cost of a Forester and AWD is probably not a huge consideration with the frozen tundra you won't find in the OP's location.

 

[Voleak]

This is a video of a guy that ended up getting a new 2016 Crosstrek for his daughter who went off to college. He didn't care for Subaru, until he drove the Crosstrek. Now he really likes them.

Fast forward to 1:40 to avoid the music and scenic footage at the beginning.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_e9bLlCv7U

 

[raytseng]

To be fair, subaru branding and sales and marketting were somewhat niche targetting for the past 2 decades and weren't targetted to his demographic.

I think it's less about the guy changing his mind; as he never drove or considered the subaru so its not really fair to say he previously evaluated it except for his feelings about the brand

The more interesting takeaway is about how much people car opinions are heavily influenced by branding, marketting and signaling rather than any quantifiable feature of the physical car itself.

 

[RTexasF]

Quote:
I’d skip the 06-12 RAV4 with expensive AWD defects. $1500-$2000 repair lurking my sister encountered 1000 miles over. She traded for CRV and dealer missed in trade valuation.


Fortunately both of ours are front wheel drive.

 

[oilpsi2high]

Ford Excursion