My wife is wanting a new car

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I would pick the Mazda over a Toyota, Honda or Kia/Hyundai simply because I'm sick of seeing them everywhere.
If you like the VW, go for it.
I too was scared of VW for the longest time but finally bought a new VW in 2013. I don't regret it a bit.
Me? I'd probably buy the Mazda if I had to choose from the list.
 
IMOH, they're all GREAT choices and you & she need to do some test driving to see which one fits you both personally & your vehicle criteria. Can't go wrong with any of them, even the SUVs that were not on your list!
 
Originally Posted By: nap
Check first if a CVT is acceptable to her.


This ^^^^^^^^^^^

If the vehicle either of you is attracted to has a CVT Transmission.... Drive it before you go any further.

We had our hearts set on a new Corolla. We even had one all picked out... Until we drove it. I'm not going to say the CVT is "bad". It's not. They have enough of them on the road, (at least Toyota does), to make reliability not too much of a concern. But we hated the way it drove. It's like an electric golf cart. Or driving a standard gear driven automatic that slips.

As soon as you depress the throttle the engine winds way up. The further you press it, the higher it revs. But it's nothing like a regular gear driven automatic. Because it never shifts. It makes you want to feather the throttle all the time to try and keep the revs down.

The other thing is while they are much simpler than a gear driven 6 or 8 speed automatic, they are very expensive to repair out of warranty. You can't pull anything with them. Which should tell you something about strength.

They are up and coming in a lot of new cars. But when we were shopping for a new Corolla, we couldn't get out of it fast enough. We ended up buying a new Camry. Bigger car with a bigger, better performing engine. And most important, a 8-Speed standard gear driven automatic transmission. We both love it.
 
1) Me? I got some "data refreshment" work to do as I always thought VW was expensive and unreliable.

2) Family experiences: 2012 Mazda3iTouring, 2016 Mazda3, MazdaCX-3, 2018 MazdaCX-5. All loved by their owners. Nimble, economical. We have no speed / acceleration freaks in the family so any talk of underpower doesn't apply.

3) Subarus leak to start with. The idea of turbocharging one of them gives me the willies. What do some people do...haul rocks in the mountains?

4) GM made huge mistakes in their QC and appeared not to care but, as above, I need to renew my knowledge. Is there now "a little Saab in every car we make"?

5) DdDd: Say nauseated NEVER nauseous. My aunt's a nurse so don't mess with me.

6) A friend is on his 3rd Mitsubishi Outlander (2 Outlanders and 1 Outlander Sport) and I can report that the reason "we" think the CVT is OK is because nobody expected anything resembling performance from these cars. The first one was a 2011 on which I did a CVT drain & fill at 92K with Amalie CVT fluid. It's at 140K now and spends its life driving east-west (cross mountain) in New England. Still going strong.
 
My sister has a CX 5 Mazda Skyactiv and it gets good mileage and is Ok for 3-4 hour trips. Have a friend with a Tiguan and he and his wife love it. The Mazda is very peppy for a 2.0.
 
Originally Posted By: ajchien
If you’re worried about the Honda 1.5l turbo, is the LX trim still offered with the 2.4 I4 ?



This ^^^ or the RAV 4.
 
My wife picks out the car she wants, I only answer her questions (if she asks) before the purchase.

What I like, don't like or wouldn't be caught driving has no bearing on the decision.
 
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Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: MParr
I would appreciate some input. Please don’t cite Consumer Reports, they take payola.

Can you cite anything that says they do?
It's pretty clear that they don't. But they have a different consumer bias which might not be a bias that you share.
You should also mention a budget, otherwise I'm surprised no one has jumped in yet with a Mercedes GLC or GLE recommendation.

I'd recommend that the OPer look at one of the publications that sells advertising to the manufacturers of the very products that they review.
There is always a full page ad for the #1 product in any group right next to the table of results.

I liked the Acura RDX a lot when I was shopping in 2014, but I think they have dumped the V6 in favor of a 2.0l turbo like I have now. Actually wasn't especially expensive without the tech package if you can live without built in nav and other goodies like that.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
Originally Posted By: nap
Check first if a CVT is acceptable to her.

...
As soon as you depress the throttle the engine winds way up. The further you press it, the higher it revs. But it's nothing like a regular gear driven automatic. Because it never shifts. It makes you want to feather the throttle all the time to try and keep the revs down.
...

Every car is different, my FXT raises the boost instead of RPMs when I give it a modest amount of throttle...it will only raise the revs dramatically if I stomp on it or force a "downshift" with the paddle shifter. I was playing with this yesterday, cruising along at a steady 2500 RPM and when I hit a steep hill it would hold the same 2500 RPM and kick the boost up from 0 or slightly negative to 8-10 PSI.
I will admit that I was a little wary of buying a CVT and it did need some work at 80,000 miles, fortunately covered under a warranty that Subaru unilaterally extended to 100,000 miles...but, my previous Toyota 5 speed auto also needed tranny work just past 60,000 miles and that was on my dime (~$3500).
 
Originally Posted By: MParr
Bumping the the horsepower on the RAV4 would be a plus. My Ford Escape scares her, it’s a rocket ship.

I keep offering to race my buddy with a '16 Escape and he always changes the subject, I know he does detailed research before buying and I think he knows he'd lose. He always wanted to race when he had a Tbird and I had a stinkin Outback...

Sadly, no more XT in the Forester line...(pours a quart of 5W30 synth on the ground).
 
Subaru has the highest owner loyalty of any car. Part of that has to do with the AWD for people who live in areas with inclement weather.
Hondas keep their value like no other.
There is a reason for it...

I would buy CR-V EX AWD.
Earlier this year, we bought a Lexus RX450h for my wife; what a wonderful vehicle, if your budget affords it.
After driving smaller SUVs, this thing stole the show.
Good luck and enjoy your new car.
 
My saying I will have some input is based on me doing general maintenance myself. I change oil and filter, air filters, cabin air filters, coolant, plugs and brakes. Ease of service is something I look at. She is concerned with passing, merging onto highways, comfort, visibility and how the car looks inside and out. Knowing her, I suspect she will like the CX-5.
 
Originally Posted By: MParr
Please don’t cite Consumer Reports, they take payola.



Any proof you'd like to share? Or is it just another internet conspiracy theory? I know Consumers GUIDE takes money from advertisers, but not CR. You can disagree with their measurements or conclusions, but they don't take money from anyone.
 
Take the Mrs out to brunch then go shopping for a new car, test drive the favorites then make the decision. BITOG is not taking the wife out to brunch then car shopping for her new car.
 
Originally Posted By: MParr
My saying I will have some input is based on me doing general maintenance myself. I change oil and filter, air filters, cabin air filters, coolant, plugs and brakes. Ease of service is something I look at. She is concerned with passing, merging onto highways, comfort, visibility and how the car looks inside and out. Knowing her, I suspect she will like the CX-5.


If handling and comfort are important, then it’s hard to beat a mid-size sedan.... yes I know they’re out of fashion.... just saying....
 
Originally Posted By: DdDd
No to Korean cars. The engine and tranny are not refined. The ride quality is terrible.

Wife was driving the rental Kia CUV and I wanted to comment on her lousy driving that was making me nauseous.

Then we switched seats and she was complaining that I was making her sick with my driving. Pretty soon we realized whoever was unlucky enough to ride shotgun was going to toss their cookies.

Friends Kia has had multiple warranty claims denied. Spend the extra three grand on Japanese if you're looking east.

Subaru definitely > Korean


It's not three grand-it's five grand. And my wife's 2017 Santa Fe XL (bought new) has been excellent thus far. Is the ride quite not as refined as the Japanese? Possibly. Is it acceptable-absolutely.
 
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We bought a 18 CRV with the fuel diluted 1.5T and love it. The CVT is awesome. I’m about to do its first oil change at 5K. May keep it at that interval.
 
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