OT - Compact SUV

[bigman]

Happily need to get something for daughter who will be attending Osteopath school in Maine this late June- priorities are safety and good AWD system. Have narrowed this down to the MAzda CX-5, Kia Sportage; Tiguan or maybe CRV. Heated seats would be nice.

Not that I'm driving it but I found the VW boring and maybe a bit to large. loved both the Mazda and Kia based on short test drives.
It will be a short term lease so the warranty is not a factor. Just looking for some insight from those that have any experience with these vehicles
Thanks

[semdoug]

We bought a Mazda 3 Hatchback last year and love it. No problems at all, just routine servicing. I have driven the CX-5 as a service loaner and liked it a lot. Of the four vehicles use listed the CX-5 is the only one I would buy.

[saab2000]

I am close to pulling the trigger on a Tiguan but I like that it's a bit bigger. I drove a CX-5 and liked it but it doesn't support Apple Car Play, and that's almost a deal breaker for me. It did feel like a quality vehicle. I also drove a Honda CR-V and came close to doing one of them. Plus for the CR-V is fuel economy, which is quite impressive for the size and utility of the vehicle. I don't think I'd look at the Kia, based on a recent ride on a Kia which felt like a poorly engineered vehicle. It wasn't the Sportage, but rather the minivan.

As much as you want AWD, I recommend snow tires for a place like Maine regardless. AWD is no substitute for a set of true winter tires.

I currently live in Michigan and if I get one of these, I'll be investing in proper winter tires even though I too plan to get the AWD version.

[Ralph]

My live at home daughter drives a CRV. They don't depreciate quickly....so may lease well. It's now 5 years old....and has never been in the shop for a warranty issue. Absolute 100% reliability....except for a battery replacement. Just normal service when the maintenance minder says so.

It is kinda dull driving.....but that doesn't matter for the use I bought it for.

[Lanternrouge]

My wife used to have a 2WD CRV and really liked it. When I drove it, it drove like a car to me, which I liked. We recently looked at a Kia (different model) and it seems like the brand generally offers pretty good value. That said, you are unlikely to go wrong with a Honda.

[Ken Robb]

We have 45,000 miles on a 2014 MAZDA3 with the same 2.5L engine and 6 speed automatic. Just routine maintenance that is very reasonably priced. 30 MPG overall on regular gas. Crisp handling like a BMW.

[yinzerniner]

Agree with poster above that snow tires > AWD when it comes to vehicle control in the cold winter months. For most vehicle models you can pick up a set for less than an insurance deductible.

The CUVs you listed are all nice and safe, but it really depends on the priorities. Lowest initial price - Kia or Hyundai. Best reliability / resale value? Honda CR-V. Most fun to drive - CX-5.

All the Japanese models you listed are great for maintenance, reliability, safety, etc. VW has gotten a lot better in the past decade on these fronts (other than the whole diesel scandal) but they still have a bit of German engineering to them (ie more labor intensive to work on thus more expensive).

Since the models are all so close, and as long as your daughter's a reasonably seasoned driver the best bet would be to go with the one she's most comfortable with. I've always found engineered safety features are a distant concern when compared to ergonomics, visibility, and ease of familiarity with the vehicles' handling tendencies and corner points.

[GregL]

I have a 2014 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD. It's without doubt the best winter vehicle I have ever owned. With Blizzaks on every corner, it makes short work of Syracuse winters. Great quality with one exception. It will eat rear brakes unless you keep the pads and slide pins clean and well-lubricated. I pull my pads twice a year to make sure they are moving freely and all parts are cleaned and re-greased.

Greg

[Mark McM]

I'm surprised you aren't considering one of the top selling brands in Maine - Subaru. Their AWD cars and SUVs generally receive high marks for reliability and ability to handle snowy roads. The Outback has most of the advantages of a car over a true SUV (better highway handling, better fuel mileage, etc.), while still retaining the AWD and decent ground clearance of a compact SUV.

And as noted, snow tires make a much bigger difference on snowy surfaces than AWD does - AWD may help get you going, but the snow tires will do more to help you maneuver and brake in the snow.

[bigman]

I am snow tire advocate - use them on almost all my vehicles.
Snow tires are the bomb.

[biker72]

Honda or Subaru with all wheel drive.

[benb]

The Subarus will cost less than most of those except Kias and outperform them in snow performance due to most of the CUVs having the "on/off" AWD vs the Subaru "always on". It's a fuel economy tradeoff... most of them will stay in 2WD and try to switch over to AWD when they detect you going out of control or starting to slide. Most of these cars will do better than FWD/RWD cars but if you've driven in snow a bunch with both types of AWD it's hard to get used to the non full time AWD types, and the outright limits are lower on the non-full time models too.

Most of these are just "tippy cars" without substantial extra ground clearance so you can always consider the regular car models too.

And if the snow performance is really important AWD or not don't buy a car without wiper defrosters and the other features like that. They make a difference when the going gets really bad.

If you are really going down the compact models with part-time AWD you really need to look at the Toyota RAV4 as well.

But the Forester/Outback, etc.. drive better than all but maybe the Mazda anyway due to the lower CG of the flat engine. I've driven hundreds of miles in the RAV4 and CRV in the snow and I hate them. Tippy suspension with high CG, less ground clearance despite that, and they have this way of briefly feeling like they're going out of control and then you can feel the AWD turn on. It's super annoying compared to the way Subarus just feel in control all the time. When I drive my Outback in the snow you almost never even see the traction/AWD lights coming on, it just performs like the snow isn't even there unless you start trying to exceed the cornering limits of the car, you never really feel the system working and it never really jerks you around. But if you turn it off in the snow you will realize it's doing a ton. The part-time AWD vehicles I've driven behave more like FWD/RWD vehicles where you're having lots of little "incidents" and seeing the electronics come on and bring the car back into control, only it's not just ABS it's the system turning the AWD on/off too.

Actually most of the part-time AWD models have slightly better EPA fuel economy ratings than the Subarus but my personal experience renting them has been they underperformed vs the EPA rating even worse than my Subaru does. (My Subaru definitely underperforms the rating for city). But Maine might not entail much city profile driving.

[yinzerniner]

Subarus are a nice option as mentioned above, but in my experience the big no-nos when compared to the other choices are:
-Fuel Economy as full time AWD just eats gas
-Actual price since they're so popular in the northeast/northwest that discounts are rare. Maybe midwest where OP is they fare better
-Ergonomics - this is a very personal opinion but almost every Subaru I've ever been in has been off in some way. Mirror and pillar placements, hood and fender locations, seat comfort and shape - all off for some reason or another.
-Interior fit/finish is spartan but a little lacking compared to competitors, but that might be in matching their brand identity.

And while I usually hate SUVs and CUVs the economics for purchasing a new vehicle are clearly pointed towards them since sedans and wagons with similar features are either impossible to find or priced way outside the mid-20's entry point in most cases. Or they're the WRX ........

[eak12]

Subaru Forester is the best vehicle I've had for snow performance (live in Toronto, grew up in Montreal, spend time in rural Maine most years). With snow tires, it's perfect for Maine winters. Plenty of them around in the state for a reason.


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[kppolich]

Any input on the KIA Niro? the gas milage has me thinking about it. No 4WD though, but do you really need 4WD if you aren't going to drive anyway if the weather is bad?