<p>We are shopping around for a new car to replace our 10 year old Honda Pilot, which has been good to us. We are looking to downsize but we like the height and cargo an SUV gives us so we are looking at a smaller SUV or crossover. Also looking to get better gas mileage upwards of 28 mgp highway for our daily commute. It should drive well in the snow , have good safety features and be comfortable for long drives. We like to visit our D 500 miles away. Would like the car to last 10 years without major problems.</p>
<p>We have been all over the place with this also keeping in mind budget. We would lease a higher end car and either trade or buy it in 3 years if we like it or purchase a lower end car outright. We also considered purchasing a higher end used car but this has proven to be a bit harder to do these days. The goods ones always fly out the door.</p>
<p>We have looked at Acura RDX, Honda Accord Crossover, Lexus RX 350, Lexus CT 320 hybrid. These are all way up there in price but provide lots of comfort, bells and whistles.
We also want to look at the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Tucson. We have owned Honda, Acura and Lexus and know what to expect. We have had great experience with them and the cars lasted into the 140-160K miles before we sold them and they continued to run another few years with the new owners. We currently own a CRV, which I love. I am hesitant about Hyundai. We purchased one many years ago back in 86 and though we had no problems with it for the three years we owned it, the resale value was very poor. I know they have a great warranty but I want to make sure the car lasts 10 years without spending a lot of time getting repairs or end up stranded somewhere. They currently have a lot of incentives and you can get a fully loaded car for less than the base price of the other ones. </p>
<p>My manager bought a Tucson within the last two years coming from nicer Toyotas/Lexus models and she was disappointed with the trim levels of the Tucson. It’s a nice car and does what cars are supposed to do but she felt that she didn’t get as much in the way of little things that aren’t on the feature lists but make the car more enjoyable to drive.</p>
<p>My top car for consideration is the Subaru Outback. I drove one for 2,500 miles last year and liked it and I’m normally a car person. A co-worker recently bought one on recommendations from our former manager and me. The only bit on the downside is that there are fewer dealers than say Toyota or Honda (not a problem for me as I have one three miles from my office).</p>
<p>I’ve looked at the Venza too and am ho-hum on it. I could buy one and be content - but I think that the Subaru is a better overall package - I like the continuously variable transmission for gasoline mileage. We also have many Subaru Outbacks in our parking lot and there are several in the 20-30 years old category.</p>
<p>I did bring up Subaru as they caught my eye on the road but for some reason DH does not like them. However, it might be worth a test drive. It’s true there are not many dealerships, I might have to go hunt one down. I have heard that they are pretty good in the snow and we have a steep driveway. </p>
<p>I also like the Venza but my experience with Toyota dealers has left me exhausted. When we bought the CRV, we also looked at the RAV 4 and the endless list of options tires me out. Just give me base and upgraded and included everything in the upgraded. Heated seats is a big plus for me. I hate to get excited about the base price and them when you add up the goodies, it is 5K more. I also found that they give you that teaser rate and then they don’t have the exact thing when you go there. We spent over two hours with them an got no where. Maybe it’s just the ones in my area.</p>
<p>I am on my third Subaru and have been very happy (obviously). One of 'em has lots of road noise - the windows have a rim free concept that is great for safety (you won’t smash your hand if you close the door on the hand) but it can rattle or allow air in at high speeds. But we started with Subaru for snow handling and it is fabulous at that. Mileage - meh - not sure on the new ones but the all wheel drive does decrease mileage somewhat, so there’s a trade off between mileage and traction. I’m not a big fan of the new Outback look but then I bought the first one when Crocodile Dundee advertised the thing on the TV. I took one look and was hooked. The new ones look to me like someone blew air into them and stretched ‘em like a big ol’ balloon. But the salesguy I complained to said lots of new buyers love the new look. That’s what makes horse races!</p>
<p>Bought DS a Hyundai and so far so good. Nice tight drive feel; not cushy. DS and I love that; DH not so much - he finds it a bit harsh. The new Hyundai models look real nice IMHO.</p>
<p>If you want good interior room with good fuel economy, you may want to consider some other vehicles that try to combine those characteristics:</p>
<p>Ford C-Max (when available in a few months)
Toyota Prius V
Mazda 5</p>
<p>Snow driving is likely most dependent on tires. An extra set of inexpensive wheels with winter tires that you can swap in during the snow and ice season would be a good choice for any vehicle if you have more than occasional light snow.</p>
<p>AWD does help in the snow in avoiding getting stuck but I’ve been without AWD for 12 years now and haven’t had any problems in NH. Avoiding going out when conditions are bad is another way to deal with snow and ice.</p>
<p>In some places and with some jobs, that’s difficult to do.</p>
<p>I’ve never used snow tires - just all-season radials have worked for me.</p>
<p>Another vote for looking at the Subaru Outback–I like mine a lot. It has been redesigned, though. I’ve also heard good things about the Subaru Forester.</p>
<p>A friend has a 2005 Hyundai Tucson and it’s been a great vehicle. They’ve since bought another Hyundai in addition to it (a Sonata). I’d definitely recommend checking out Hyundai for what you’re interested in. </p>
<p>You should also refer to another recent thread on cars where there were lots of responses regarding Hyundai (search for ‘Hyundai’ and you’ll probably find it).</p>
<p>
Well, duh. What’d she expect when she buys a vehicle that’s half the price of the Lexus she’s used to? The Tucson won’t be at as high of a trim quality level as a vehicle costing twice as much but it’ll be a reasonable trim level that’ll function well. If it’s not luxo enough then one needs to spend more money and get the more expensive vehicle.</p>
<p>^^ But looking at it from a trim level perspective I could come up with vehicles 20 or 30 or 40 years old that would have a higher level of trim and I could come up with new vehicles with a lower level of trim. That’s not really the point. Comparing an new $18K Hyundai Tucson to a new $36K Lexus RX350 is the point. One would certainly expect ‘something’ for that extra Tucson’s worth of a cost in the Lexus. The Sienna is also a more expensive vehicle but it’s also a minivan so it’s not exactly a direct comparison.</p>
<p>It then becomes a question of whether the additional cost is worth it to the buyer assuming they could afford it in the first place. It’s obviously worth it to some people but not to others and some people can readily afford the more expensive car and for some people the cost would be prohibitive.</p>
<p>btw - My “well, duh” was directed at your boss’ response - not at you.</p>
<p>We just purchased a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe and we are keeping our 2009 Santa Fe for our daughter. The 2013 Santa Fes come out in August and will be totally redesigned so they are practically giving away the 2012s to make room for the redesigned models.</p>
<p>Well it looks like I have more test driving to do
Hyndai Tucson
Subaru Forester - if I can convince DH. There is a dealership 30 miles away.
Toyota Venza - </p>
<p>Currently, Toyota is running an offer on the 2012 leases. The Venza does look nice. I might endure the Toyota dealership one more time. However, there is a new 2013 with some interesting features. My experience with Acura was similar. They had offers on 2012 MDX only (2012 RDX were gone) and no offers on the new 2013. The MDX was too large for what I need it for. It would be like having the Pilot again. Even the RDX seemed a bit large. It seems a lot of companies redesigned their cars for 2013. Good Snow performance is important due to our driveway and we have had some bad winters in the Northeast. Sometimes, we are at work and cannot help but end up stuck driving home in bad weather. </p>
<p>I also found leasing companies that offer leases for the high end cars at lower payments than the auto dealers. Has anyone ever dealt with these. I found them when searching through leasetrader.com where you can pick up someone’s lease.</p>
<p>I agree with NewHope33, Hyundai has done a very nice job of improving their vehicles over the past decade. I strongly recommend the Hyundai Sonata if you’re shopping for a car or the Kia Sorento (sister company of Hyundai) for an SUV.</p>
<p>Yeah, I agree with the above. There are lots of vehicles out there … go with an option that meets your needs. Our family tends to drive cars into the ground, so low-mileage used vehicles are always preferred. I never understood why someone would lease a new Audi for $900/month with a 750 miles per month limit. And then I met a business associate who did that. “It suits me” was his response. I’m certain that’s a good enough reason for him. And since it’s him who’s making the decision …</p>
<p>We are looking at the subaru forester also… I believe the limited, which has all leather heated seats and all the bells and whistles. It is a very comfortable car, but I do not think you will get 28 MPG on everyday driving.</p>