<p>Toyota Rav4. Love, love, love it. It’s peppy, comfortable and good on gas. I haven’t had any problems in the snow and it has been very snowy.</p>
<p>Just a note from someone from Michigan. At least give the American brands a try. They have greatly improved quality in the last few years, and our American auto industry needs your support. Many people (like my sister in New York) had a bad experience with an American car many years ago and still hold it as gospel that the foreign cars are better which is not necessarily true today.</p>
<p>I love. love, love my Honda Pilot. When it comes time, I will likely downsize to the Honda CRV (since we no longer need the 8 seatbelts).</p>
<p>fredmar - I really am willing to give GM a shot. But like someone mentioned upthread, I want a crossover that gets higher MPG than my current minivan. Not the same…better. Maybe by the time I can afford a car payment, there will be an American option.</p>
<p>I liked the RAV4 UNTIL they grew it an extra foot in length. It’s just too long for me now. Also, I personally don’t like the spare tire mount on the rear of the car. The RAV4 Sport version has it mounted elsewhere but it’s VERY pricey. </p>
<p>I would gladly look at an American 4 wheel drive vehicle. The only one I have seen that comes close to something I would consider driving is the Ford Escape. The Escape Hybrid is also on our list…it’s my husband’s personal favorite. BUT I don’t think the styling has kept pace with the others (CRV, RAV, Forester)…that Escape is just a bit too boxy. But it will get a test drive when the time comes.</p>
<p>Second the Ford Flex–we rented one and loved it. Also the Ford Edge. I’m with fredmar on this one–if an American car suits your needs, try it. They really are a lot better nowadays than they were years ago.</p>
<p>My husband has rented both the Flex and the Edge. I personally think they are amongst the ugliest cars I have ever seen. Also, we don’t need a huge vehicle anymore…don’t haul 5 passengers AND cargo…or 7 passengers. So the smaller SUV or Crossovers are just fine…and get much better mileage than either the Flex or the Edge.</p>
<p>Rented the CRV as a replacement for our Odyssey, was tres comfy but didn’t like the way the back seats (didn’t) fold down </p>
<p>Bought a Honda Element and love love love it . . . lots of room, inside is endlessly configurable, although back seats are less comfy and it only seats 4 . . . great for skis and dogs and hauling stuff, and has high clearance, one of our “must haves”</p>
<p>I sincerely wish I could try another GM product, but that’s not going to happen. Our chevy van had recurring problems, and the dealer didn’t care. And our other two GM cars both had power windows that would quit working for no reason at all, and window repairs were hundreds of dollars each. Right now our car has 4 broken windows which would cost over a thousand dollars to fix! My grandfather spent his entire life working for the American auto industry, and I wish I had the confidence to try American again, but we’ve been burned too many times. I’m not trying to start a debate, just want to sympathize with you, and at the same time, explain why we went to Honda.</p>
<p>I believe the Subaru Outback, Legacy and Tribeca are all made in Indiana (though not the Forester) and Subaru does trumpet the plant’s zero landfill policy-- [It’s</a> waste not, want not at super green Subaru plant - USATODAY.com](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/environment/2008-02-18-green-factories_N.htm]It’s”>http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/environment/2008-02-18-green-factories_N.htm). My sister is on her second Buick (GM) Rendezvous, which she loves. They were both made in Mexico.</p>
<p>Ah…but where were these cars DESIGNED?</p>
<p>I’ve just got to say thank you for all this great input. When I asked my dh the difference between AWD and 4WD (someone mentioned that there is a difference here) he started talking and then I just found my mind drifting… I am going to do some mileage research and a few test drives, starting with the RAV4 and the CRV, and check out the Subaru (when I find a local dealer, not sure about that one). Thanks!!</p>
<p>^^^Good luck! Sounds like a good list to test drive. We drove all three and went with the Forester back in 2008. Has plenty of leg and head room for XL people, front and back. My H and sons are all 6’ plus, and all are very comfy on the occasions when we drive together. NOTHING handles like a Subie in bad weather. Just yesterday while driving on a county road during a snowstorm, a car lurched out from a parking lot within feet of us. H had to swerve HARD right and hard left and was able to avoid that car somehow without skidding or rolling. We are sold for life…literally. :)</p>
<p>ps: gets approx. 23mpg city, 28 highway</p>
<p>A colleague just purchased a new Jeep Grand Cherokee - it’s very nice. This new design just available within the last 6 months or so was developed while it was ‘Daimler/Chrysler’ so the chassis components are largely the same as those on the Mercedes SUV. The reviews of it by auto enthusiast mags have been great.</p>
<p>For something smaller with relatively decent mileage, I think you should also consider the Hyundai Tucson and maybe the Hyundai Santa Fe. A friend has a 2005 Tucson and it’s not had a single problem. Both of these vehicles have very high reliability ratings and Hyundai has the best warranty out there. IMO the Tucson looks way nicer than the Rav4, Honda CRV, or Subaru but of course this is subjective. The Santa Fe is made in the USA. </p>
<p>AWD vs. 4wd -
- AWD means ‘all wheel drive’ which generally means that all 4 wheels are powered (as opposed to FWD or front wheel drive and RWD or rear wheel drive) but it doesn’t have a ‘low range’. These vehicles are good in rain, snow, mud but can’t be used for real 4-wheeling.
- 4wd means ‘4 wheel drive’ which means all 4 wheels are powered and generally implies they also have a ‘low range’. The low range is like putting the transmission in a super low range to maximize power to the wheels under very low speed conditions which is needed for true 4-wheeling (off roading). Most of these also have a 4wd lo and 4wd hi selection - the 4wd hi would be used on a normal road and is good for rain/mud/snow and 4wd lo would be used for off roading. Many, but not all, of them also have a ‘neutral’ selection which effectively disconnects one axle from being powered putting it into 2wd mode. this can improve fuel economy when 4wd isn’t needed since not as much is being powered.</p>
<p>Moral of the above - if you only care about improved traction in rain/mud/snow then either AWD or 4wd would generally be fine but if you want to go 4 wheeling you need 4wd with a low range. </p>
<p>Just to add to the mix - many newer vehicles have ‘automatic traction control’ which also helps in the slippery stuff.</p>
<p>My sister who lives in Maui on a red clay road up a mountain will only drive a Subaru 'cause it goes through mud. My brother-in-law who lives in Maine will only drive a Subaru 'cause it goes through snow and ice. And here in rural Iowa we get it all!!</p>
<p>My 10 year old Volvo has traction control. It’s a nice option too…but we still use snow tires on the car. When we get a Forester/CRV or Mazda, it will be to replace this Volvo which is the favorite of any car I’ve ever owned.</p>
<p>Why won’t you get another Volvo?</p>
<p>Don’t like the new ones. And where we live I want something with 4 wheel or all wheel drive…yes, Volvo makes one but it’s NOT their specialty like Subaru that makes ONLY all wheel drive! The Subaru Forester…top of the line with leather, heated seats, power everything, moonroof, is about $10,000 LESS expensive than the Volvo S60 (that is the size of my current Volvo).</p>
<p>Plus we are getting rid of the Volvo and a van…so we also need something that can hold the garbage cans for the weekly trip to the dump.</p>
<p>On the recommendation of my mechanic and my insurance agent, we just bought a AWD Hyundai Santa Fe for my D. She only wanted a AWD or 4WD and we drove a bunch of different ones…this and the Pontiac were the most “car like”, which is what she wanted. The safety ratings are very good and insurance rates reflect that. She’s getting about 23 mpg highway (hasn’t done any city driving yet). Her friend has a Tuscon and that seems to be a bit smaller model.</p>
<p>Previously I’ve always bought Chevy SUV’s and have had great experiences with them - the 4.3L 6 cyl engines are tough to beat and I’ve put 200K+ miles on both of mine with no problems. The brakes are a different story though and occassionally a window motor or door bearing will go. Every vehicle seems to have some quirks…my Honda Accord seems to eats horns and fuses!</p>
<p>marigold, my mother has owned back to back gm’s and she replaced the power window on them at LEAST four times each. It’s expensive! her current GM has power seats and the drivers seat is stuck in place! I think they make a decent engine however their power features definitely need some work. She winds up having to replace the brakes wayyyy to frequently. Her current one is 9 years old and I think she’s had to put new breaks on it at least five or six times and she’s only at like 50k miles. I personally would never buy one after seeing all of the issues she has had with hers. We’ll see what she buys next.</p>
<p>I forget what kind of car my best friends husband used to have but his car was a foreign car manufactured in the USA and she had a Chevy manufactured in Mexico.</p>
<p>When, I buy a car, I want it to last me a good 10+ years. I’ll buy whatever car I think gives me the best ability to do that. Of course, you can never tell… but you can make an educated guess. I currently have a Mitsubishi, it’s on its 9th year, has over 100k miles, and (knock on wood) has never had a single issue.</p>