Best small to mid size suv

[old feller]

looking to buy and wanted Some opinions. Looking at Rouge ..Sportage ..Tuscon...or similar vehicles Any help would be great. Thanks

 

[ChattaAlley]

I really love my Jeep Compass. Its not huge but its no car. It is just right for me.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Would never buy a dodge/jeep.

If you can up your budget a little, and might like a slightly bigger SUV, look at the Kia Sorrento.
Look at the ratings this vehicle gets. (don't think the Sportage compares at all)
Ours is very nice!

(PS: traded in a Dodge for it... OMG... NO comparison)

 

[Hikergirl]

I'll agree with WOAS, the Kia Sorrento is nice, and its a reasonable price for all you get.
I test drove one but went with a different manufacturer (for money too). I regret not getting the KIA.

 

[nkereina]

I'm on my second Chevy Equinox and love it. DH had a GMC Terrain and also loved it, but it was virtually the same car. The Terrain has a few more bells and whistles being a GMC, but to me it wasn't worth the price difference. But with the Equinox, I get great gas mileage and love the space it has.

 

[Klayfish]

First, let me ask you why you're looking for a small SUV? Not saying you shouldn't buy one, but curious if it's a style choice or something else? SUVs aren't as practical as manufacturers want you to believe. For example, they've become the fashionable replacement for minivans. If it's about style, image and fashion, then that's a matter of personal taste and everyone should buy what makes them happy. But SUVs are much less suited to families with young kids than SUVs are. Not trying to get on a soapbox, but cars are my life (both in hobby and profession) so I'm passionate about them. The small to midsize SUV has become a trendy craze, but they're not really great at any one individual thing.

Anyway, if you're heart set on a small to mid-size SUV, the cream of the crop would be the Mazda CX family, Honda family (CR-V or HR-V), Rav4, Kia/Hyundai family. Included in the Kia family would be the Kia Soul (assuming you don't need three rows of seats...which if you do then a small/mid-size SUV is a very poor choice). They're a wonderful blend of practicality, reliability and value.

 

[Christine]

As others have said, give the Kia Sorrento a look. I have been looking at cars (not SUVs) but the KIA has really got some good designs and reliability these days. I did end up liking the Hyundai Sonata over the Kia Optima (sedans) but it was not by much. The Tucson is a really good vehicle also. The Santa Fe and Sorrento may be bigger than what you want, though.

Take a hard look at the Subaru Crosstrek. Warren Brown just did a review of the 2017 model in the Washington Post. I've driven a few. It's an excellent, small-SUV-type car without really seeming like a true SUV. You get the great Subaru all-wheel drive function and really good ground clearance on it.

 

[LilyWDW]

I love my Subaru Forester. It has made me pretty darn loyal to the brand.

 

[EvilDrPorkchop21]

Love my CX-5

 

[loves to dive]

I have a 2016 Nissan Rouge and love it. I had a Chevy HHR, which I also loved but it was starting to have problems and since they no longer make them, I knew parts were going to become an issue. I like the crossovers because a regular sized SUV is just a tad bigger than I want but I'm not a sedan fan because I do like to be able to put the seats down and haul crap. I have no need for a van, my kid is grown. I looked at all the ratings for crossovers when I bought mine and the Rav4 and Nissan were both highly rated and I could have gone either way but frankly, the dealers in both my town and Atlanta were creeps. I looked at the Honda and just didn't like the looks of it, looked kind of like soccer mom, I went by the lot for the Kia but couldn't get anyone to actually come out and show me the car because it was cold and raining. I would have looked in Atlanta but when I compared apples to apples as far as price and what you get, it wasn't worth the effort. I also took into consideration the fact if I couldn't get someone at my local dealer to show me the car, how was the service going to be? I did not want to drive 100 miles down the road every time I had to get something done to it.

 

[Klayfish]

I did end up liking the Hyundai Sonata over the Kia Optima (sedans) but it was not by much.

No surprise you liked them almost equally. They're sisters. Built on the same platform with a ton of shared components. Hyundai and Kia put their individual "window dressing" on each, but they're the same DNA.

 

[mousefanmichelle]

I love my Subaru Forester. It has made me pretty darn loyal to the brand.

Why do you love it? My dh and I are looking at either the Forester or the Outback but they both look so small to me and I am not sure I want one. The plus side on them is that they get better gas mileage than a mini van or my car.

 

[Trixie Belden]

I am on my second Nissan Rogue and love them. I will say however, that now that my son is 13 and almost 6 feet tall, the back seat is a bit cramped for him on road trips and if I take more than one of his friends with us somewhere (and they both have to sit in the back).We use my husband's Honda Pilot now for longer trips so my son can spread out more. For normal around the town driving it's great, I get 33 mpg in town and I think it's the best looking crossover body style. It drives just like a car but now I'm so used to sitting up higher that when I do drive a sedan I feel like I'm sitting on the ground. I've driven my mom's CR-V and really hated it. I thought the dashboard setup was awkward and it just felt big and boxy to me.

 

[Kirby]

I'm on my second Chevy Equinox and love it. DH had a GMC Terrain and also loved it, but it was virtually the same car. The Terrain has a few more bells and whistles being a GMC, but to me it wasn't worth the price difference. But with the Equinox, I get great gas mileage and love the space it has.

We are on our second Equinox also and really enjoy driving it. My husband is 6'4" and there is plenty of room for him even in the back seat. My son who is 6'2" has plenty of room sitting in the back seat behind my husband when he is driving. That's one of the reasons I like it, back seat leg space.

 

[Christine]

No surprise you liked them almost equally. They're sisters. Built on the same platform with a ton of shared components. Hyundai and Kia put their individual "window dressing" on each, but they're the same DNA.

I drove both and I preferred the dashboard "height" on the Sonata. The seat was more comfortable on the Optima though.

 

[Christine]

Why do you love it? My dh and I are looking at either the Forester or the Outback but they both look so small to me and I am not sure I want one. The plus side on them is that they get better gas mileage than a mini van or my car.

We have the new Outback and really are loving it. Gas mileage is good for that size. The Outback feels very large inside to me but I don't know what you are comparing it to.

 

[Hikergirl]

We are on our second Equinox also and really enjoy driving it. My husband is 6'4" and there is plenty of room for him even in the back seat. My son who is 6'2" has plenty of room sitting in the back seat behind my husband when he is driving. That's one of the reasons I like it, back seat leg space.

LOL, its funny how differently people see things. We felt the Equinox was too small for us, my dh who isn't as tall as yours felt cramped in it.

 

[ImDMous]

We had a Santa Fe before they redesigned them and made them bigger and I loved it. We have a Tuscon now and while I am perfectly happy with it, we might go back to a Santa Fe after this. I just liked the extra features they put in it like air conditioning vents and power outlets in the back seats, etc. It made it better for camping and more comfortable for whoever was in the back seat.

 

[BigRed321]

My wife loves her new 2016 honda pilot.. She did have a honda accord and thought the pilot would be too big... But she loves the pilot.. Handles and drives like a car..

 

[LilyWDW]

Why do you love it? My dh and I are looking at either the Forester or the Outback but they both look so small to me and I am not sure I want one. The plus side on them is that they get better gas mileage than a mini van or my car.

My gas mileage has been great plus it has a wonderful safety rating. It rides very smooth, much better then similar vehicles I test drove while looking. It has more then enough cargo space for me and the back seats fold down nice and flat if more is needed. I also love having the all wheel drive all the time.