Best city friendly SUV

[LuvOrlando]

So we have a nice car we got during quarantine. There was nothing available so we ended up with luxury out of necessity. Not that it hasn't been nice BUT I was broadsided while on my way to a Dr appointment in a city a few months back and the car has been MIA for 3 months while we have continued to pay for it. Seems the time to wait is absurd, taught me a very expensive lesson about the liabilities of fancy electronics. I am not really feeling the same sort of limited availability going forward BUT I am super grateful the car was able to absorb a complete T-bone and me walk away, so I don't really want to give up beefiness for safety. I am hoping a more common mid range would make it easier to get parts, is there such a vehicle?

Not sure if we are going to land in a city or near a beach next but I would like to pick a vehicle suitable for both because we hope this next vehicle will last a long time. Beachy means very sturdy and high score in the traction department, city means tight parking so short length. Before this accident I would have thought plain sedan but plainly it also needs to be able to take a massive hit from a kook who will cross 4 lanes across a double yellow line to broadside a car:/. I want very solid but not terribly long since parking in a city is easier. Arthritis is a serious consideration so seat cushioning is important too, I can't be in tears on a road trip.

Anyway, as I look I wonder what other people are driving that might be a good fit.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Toyota Highlander?

 

[tvguy]

Seems like every modern make of car these days suffers from being hard to get parts for. I follow a couple auto repair vloggers on YouTube and that is a common issue now. And they say it isn't really a supply chain issue anymore like it was in 2021-22. Automakers have made getting replacement parts more difficult in their opinion because they hope insurance companies will total out more cars and force people to buy new ones. Where they used to keep parts in warehouses, now they only manufacture replacement parts when they have so many orders for them.
Doesn't have to be that way. I have a 1965 Mustang and most parts I can pickup at the local Mustang parts store, and if they don't have the part, I can get it overnight from one of the national Mustang parts suppliers. Everything from a lug nut, to an entire body.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Seems like every modern make of car these days suffers from being hard to get parts for. I follow a couple auto repair vloggers on YouTube and that is a common issue now. And they say it isn't really a supply chain issue anymore like it was in 2021-22. Automakers have made getting replacement parts more difficult in their opinion because they hope insurance companies will total out more cars and force people to buy new ones. Where they used to keep parts in warehouses, now they only manufacture replacement parts when they have so many orders for them.
Doesn't have to be that way. I have a 1965 Mustang and most parts I can pickup at the local Mustang parts store, and if they don't have the part, I can get it overnight from one of the national Mustang parts suppliers. Everything from a lug nut, to an entire body.

That is a great point about wanting to have the vehicles totaled, it is in the car industries best interests to sell more. I also went to a dealer owned shop thinking, wrongly it would seem, that I would get better service.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Toyota Highlander?

I'll look at anything. For so long it was about safety for endless carpool driving kids around at all hours to random events, in random places in all weather, comfort meaning fitting the most humans and gear in a vehicle while raising kids. Now it is a pivot to safety, comfort means cushioned soft seating for aches lol and parking in that order parking because maybe city life is where I'm going or maybe not so versatility. Lifestyle pivot!

Seems there is a brand new category of compact SUV, never been in one since everyone I know still has their giant kid hauling SUVs.

 

[T.G.I.Friday]

It sounds like you want a small SUV that is safe and reliable with a touch of luxury. I would absolutely recommend an Acura RDX. Seems like it would check all of your boxes.

 

[VandVsmama]

Honda

 

[sam_gordon]

Toyota Rav4?

Unless you plan on actually driving on the beach, I don't see a special need for a "Beach" vehicle.

My family likes Toyotas and the Rav4 is a smaller type SUV, so I think it checks the boxes.

As far as totalling the vehicle, doesn't the insurance company decide that, based on cost to repair vs value? NOT because of availability of parts?

 

[amcnj]

As far as totalling the vehicle, doesn't the insurance company decide that, based on cost to repair vs value? NOT because of availability of parts?

Perhaps the lack of availability drives up the price of parts, thus affecting the repair cost?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I think it does mean she may drive on the beach.

And also

I don't really want to give up beefiness for safety.

 

[sam_gordon]

Perhaps the lack of availability drives up the price of parts, thus affecting the repair cost?

Maybe. But the comment was about making parts more difficult to get in order to get more totalled vehicles. You can do the same by just increasing cost for the parts.

 

[sam_gordon]

I think it does mean she may drive on the beach.

And also

Are there beaches you can still drive on?

 

[Southernmiss]

I have a 2022 Highlander. It would be too big to me for daily city maneuvering. I love Toyotas and would give a look at the Rav 4 which is smaller.

I have a niece who lives in New Orleans and has a Kia subcompact that she absolutely loves for how easy it is for her to drive in the City. It's either a Soul or Seltos.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Are there beaches you can still drive on?

Yes

 

[kdonnel]

As far as totalling the vehicle, doesn't the insurance company decide that, based on cost to repair vs value? NOT because of availability of parts?

My wife has a friend who bought a new KIA Soul. This happened about two years ago now so right in the middle of the Covid reopening.

The third day she owned the car she hit a deer. The damage was enough to make the car undrivable.

It quickly went to a body shop, an estimate was drawn up, and parts ordered.

Six months later the parts arrived.

By this point she was livid and had been waging a war with the dealership on social media. She was blaming the dealership for selling her a car that did not have parts availability. The dealerships lawyers were sending her cease and desist letters and demand letters that she take down her social media posts. It was not their fault that parts were hard to get.

She had been making payments for 6 months and had only been able to drive the car for 3 days. Her auto insurance rental coverage had expired after a month so she was having to pay to rent a car the past 5 months.

When the body shop started working on the car they found there were additional parts needed.

At this point the estimate still did not merit totalling the car but her insurance company did agree to go ahead and total the car since it was looking like another multi month wait.

So there is some leeway, but it is definitely the insurance companies decision.

 

[cvjw]

I drive a Honda Pilot. I have a transmission setting for sand, so seems like it would be fine for beach driving. It is also comfortable and safe. Might be a bigger SUV than what you want, so maybe look at the Honda CRV.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

This might be helpful:

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/advice/toyota-highlander-vs-toyota-rav4

 

[LuvOrlando]

My wife has a friend who bought a new KIA Soul. This happened about two years ago now so right in the middle of the Covid reopening.

The third day she owned the car she hit a deer. The damage was enough to make the car undrivable.

It quickly went to a body shop, an estimate was drawn up, and parts ordered.

Six months later the parts arrived.

By this point she was livid and had been waging a war with the dealership on social media. She was blaming the dealership for selling her a car that did not have parts availability. The dealerships lawyers were sending her cease and desist letters and demand letters that she take down her social media posts. It was not their fault that parts were hard to get.

She had been making payments for 6 months and had only been able to drive the car for 3 days. Her auto insurance rental coverage had expired after a month so she was having to pay to rent a car the past 5 months.

When the body shop started working on the car they found there were additional parts needed.

At this point the estimate still did not merit totalling the car but her insurance company did agree to go ahead and total the car since it was looking like another multi month wait.

So there is some leeway, but it is definitely the insurance companies decision.

On the surface it seems like she overreacted but insurance only covers a rental for 60 days if you have the coverage (well mine did but I didn't use it) so a person can end up paying a lot of money for a car they can't drive and then a rental too.

The other day I was struck by how devastating this would be for say, a single mom who does without to have the safest possible car for her family and needs a vehicle for work and to get kids around. At any rate, I'm annoyed at the lost money but ok, but the devastation it could cause to others is not lost on me. I'm not gonna rant but it'll go in a review, the dealer seems to slow walk it hitting the 3 month mark on the nose so maybe they get paid some kind of storage fee? Seems odd to hit the mark exactly.

If I was given an estimate I could have put the car on storage and saved insurance premiums :/

 

[sam_gordon]

My wife has a friend who bought a new KIA Soul. This happened about two years ago now so right in the middle of the Covid reopening.

The third day she owned the car she hit a deer. The damage was enough to make the car undrivable.

It quickly went to a body shop, an estimate was drawn up, and parts ordered.

Six months later the parts arrived.

By this point she was livid and had been waging a war with the dealership on social media. She was blaming the dealership for selling her a car that did not have parts availability. The dealerships lawyers were sending her cease and desist letters and demand letters that she take down her social media posts. It was not their fault that parts were hard to get.

She had been making payments for 6 months and had only been able to drive the car for 3 days. Her auto insurance rental coverage had expired after a month so she was having to pay to rent a car the past 5 months.

When the body shop started working on the car they found there were additional parts needed.

At this point the estimate still did not merit totalling the car but her insurance company did agree to go ahead and total the car since it was looking like another multi month wait.

So there is some leeway, but it is definitely the insurance companies decision.

Wouldn't the argument be with the insurance company regarding cutting off the rental after a month?

I wouldn't expect a dealership to know every parts availability for every car type they sell.

 

[kdonnel]

Wouldn't the argument be with the insurance company regarding cutting off the rental after a month?

I wouldn't expect a dealership to know every parts availability for every car type they sell.

I agree.

She should have been yelling daily at her insurance company and at the manufacturer.

Instead she waged war with the dealership on social media.