Looking for a small to midsized SUV

[ennazus]

Aurora63,

what do you plan on using/doing with it? What will be in it (meaning will you be hauling big heavy work items?) Will you use it for towing something? How many people will typically be in it?

 

[PrincessMom2002]

Can I jump in here too? My DH is 6'4". He is looking at a Honda CRV or Jeep Liberty. I don't know if these will seat him comfortably. Does anyone who owns one of these or another smaller SUV have problems with roominess for tall people? TIA!

 

[Erie Islands]

We have the Honda CR-V -my son is 5'11" and has trouble sitting in the front passenger...knees hit the glove compartment. We got it as a tow vehicle behind motorhome. We had a Toyota Sequoia (V-8) and wanted something smaller (besides needing a tow vehicle) and it's hard adjusting to the pick-up of a V-4. The Honda, IMO, also rides like a truck! Wish we had gotten the Toyota Rav or the Highlander.

 

[dbmarie]

We have an 06 Saturn Vue and we love it. We have four in our family and it is large enough for us. The cargo space does seem smaller then other SUVs but we have never had a problem with space.

 

[debster812]

Not sure what your needs are for room or people....but I LOVE my Subaru Forester. Rides like a car since built on a car chassis & not a truch chassis. Love the AWD. Feels better in snow than any vehicles I've ever had --and I'm always the one who goes into work no matter what I drove. I can stand bicycles up in the cargo area with front tires removed. We pack a ton of stuff into it. I've gotten 9 people into it.....not legally of course....but that's another story .

Lots of awards for years now.

My dad has hated anything I've ever owned if it wasn't a Chrysler product or a Nissan. He's been saying when he's in need of another veh, he's pretty sure it will be a Subaru Forester too. That time is almost here. Now THAT is a compliment / endorsement from my dad the mechanical/electrical engineer who picks EVERYTHING apart about how its built.

ITA with this. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE my Forrester. We're actually on our way to becoming a 2 Subaru family. When DH needs a new car, he's really considering a 4 Legacy Sedan. (We don't need the space of 2 Forresters).

 

[HOGFAN]

LOVE my Mazda Tribute. great warranty too.

 

[SillyMe]

I have a Kia Sorento. It's cheaper than most SUV's and doesn't have all the bells and whistles as most do, but I love it! It's VERY roomy and it's not bad on gas for an SUV.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We're a big Jeep family. DH and I have had 8 between us, all models with the exception of the new Commander. Currently I have a Liberty Limited and love it. It has three 4WD options and will always get me where I need to go.

As a nurse who works overnight I have to get to work in all kinds of weather, storms, unplowed roads, etc - have never had to miss work due to weather in over 20 years thanks to my Jeep. If they weren't reliable mechanically we'd have found something else by now, but we've had great luck with all of them (knock on wood). We have several 5 Star Jeep dealerships in our area so when we do have to service we are well taken care of, truly.

With all that said, if gas mileage is the most important thing to you, you should probably consider something else.

PrincessMom, my DH is 6' and is not comfortable driving my Liberty on long drives. His leg becomes numb. He never had this problem with his Grand Cherokee. I suggest your DH rent one for a day or ask if he can use one from the dealership for the day. I got a great deal on mine because a large man had traded it in at 8K because he was having trouble getting in and out of it. For smaller men I'm sure it's fine. Bigger men may have a problem. Good luck.

 

[Debi]

I drive a 2006 Hyundai Tucson, and I love, love, love it!! Very smooth ride, very comfy for a family of 4, and is okay on gas (19 city/22 highway). I highly reccomend it!

 

[DMickey28]

We have a Chrysler Pacifica and LOVE IT. IT has all the whistles and buzzers...it's awesome. Gas is decent. With five adults, loaded with luggage on the way to Disney last weekend we were averaging around 20 mpg.

 

[DMickey28]

I wanted to add my DH is 6'1" and a big athlete guy. He is very comfortable. His buddy is 6'4" and he comfortable in the middle row, as is my brother who is 6'2". The rear row is a little tighter but we have that down 99% of the time. The middle row seats also slide forward and back and are heated along with the front ones. Very comfortable.

 

[Pugdog007]

Love my Honda CRV! It has 120k miles on it and I've done nothing but change the oil every 8k miles or so (I know... bad!) But it's a very dependable and durable SUV, with lots of storage space but still drives like a small car. When it dies, I plan to buy a new one.

 

[Just2554]

Another vote here for a Honda CRV! I LOVE mine!

It's a very dependable car (as are all Hondas really) and has never given me a single problem. It's good on storage space and drives very smoothly. It does great on gas, at least in my opinion, and I'm a college kid, so it can't be that bad! I'd recommend one to anyone.

My mother has a Honda Pilot, which she absolutely loves. Lots of room, lots of storage space. It's a big car though, and is only okay on gas.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

 

[petrymom]

This summer when gas prices were threatening to hit $3.50/gallon, we decided to trade in our 2003 Chevy Tahoe for something a bit less expensive on gas.

I wondered about to different dealers and eventually chose a 2006 Ford Freestyle. It is a crossover vehicle. To me, it resembles a longer trailblazer. We get between 22-26 mpg. This is MUCH better than the 14-16 in the tahoe and this vehicle seats 7 with three rows of seats. I think that this vehicle has even more storage capacity than the tahoe.

It is available in AWD and FWD. We have the AWD version. I love it. Only draw back is if you are looking to tow something, it doesn't have a great tow capacity.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[sm4987]

We just brought a 2006 GMC Envoy EXL (extended length). I love it. I traded in my Nissan Quest for it. We love the room, the way it drives and the gas isn't bad. I recommend looking into it.

That being said, GMC does have a new crossover vehicle coming out this year the Arcadia and one for Saturn. Car based and it is supposed to have wonderful gas milage and it is a beautiful one too!

 

[I Love Pluto]

I have a 2003 Honda CR-V. I love it.
Hubby has a 2007 Saturn VUE we got last month. So far, it's a perfect winner. He's really enjoying the OnStar.

Good luck in your car search.

 

[princess pooh]

I love my Rav 4 . I just got back from a road trip with 4 adults and lots of luggage, and there was plenty of room for everyone.

 

[DisnyMama]

I have a 2003 Saturn Vue. This is my 2nd Saturn vehicle because I really like the way the company does business with their customers. I have always received great customer service treated with nothing but respect. I really like my Vue and I find the gas mileage to not be too bad.

 

[kaw1218]

We have a '04 Santa Fe... and love it!!!