My Honda Odyssey is dying a slow death, after 11 years of faithful service. (I got it when dd was still in a rear-facing car seat, and said I'd drive it in to the ground. Mission accomplished.)
Do you drive or have experience with some of the smaller SUVs or vans? I'd love to hear it.
I know a few things about what's next:
-I want a higher vehicle, high enough to be "medium-sized"--higher than a sedan but not as high as something like a Yukon or one of those giant pick ups.
-I don't need all the space of a van anymore (but if it's the best combination of things I want, I'm open for it).
-Visibility is important. I like lots of glass and good sight lines, and I hate those tiny angular windows that seem to be fashionable.
-I am cheap, but still biased against North American car builders.
-Life includes winter. Most cars seem to have better features for bad weather than they used to, and I know a good set of snow tires makes a difference, so I'm not particularly worried about that--but keeping it in mind. Actually, I think testing/buying in the winter isn't a bad idea, because you get to see the real performance in these conditions. (Like, will my feet freeze, or the windows not de-fog, or does it handle ok on snow and ice.)
For example, in the fall we looked at a Ford Escape, but the windows in the 2014 were too tiny for me to even bother driving it. We test-drove a new Odyssey but the level of options for the price was too basic; I like Toyota quality but it seems to be priced like Hondas. The smaller of the Hyundai SUVs looked ok, but again, the windows were pretty small (but acceptable). (And the names of the Hyundai's are all so similar there's no way I'm keeping them straight!)
I've heard that something like the Kia Rondo or Mazda 5 might meet my need, but I'm also still considering the smaller SUV choices. Looking at the total package, as I hope I can keep it as long as I have my Odyssey. I was thinking I might be able to get a (lightly) used Honda CRV, but apparently they hold their value too well for me to save much that way.
Happy to hear any input. Thanks!
