if a family is looking for it, don't look for a SUV but a minivan or a wagon. oh wait you live in the USA...
Volkswagen anything, considering you are in america and want a SUV Tuareg or Tiguan depends on how "small suv" you want the suv to be.
Nissan Juke Subaru Outback Chevy Trax Kia Sportage Toyota Prius V (please no) Mazda CX 5 Honda CRV Ford Escape to name a few off hand.
When in doubt buy the biggest suv on the market. I would say a Toyota Highlander; the old Highlanders were awesome small SUVs. But they've gotten huge now and I assume you're looking to buy new.
I was doing a similar search for my family a few years ago and let me tell ya, there are not many new SUV's out there that compete with a Suburban in terms of ruggedness, comfort, space, and reliability all in one. In the end we went with a V6 Durango and it hasn't let us down since we bought it in 2012. Although I would consider the Durango a larger SUV (7 seater plus a enough cargo room for a full size cooler), we have a hard time getting below 30 MPG on the highway and 25 in town and the shorter wheelbase Grand Cherokee yields even better numbers. We use it to tow our boat around in the summer and it's one of the last remaining domestic SUV's (other than the GMT 900/K2XL) that offers a proper V8. For mid-size crossover SUV's I'd recommend the Chevrolet Equinox. The interior's a little more cramped than what I prefer personally but it can carry four adults easily without complaint. There's also the more luxurious GMC Terrain and Cadillac SRX variants that share the Equinox's Theta platform underpinnings but have more standard amenities. Other notable family haulers would be the Ford Explorer/Flex, Kia Sorento, and maybe the Toyota Highlander. I'd stay away from compact SUV's unless you want your friends questioning your sexual preferences (lookin' at you Buick Encore!). Another tip, don't cheap out on the standard four banger engines. Engines run more efficiently when paired with an appropriately sized vehicle, putting too much stress on your powertrain can result in mechanical problems down the road. Especially if you plan for this vehicle to last as long as your last one.
Nothing wrong with a CVT. Also the CVT is an optional extra, we all know stick is best (and standard in the forester)
not a bad choice, having been an ex-employee at Chevrolet as a sales person a few years back. One thing I can say is that you got it at the wrong time, as that body style has had ZERO modifications or real updates since late 2009/early 2010 when they came out. Only thing I was wondering was if you got the 2.4L 4 cyl or the 3.0V6? The V6 is the way to go, but I think you were looking for sub-30K range, which renders that V6 unobtainable. (there are very few V6's available, and as such they are usually loaded up or at least LT2 build trims). The Sportage would have been a strong contender. Has an amazing warranty, costs about 32 MAXED OUT with the 280HP 2.0T and honestly is one of the freshest looking small SUV's around. I also currently work at KIA, so no bias but anyway, congrats on the purchase for the family, the Eqx is certainly not a shabby car, the armrest storage hole is HUGE, the 2nd row seats have plenty of legroom with the adjustable fore/aft adjustments WITH lots of space to spare behind in the cargo area, and they DO drive rather quiet and confortable. Does it have the MyLink system? Get the MyLink app on your smartphone and impress your friends and family with the remote start and lock/unlock feature directly from ur phone. def a sweet option IMO. Something KIA has as well although not as polished. The UVO system is rather nice in our cars tho. Rant over, just wanted to type a lot, I am at work and I have been busting my ass with emails today lol
Am equinox is about the last thing I'd recommend. My mom has had a few as rental cars. Cheap pieces of shit. Terrible powertrain, terrible interior, terrible build quality in general, 3/10. To each his own I guess. Congrats on the new car, anyhow.
Predictably not available on the sports version, however, continuing the trend of manuals being restricted to low-line poverty specials and replaced with various forms of flappy shifter in any situation where the desire for manual control would originate from sportiness rather than fiscal responsibility.
how about a land rover discovery 1 or 2 or else range rover classic thrust wurhty nice handling and they are great offroad cars and steady build my dad has one for almost 8 years now amazing vehicle
I never thought I'd be agreeing with a Potato. Here comes my two cents... Having driven GM's Lambda-based CUVs (Equinox, Traverse, Acadia, etc) in rural areas, I would not recommend them to do a midsize SUV's job (like occasional towing, off-roading, etc). They are designed to be a "cool" minivan, and they are nothing more than that. It's a shame GM scrapped the GMT360/370-based SUVs for the current CUVs... From my experience, in comparison, the Lambdas feel gutless off the line, handle like an oversized car, get near identical mileage to the 4.2L I6 GMT360s/370s, and have no real 4WD option. Plus they are near impossible to work on- an engine swap requires removing the entire body. So basically you're guaranteed to be tied to the stealership or a refutable mechanic for major repairs. I would recommend a GMT360/370 1000 times over for anyone looking for a capable midsize SUV, not a minivan or CUV. My (pic related) GMT360 will be 13 years old this December and will still probably outlast the first generation of Lambdas. Moral of the story, you'll never see a stock Lambda doing this:
