Automotive

looking for small SUV and trusted reviews (Ended with RAV4)

  • Last Updated:
  • Jul 23rd, 2017 7:14 am
Newbie
Jan 3, 2017
25 posts
15 upvotes

looking for small SUV and trusted reviews (Ended with RAV4)

I'm looking for a SUV as newer, basing on reliability, comfort and quiet, average above in driving fun, planning keep it at least 5 years, so my list supposed as, RAV4, CX-5, Tucson, Santa Fe Sport, never considered Big 3, cheated VW and Mitsubishi, Nissan and Subaru due to reliability.

The sad thing is that I found there seems very hard to find a true review, I got totally disappointed by them from experts.

Why? I have read a lot of reviews about 2017/2016 Tucson, all said it got much more improvements, some even mentioned "quieter than CX-5", but after test drive, I found it's totally wrong by my personal experiences.

In Montreal, My wife and I test drove 2017 Tucson FWD (2.0 engine) and 2017 Santa Fe Sport FWD(2.4 engine)days before, it's ok but just ok for steering and suspension, the most serious issue is very noisy, the noise came not from tires, wind and ride, but also from rear side, it was sort of resonance noise, we could't bear it any more, it made me very tired for just 25 minutes drving including highway and back road.

The Santa Fe Sport was much more better than Tucson, more comfortable and quiet, without any resonance noise, but I would not go for it cause I would not drive it anymore.

In 2016, Tucson was sold around 24K vs Rav4 50K, so it is obviously something went wrong in my experiences, I doubted if the demo one was in it's best condition or got proper tuning and adjustment, or maybe the fact is the 2016/2017 Tucson is really noisy and people bought it just for value of price.

For 2016 CX-5 GS, we found it significantly quiet and comfortable than Tucson and Santa Fe Sport, full of driving fun, of course.

We test drove Rav4 also, perceptible more but not too much quiet and comfortable than CX-5, but once again, did not like expert's reviews, for steering and ride quality, it was only little bit of inferior than CX-5, definitely not boring to me.

Finally, where I could find the real and trusted reviews from users rather than experts? I googled but not too much returned.

It could be personal just like hotel's review, it does not matter, I could take them.

--------------updates----2017 May--------
Ended with RAV4, and received it now, waited 2 weeks after small deposit, very quiet and comfortable, suspension is more sporty than expected, easy to drive but less precise in direction, totally only little bit of inferior than CX-5, definitely not boring as feeling in test drove, you could not get wrong with it if you are heading towards of quiet and comfortable direction, besides more room for rear passengers and cargo than CX-5, definitely not regret my choice.
Last edited by hifa5522 on Mar 26th, 2017 1:45 am, edited 2 times in total.
27 replies
Sr. Member
Sep 4, 2016
680 posts
338 upvotes
What aspect of your driving conditions mix requires an SUV?
Member
Jul 7, 2012
291 posts
55 upvotes
Kanata
invite wrote: What aspect of your driving conditions mix requires an SUV?
Maybe sadly just from what the market has to offer...

More seriously, when it comes to comfort level (very subjective), the best option is what OP has done: test drive.
Sr. Member
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May 21, 2013
833 posts
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Montreal
CRV or RAV4, they have been around forever and clients always come back to get another one. When it comes to judging a car or advising someone to buy one, look at a companys track record when it comes to consumer loyalty.
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Apr 22, 2013
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hifa5522 wrote: Finally, where I could find the real and trusted reviews from users rather than experts? I googled but not too much returned.

It could be personal just like hotel's review, it does not matter, I could take them.
Based on what you're saying...there will be no review that you're going to truly like unless that reviewer has reviewing criteria you find lots of common ground. Your best way of reviewing the cars is truthfully to test drive them. All car reviews written are based on subjective criteria and opinions, even the same site reviewing the same car by 2 different authors will often come to different conclusions. Even very popular car reviewers like Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May from the Grand Tour, its not often they agree each other and they even noted back in their Top Gear days there weren't many cars all 3 agreed they liked. Even someone like myself who's driven a ton of these cars, you're probably going to find things that either I missed or disagree with what I consider important. For instance I'm probably one of the worst people to ask about a car's head room, I'm rather short so almost no car's head room ever bothers me. Yet even when a car's head room does bother me like a Mitsubishi Galant, it may not be a valid criticism to you because I have to sit further up but because of the car's windshield curve only someone my size would encounter this problem and someone taller wouldn't notice.

Only you are the best judge for what's best for you. Every review needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
ksimms3 wrote: CRV or RAV4, they have been around forever and clients always come back to get another one. When it comes to judging a car or advising someone to buy one, look at a companys track record when it comes to consumer loyalty.
I absolutely disagree with this way of picking cars. If one followed this way of buying cars back in the day, we'd all be driving American cars because back in the 1980s American automakers had the highest consumer loyalty and commanded the highest resale value. The assumption before the 1980s were that Japanese cars were terrible would rust so quickly indicating poor quality. Even though objectively, while they did rust badly due to the type of steel Japan used, they were actually high quality vehicles. If people didn't buck the trend and merely stayed loyal, all they'd end up with is poorly engineered cars that were actually terrible because they kept the old assumption cars from Japan were still terrible and remained loyal for that reason. Heck technically, even to this day theoretically we should be buying American vehicles because their track record in keeping their pickup truck customer's loyalty exceeds everyone else. All brands, not just automakers, want blind loyalty and if you blindly give it to them you've given them free reign to screw yourself as a consumer. If anything treat companies like you would a politician, force them to keep their brand's promises and if they fail, replace them for someone else with better promises. If Toyota and Honda aren't giving you what you want, why do you have any obligation to buy from them? Just because lots of people buy them?
- Jegan V
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Dec 23, 2003
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Toronto
I find that in the compact SUV market, most vehicles are not going to be quiet as they are a level below the mid size tiers. In your example, the Santa Fe is a step above the Tucson and this will add improvements to the ride/quietness, etc.

My suggestion would be to find a mid level vehicle than a lower end car with all the bells and whistles. For example, I would rather go with a Highlander vs. Rav 4. In terms of reviews, EVERY reviewer will focus on attributes that are important to them. Some will put handling, acceleration over reliability and quietness. Car and Driver for example, focuses more on the performance of the vehicle as its target market are readers who share the same view. In my experience, the reviews from Consumer Reports appear to strike a balance and they seem to tell it as it is if a vehicle performance is avg, or if the reliability is good.

As you are specifically looking for a small SUV, I would do the following:

step 1: Look at the sales of the suv's in Canada and use that as a guide to what people are buying vs. the BS marketing the sales guy like to toss at you: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2017/03/ca ... 7-ytd.html

step 2: Pick out the top 5 vehicles you are interested in based on price/style, etc. For me, I rank reliability very high on my list and means the Rav4, the CRV, the Subaru Forrester, and Mazda CX5 on my list.

step 3: If you have a Toronto Public Library membership, you can access the consumer reports site for free and get the video reviews for these vehicles, as well as reliability and other costs. The link is: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/sear ... er+reports

step 4: Once you have selected the vehicles that meet your needs, take a test drive. If you like a vehicle, look at renting it for a weekend. Yes, It will cost you some money to do this, but I would rather spend $100 to properly evaluate a vehicle than do a 20 min test drive, and spend $35K on something that I may not like.

step 5: If you know someone who is driving the vehicle you are considering, talk to them to see what they think. It may be good or biased but consider it as another data point for info.

Lastly, once you have done your due diligence and decided what you like, don't go overboard on finding reviews on the vehicle and getting miffed that they didn't agree with your assessment. I can say that EVERY car will have good and bad and if you want to find all perfect reviews, you will never buy anything in life (cars, appliances, clothes, etc.).
Sr. Member
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May 21, 2013
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Montreal
JeganV wrote: Based on what you're saying...there will be no review that you're going to truly like unless that reviewer has reviewing criteria you find lots of common ground. Your best way of reviewing the cars is truthfully to test drive them. All car reviews written are based on subjective criteria and opinions, even the same site reviewing the same car by 2 different authors will often come to different conclusions. Even very popular car reviewers like Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May from the Grand Tour, its not often they agree each other and they even noted back in their Top Gear days there weren't many cars all 3 agreed they liked. Even someone like myself who's driven a ton of these cars, you're probably going to find things that either I missed or disagree with what I consider important. For instance I'm probably one of the worst people to ask about a car's head room, I'm rather short so almost no car's head room ever bothers me. Yet even when a car's head room does bother me like a Mitsubishi Galant, it may not be a valid criticism to you because I have to sit further up but because of the car's windshield curve only someone my size would encounter this problem and someone taller wouldn't notice.

Only you are the best judge for what's best for you. Every review needs to be taken with a grain of salt.


I absolutely disagree with this way of picking cars. If one followed this way of buying cars back in the day, we'd all be driving American cars because back in the 1980s American automakers had the highest consumer loyalty and commanded the highest resale value. The assumption before the 1980s were that Japanese cars were terrible would rust so quickly indicating poor quality. Even though objectively, while they did rust badly due to the type of steel Japan used, they were actually high quality vehicles. If people didn't buck the trend and merely stayed loyal, all they'd end up with is poorly engineered cars that were actually terrible because they kept the old assumption cars from Japan were still terrible and remained loyal for that reason. Heck technically, even to this day theoretically we should be buying American vehicles because their track record in keeping their pickup truck customer's loyalty exceeds everyone else. All brands, not just automakers, want blind loyalty and if you blindly give it to them you've given them free reign to screw yourself as a consumer. If anything treat companies like you would a politician, force them to keep their brand's promises and if they fail, replace them for someone else with better promises. If Toyota and Honda aren't giving you what you want, why do you have any obligation to buy from them? Just because lots of people buy them?
I'm not saying pre 80's, I'm talking about the CRV and Rav4 specifically. People that buy those two SUVs tend to stay with them because of their track record. When a new consumer comes into the fold for that market, it's easy for them to notice that they have a good reputation since they have been around for so long. Meanwhile when you look at a CX5 or a Tuscon or pretty much any American SUV, there isn't much to go on besides the current car magazine review. It says something when you still see 1994 CRV and Rav 4s still motoring around the city.
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Jan 23, 2006
1805 posts
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Toronto
ksimms3 wrote: I'm not saying pre 80's, I'm talking about the CRV and Rav4 specifically. People that buy those two SUVs tend to stay with them because of their track record. When a new consumer comes into the fold for that market, it's easy for them to notice that they have a good reputation since they have been around for so long. Meanwhile when you look at a CX5 or a Tuscon or pretty much any American SUV, there isn't much to go on besides the current car magazine review. It says something when you still see 1994 CRV and Rav 4s still motoring around the city.
So are you saying you're a Honda or Toyota fanboy? Because I'm surely a Mazda, Hyundai fanboy...
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Apr 22, 2013
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ksimms3 wrote: I'm not saying pre 80's, I'm talking about the CRV and Rav4 specifically. People that buy those two SUVs tend to stay with them because of their track record. When a new consumer comes into the fold for that market, it's easy for them to notice that they have a good reputation since they have been around for so long. Meanwhile when you look at a CX5 or a Tuscon or pretty much any American SUV, there isn't much to go on besides the current car magazine review. It says something when you still see 1994 CRV and Rav 4s still motoring around the city.
I only used the pre 80s as an example of your logic and why its flawed. As I noted based on that, even for today we should still be driving American cars instead because back then they had the loyalty and the history. What other people are buying may not be in your best interest and that's why I have a problem with you proposing someone just blindly go with the flow. Even the vehicle's name being around for a long time isn't a good indicator...for SUVs the Ford Explorer has one of the oldest names much older than CRV and RAV4...does that mean we should buy that? Also using old cars you see on the street is also not a good reason, I still see Chrysler K-cars running and some of the old 80s American barges by GM, should I therefore assume that the Americans make the best cars? You don't know whether they're merely low mileage examples, or that a ton of money was dumped into them or they're legitimately that good. Another flaw with that way of thinking is the old 1990s RAV4 is nothing like its modern counterpart. Doesn't use the same engine, suspension, chassis, body, technology, etc. Literally nothing in common except its name...and you're expecting someone to get the same results from a 2017 RAV4?
- Jegan V
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Sep 21, 2004
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You should try 2017 Subaru Forester where one of the new improvement is sound deadening glasses.

I trust Consumer Reports over anything else, especially JD Power. Older subie has oil burning and head gasket issues but these have been fixed in the newer generation CVT model.

You are doing yourself a disservice for not even trying out the Forester.
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indca wrote: So are you saying you're a Honda or Toyota fanboy? Because I'm surely a Mazda, Hyundai fanboy...
That's your loss if you're a fan boy of that brand.
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May 21, 2015
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JD Powers is a marketing agency. They have no track, no testing equipment, nothing, so their opinion means nothing. They make money selling tacky awards. And what the heck does "first in initial quality" mean anyways? Nothing.

Consumer Reports is as far as I know the only reviewer that actually has a state of the art 370 acre test track and experts on everything vehicle related. They do NOT accept test cars from dealers or manufacturers like auto journalists and other magazines do. They actually purchase their test vehicles (60 to 70 per year) anonymously from a dealership just like you would. And their reviews are also based on actual owners of the vehicles who are paid magazine subscribers.. not just anyone putting in their 2 cents for free trying to diss a product like on here.

I trust their opinion more than any other source. The top rated small SUV for reliability and owner satisfaction being the Forester followed by the Rav. the CRV is down the list a bit. .Doesn't mean it's a p.o.s. just that it didn't score as highly for various reasons that may not even bother you,, still a good small suv. Regardless if you don't like the look of one or one or the other has something you like the other doesn't, you can hardly go wrong buying any of their recommended suv's. It's a personal choice and your money after all.
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Jun 8, 2003
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I would choose Forester, CRV or RAV4, 2017 model that is. Test drive all 3 and find the one you like. It isn't a difficult task.
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Jul 5, 2001
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The 2017 CX-5 added a lot of features that were not available in previous gen:

- power lift gate
- heated rear seats
- vents for the back
- rear heater ducts
- heated steering wheel
Jr. Member
Feb 1, 2017
166 posts
141 upvotes
Why do people always ask others what car they should buy? I don't get it.

You can read and watch dozens of reviews, but at the end of the day they're just opinions of that specific reviewer. Your own opinion may differ. Go out and test drive them all and make your own decision based on first hand experience. It's your money!
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Beneful1 wrote: JD Powers is a marketing agency. They have no track, no testing equipment, nothing, so their opinion means nothing. They make money selling tacky awards. And what the heck does "first in initial quality" mean anyways? Nothing.
Initially it is okay but after that it's just a piece of crap. Face With Tears Of Joy

Newbie
Jan 3, 2017
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considering my drive pattern is a lot of short distance, it is not good for turbo engine, besides, Honda CVT seems not very reiliable

cec4111 wrote:

Did you try 2017 CRV?
Newbie
Jan 3, 2017
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you are right, but I delete it from my list cause potential issue of reliability, you know, kind of this issue maybe occurs again like Audi., btw, in Canada, Subaru is much more expensive, I am not an enthusiast of driving, so just skip it.

b166er1337 wrote: You should try 2017 Subaru Forester where one of the new improvement is sound deadening glasses.

I trust Consumer Reports over anything else, especially JD Power. Older subie has oil burning and head gasket issues but these have been fixed in the newer generation CVT model.

You are doing yourself a disservice for not even trying out the Forester.

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