Hyundai Kona vs Ford Ecosport

Neither, I've driven both and both aren't very good but the Ecosport is especially lousy, absolutely don't buy it. Ecosport has one of the stupidest tailgate doors of any SUV or truck I've ever experienced, I needed a youtube video to figure it out and still not really get it and I say this as someone who's driven at least a hundred of different car models, I stopped counting. The 2.0L engine is insufficient in moving a Ecosport, the auto transmission is ho hum, it doesn't handle well, and the absolute worst thing about the Ecosport...it makes you look like a berk, its a awful looking car. You'll want the paperbag over your head in this one. I genuinely think its the worst in its class...and its a bad class.

Kona is unspectacular especially if you get the NA 2.0L engine and I didn't like how it rode, its pretty harsh. It gets considerably faster with the 1.6L turbo and starts coming with a lot of features, but now its very expensive. Seriously the Kia Seltos is just a Kona that's slightly better.

Unfortunately the subcompact CUV class is pretty dreadful, I genuinely don't think there's a good one in the entire class. If I was forced to choose the HR-V is the least flawed, but its very expensive...which is a massive flaw...why buy a HR-V AWD when a Subaru Forester costs the same and the AWD there is standard? The Mazda CX-3 drives fine but its unbelievably impractical as those back seats are for show, and its still expensive.

pallidman wrote: ↑ Thoughts on the Chev Trax?

Yep, and its not good at all, almost as bad as a Ecosport. Fuel economy is among the stronger of the class but still rather poor overall. Trax has been downgraded as the years go by, now there's only LS or LT and they're pretty poverty level especially LS, so the interior is pretty nasty and I say this having experienced the top trim Premier from 2020 and its still not good. As for the drive, that 1.4L Turbo engine is extremely unhappy driving above 50 km/h, you pretty much have to mash the accelerator to move it beyond this. Doesn't corner well at all and not great on bumps either. Another don't buy.

I wasn't lying when I said its a awful class of cars.

pallidman wrote: ↑ Thanks. Any cons for the Crosstrek or Suburus in general?

Impreza is a decent car, comfortable, fairly spacious and very safe. Its got a good AWD system as well. The only possible minuses, the 2.0L is not fast very leisurely, the CVT is love or hate, if getting the 5-speed manual its a bit archaic why is it not 6-speed...I don't know, and the fuel economy vs similar cars is not as brilliant but AWD is the main reason why. Price on this is actually fair and barely a difference in price between sedan and hatch.

Crosstrek is the same vehicle as a Impreza hatch just lifted making it a bit slower, heavier, less agile, more expensive, etc. If getting a manual, it does have the 6-speed but only for the 2.0L engine, I heard this transmission is better than the 5 in the Impreza. You can have the 2.5L in Crosstrek, this should be an adequate engine now though.

Between the two, if you're not doing any light off-roading, the Impreza is the sensible choice and has always been the de facto AWD compact car. If you do need the ground clearance of the Crosstrek then you already knew why you chose it.

A constant Subaru problem is inventory has always been very tight for the past few years. One of the few automakers who can't build enough units to satisfy demand. So be prepared for difficulty in getting a new Subaru more than normal.

I was going to come in and provide a piece on how incredibly terrible the EcoSport is. It's like Ford went out of its way to do something terrible.

But I see many have done the job already on voicing caution.