Automotive

What other CUVs should we be considering?

  • Last Updated:
  • Sep 2nd, 2020 4:11 pm
Tags:
Member
Jan 22, 2017
394 posts
252 upvotes
GTA

What other CUVs should we be considering?

Looking for a new CUV, non premium/luxury. My wife is very short and feels more comfortable in them. Initially this will be our only car so we both have to like it.

Test drove the Crosstrek, RAV4, and CX5.

Crosstrek: Disliked CVT, underpowered, crappy steering feel

RAV4: I enjoyed it but wife felt it was too big

CX5: My wife liked it the most, but I felt it was trying to be sporty when it truly isn't - for example the lack of side bolsters had me falling out of the seat when taking an on ramp.

My wife is very comfortable with a Rogue since she's familiar with it already as a previous family car but I'm hesitant based on CVT plus general Rogue hate.

Trying to avoid the CRV due to the oil dilution issue.

Are there any vehicles we should be considering? Or should I just go with a CX5 and call it a day.
46 replies
Deal Expert
Aug 22, 2011
41802 posts
30057 upvotes
Center of Universe
Hyundai Tucson
Kia Sportage
Deal Addict
May 30, 2012
4290 posts
2082 upvotes
BC
If you only need a car to drive from A to B with reliability and affordability, get Mitsubishi rvr or eclipse cross.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Apr 22, 2013
3039 posts
2516 upvotes
Markham
iownyou wrote: If you only need a car to drive from A to B with reliability and affordability, get Mitsubishi rvr or eclipse cross.
Those two are really awful. Even if they're were the most reliable and most affordable...I wouldn't want them or recommend them. Fuel economy on both massively disappoint hurting that affordability. Interior quality is industry worst. The RVR is cramped and a 10 year old design that's been forgotten about. Their infotainment sucked, no surprise as the RVR's stereo has historically been a joke. That's not even getting to how terrible they are to drive, especially the Eclipse Cross.

Mitsubishi is a bottom tier automaker. They showed promise more than a decade ago, but instead of at least fixing their actual problems, they got rid of anything one would like from a Mitsubishi and kept all the stuff nobody wanted. I'll put it this way, if a 10 year bumper to bumper warranty didn't incentivize people to buy them, what does that say about the product?
- Jegan V
Deal Addict
Oct 21, 2006
1085 posts
900 upvotes
op if your wife prefers smaller vehicles, then I would say the HR-V and CX-30 are prob worth test driving.
Deal Addict
May 30, 2012
4290 posts
2082 upvotes
BC
JeganV wrote: Those two are really awful. Even if they're were the most reliable and most affordable...I wouldn't want them or recommend them. Fuel economy on both massively disappoint hurting that affordability. Interior quality is industry worst. The RVR is cramped and a 10 year old design that's been forgotten about. Their infotainment sucked, no surprise as the RVR's stereo has historically been a joke. That's not even getting to how terrible they are to drive, especially the Eclipse Cross.

Mitsubishi is a bottom tier automaker. They showed promise more than a decade ago, but instead of at least fixing their actual problems, they got rid of anything one would like from a Mitsubishi and kept all the stuff nobody wanted. I'll put it this way, if a 10 year bumper to bumper warranty didn't incentivize people to buy them, what does that say about the product?
That's why I said if you only need a car to go from A to B. Mitsubishi makes excellent budget cars. They can be had way below MRSP, new or used. And they last....
Banned
Jun 4, 2020
1634 posts
1750 upvotes
Clarington, ON
Haven't driven the majority of these. Feedback on my experience. I am 6', my wife is 5'. We have a '14 Rogue AWD with 206K on it. I would replace with similar at this point.

Edit: Work vehicle is a '15 Equinox, 4 cyl, FWD. Someone else pays for it. I would not.
Member
Jan 22, 2017
394 posts
252 upvotes
GTA
KevinM56081 wrote: Haven't driven the majority of these. Feedback on my experience. I am 6', my wife is 5'. We have a '14 Rogue AWD with 206K on it. I would replace with similar at this point.

Edit: Work vehicle is a '15 Equinox, 4 cyl, FWD. Someone else pays for it. I would not.
Im assuming the Rogue hasn't given you much trouble? I believe this model had an issue with their control arms wearing prematurely?
Deal Guru
Dec 20, 2018
10135 posts
10248 upvotes
iownyou wrote: If you only need a car to drive from A to B with reliability and affordability, get Mitsubishi rvr or eclipse cross.
Anything Mitsubishi sells here are truly awful and not even that cheap except for materials.

Any Hyundai/Kia will be better bets for cheap transportation and I'll take Hyundai/Kia reliability over Mitsubishi
Newbie
Aug 10, 2020
8 posts
11 upvotes
I’m relatively new to RFD, but I’ve leased a 2019 CX-5 for 13 months now and I love it. Previously drove a Mazda 3 for 3.5 years which I didn’t like, mainly because my back and legs would be hurting after getting out of the car, although it wasn’t uncomfortable whilst driving. As an older female, I think the CX-5 drives beautifully, very comfortable for drives over 30 mins (I don’t go far) and less achy after. Truck space is great (I’ve been decluttering my home in order to sell my condo and got myself an off-site locker). My car’s features like CarPlay, keyless entry (omg so useful), power lift gate, auto hold, i-activsense etc all add to a great experience every time I drive it. The back up camera is also much better compared to the Mazda 3. They seem like bells and whistles but when you use them often, you start to think, how did I live without these features before!
Hope this helps.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Apr 3, 2007
2370 posts
1445 upvotes
Vancouver
Hyundai Kona and sister car Kia Seltos. Higher models have a peppy 1.6L turbo motor, can be had in AWD if that's what your after and 7speed dual clutch automatic transmission on higher models. Both drive pretty well for a CUV. Even though I'm not a fan of Korean cars but I'd seriously look at these two if I was in the market for this segment.
Banned
Jun 4, 2020
1634 posts
1750 upvotes
Clarington, ON
papermate2 wrote: Im assuming the Rogue hasn't given you much trouble? I believe this model had an issue with their control arms wearing prematurely?
Brakes, tires and fluids
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Jan 14, 2007
5522 posts
3051 upvotes
GTA
KIA Soul

Doesn't have all-wheel drive and I believe it is now a CVT, but it's really a great little package and relatively inexpensive to own.
Deal Guru
Sep 1, 2004
12900 posts
13102 upvotes
Dimension of RAV4 and Rogue are virtually identical. And RAV4 has shorter wheelbase. So I find it strange how RAV4 will feel huge and Rogue doesn't.
Member
User avatar
Nov 18, 2012
429 posts
476 upvotes
Oshawa
I am also looking for vehicle. The Mazda CX-5 seems like a very nice vehicle. I also looked at a Chevy Equinox while out Saturday kicking tires. The pricing was close on these two vehicles with the Equinox getting a slight edge comparing the LT version to the Mazda GS trim levels. . The CX-5 interior alone was much much nicer. I think the Chevy had a little more cargo room. I am in no rush and still looking for the best value out there for our needs. I am still hedging to the CX-5 though. I am a life long GM buyer, but no loyalty to them anymore since they pretty much all production is gone here in Oshawa. For me it's a two way street in that regard.
Public Mobile
Koodo
Freedom Mobile
Deal Addict
Feb 20, 2014
1264 posts
476 upvotes
Toronto
Xtrema wrote: Dimension of RAV4 and Rogue are virtually identical. And RAV4 has shorter wheelbase. So I find it strange how RAV4 will feel huge and Rogue doesn't.
I previously didn't understand this until I test drove an Ascent and CX-9 back-to-back. They are similar in size but the Ascent felt like a massive truck whereas the CX-9 felt like a much smaller car. I guess it's a combination of the vehicle, seating position, handling, etc.
Deal Addict
Mar 17, 2016
1731 posts
1779 upvotes
I'd probably go with CX-5

Check out Kia Seltos like others mentioned. It's a very peppy and good sized CUV. The only other option I can think of is Subaru Forester but it may seem a little too big to your wife.

Crosstrek just got the new 2.5 L option for certain trims. It's supposedly quite a bit quicker. Some YouTubers got it to go 0-60 on mid 7 seconds as opposed to the old 2.0 L which does it in 9 seconds.
Sr. Member
User avatar
Jul 29, 2019
909 posts
788 upvotes
Your wife seems to want a subcompact SUV (likes of Subaru Crosstrek, Honda HRV, etc) as it seems the compact SUV (likes of RAV4 and Subaru Forestor, etc) are too big. Given this, I think the Subaru Crosstrek is the best. It has the best CVT compared to other CVTs in existence (but you didn't like how it performed). In the subcompact SUV space, it has the highest ground clearance (8.7 inches) which offers a compact SUV height when driving (this sounds fairly important to your wife). You did mention you didn't like the 152 hp engine. Try the 182 hp engine that is in the Outdoor trim and Limited trim. Unsure of your budget so not sure if you are looking at the base or one up trims.

The 2021 Rogue should be out in the fall so if you want to consider that, then I think you should wait. Iirc, 95% of the engine is brand new. I heard many people who have no issues with Rogue's CVT but likewise, there are those who have issues. I guess you don't want the gamble with it.

Check out Hyundai Tuscon (smaller end of the compact segment), Hyundai Kona(subcompact), Kia Sportage (smaller end of the compact segment), Kia Seltos (subcompact), and Honda HRV (subcompact). You could also try the new 2021 Kia Sorento may be a good one.

With Mazda, their interior space is always smaller than their competitors so it makes sense that your wife doesn't think the CX-5 is too big despite it being a compact SUV. You may want to look at the CX-30 as an alternative. Mazda is also considered a premium brand with the likes of Buick which goes against what you are looking at in terms of brands but you don't seem to mind it. Mazda does tend to keep to the sporty feel.

Based on what you test drove so far the CX-5 seems to be the best compromise but given that the main thing for a car is the way it drives/feeling you get from the drive, you may not want the CX-5 as you drive it for longer with that sporty feel but it isn't a sports car. I suggest looking at the other cars I listed before making a final decision. Given the compromise and the new 2021 model cars coming out in the Fall, I suggest you don't rush and take the time to find what you both would like. If you don't like the 2021 model year cars, you could get a good deal on the outgoing 2020 model. This is a big purchase and your only car together so take all the time you need to consider and talk about the different cars and your compromise for each car. Don't rush it because you may be tired of looking, regret on such a big purchase is the worst thing you can get.
Deal Addict
May 30, 2012
4290 posts
2082 upvotes
BC
StatsGuy wrote: Anything Mitsubishi sells here are truly awful and not even that cheap except for materials.

Any Hyundai/Kia will be better bets for cheap transportation and I'll take Hyundai/Kia reliability over Mitsubishi
sure, take something less reliable for its reliability.
Member
Jan 22, 2017
394 posts
252 upvotes
GTA
I am wary of cylinder deactivation on the CX5 (GS and GT trims). The base GX trim does not have cylinder deactivation however it is missing a lot of the other features I've grown used to like keyless entry and climate control.

Top