Best small SUV under 15k?

[Shagnasty]

@Mdcastle

I own a 2009 RAV 4 that I’m pretty happy with.

• New models came out in 06, and 13 and is coming for 19 with a minor refresh in 09 and 16. Major changes for 13 for were better audio options, fake leather on the dash, loosing the option for 3rd row seats (they really want you to buy a Highlander for that), the full sized spare on back becomes a donut inside, standard allow wheels, less nice gauges and taillights, a lot of different exterior colors, better auto climate control layout (the 12 and earlier is a mess) and removal of some features like hill hold assist (which was added back later). IMHO the 16 refresh looks a lot nicer, they fixed some of the things they broke with the new 13 model like non-ugly tail-lights and putting back a real temperature gauge

• Up to 12 interior colors were only light grey or tan on the Base and Limited, both of which show dirt horribly. The Sport, with it’s rougher suspension and standard tinted glass, alloy wheels, and fog lights had an option for charcoal.

• Up to 12 they had an optional V6, which was uncommon in the class and dropping a mid-sized V6 in a smallish vehicle making it an absolute speed rocket.

• Up to 12 even at the highest trim level (Limited) a lot of things were still options like leather, nav, and the sunroof. Limited only came standard with a different grill, auto climate control, tinted glass, alloy wheels, and the fog lights. The audio systems were not great and you couldn’t get both premium audio and Nav.

• I actually wish the ride were more like a real SUV, but it feels like the big car that it is. Most people will find this as a feature, rather than a bug.

• Newer models have more of the electronic safety features like lane departure warning as options or standard.

• The V6 had a tendancy to have water pump failures which required pulling the engine to replace and could lead to engine failures due to overheating. It was (mostly) fixed as a running production change in 10 although there’s still sporadic reports

• The I4 up to 08 had a defect in the piston rings where it would tend to drink vast quantities of oil around 75K to 100K miles. Some of them Toyota was nice enough to fix, but I’d avoid any I4 before 09 when they started using a completely different, much better engine.

• Up to 12 daytime running lights were a $40 option but all the wiring and relays are there, it’s an “enable/ disable” setting in the computer that a Toyota dealer can reprogram if you ask nice.

• It’s obvious that they reused a lot of random Toyota parts inside. The gauges light up white while everything else lights up amber and the manual climate controls are exactly the same as my sister’s Corolla.

Overall I wish it was my old Jeep Grand Cherokee in look and feel, I’m glad it’s a Toyota in terms of reliability and it fits my needs if it’s not the most flashy. It’s big enough in back to hold my bicycle or me taking a nap. I have the “Black Forest Pearl” which is an uncommon color and is a beautiful dark green that shines in the sun and looks different under different light. I personally also like black and the slate blue on these.

I have a 2010 RAV4 Sport with a V6 engine. It is very fast for that class of vehicle and can do just about anything. Mine has 168,000+ miles on it and I keep thinking about getting a new vehicle but there is nothing really wrong with it. I live in New England and it has good snow performance too. Mountain roads aren’t an issue at all either. The only issues I have had are with the brakes but they were pretty cheap to fix. The engine and transmission run at least as smoothly as the day I got it and I can beat old muscle cars in a drag race. There should be some of those around for well less than 15K in good condition and low miles but Toyota stopped making the V6 version years ago for some reason.

[TruCelt]

I am very happy with my 2007 CRV. The design has changed substantially since then though, I think the newer ones are smaller inside, and given how much smaller the windows are, the visibility has to be even worse, which is my one complaint. When I was shopping for used ones, every car I saw had rear quarter panel damage. The blind spots on the back windows were the same ones on the backup camera. :smack:

Otherwise though, it’s luxuriously comfortable and quite reliable. I bought it two years ago with (i think?) 86k miles on it. I haven’t had a single problem.

Caveat emptor and all that.

[Hermitian]

@Tim_R.Mortiss

In the auto industry, “crossovers” are based on unibody (car-like) construction, and they do indeed tend to be smaller. True SUVs are based on a body-on-frame (truck-like) construction. Of course, salespeople and consumers tend to scramble the terminology a lot.

Well if that is true, “true SUVs” are getting rarer. Body on Frame is usually only on the largest of SUVs (Suburban, Tahoe, Expedition, 4Runner, etc.).

[Telemark]

@Hermitian

Well if that is true, “true SUVs” are getting rarer. Body on Frame is usually only on the largest of SUVs (Suburban, Tahoe, Expedition, 4Runner, etc.).

The article is interesting, and it lists all the body-on-frame SUVs left.

Should You Choose a Body-On-Frame SUV or a Car-Based Crossover?

[MikeG]

Sorry about the Highlander recommendation. I must place a higher value on quality and less on exciting.

[It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery]

If you liked your Vibe, the Toyota Matrix was made up until 2013. It’s the same car mechanically as the Vibe, although an updated model for both came out in 2009.

[Mdcastle]

@Shagnasty

I have a 2010 RAV4 Sport with a V6 engine. It is very fast for that class of vehicle and can do just about anything. Mine has 168,000+ miles on it and I keep thinking about getting a new vehicle but there is nothing really wrong with it. I live in New England and it has good snow performance too. Mountain roads aren’t an issue at all either. The only issues I have had are with the brakes but they were pretty cheap to fix. The engine and transmission run at least as smoothly as the day I got it and I can beat old muscle cars in a drag race. There should be some of those around for well less than 15K in good condition and low miles but Toyota stopped making the V6 version years ago for some reason.

The typical buyer of a RAV4 is a woman who cares about overall cost and fuel economy more than preformance. Less than 10% of buyers opted for the V6 and it was a chore fitting it into a compartment designed for an I4, so Toyota finally stopped bothering when the new model came out in 13

[Mdcastle]

@Scoobysnax

Interference engine - Wikipedia

Basically the pistons and valves occupy the same space within the cylinder at different times. The only thing that keeps them from hitting is the timing belt or chain. If the timing belt fails the piston will hit the valve and cause catastrophic engine damage. In a noninterference engine if the timing belt fails the car will simply stop running.

I guess my thinking is that if it’s a part, it can break. I don’t like think that essentially my entire car will be destroyed if a single chain breaks. Looking at this list about half the engines out there are non-interference, including all used in the RAV4

Know your engines: Interference and non – interference engines

For context, my father’s Neon timing belt was replaced on schedule but instead a bolt on a tensioner broke, leaving me stranded 500 miles from home for 5 days.

[P-man]

And the winner is…none of.the above. We decided to go with a mid-sized sedan and opted for a 2014 Hyundai Sonata.

[StGermain]

Two months ago I ended up with a 2012 Rav4 with 54K miles for $12,500. CR recommended, and that model year is in US News & World Reports top ten used SUVs to buy.

StG