The Escape doesn’t do well enough in gas milage. There is 4 cyl manual that does pretty well, but all I see for sale is the 6 cyl automatic.
My mom has a Saturn Vue. Comfortable and everything, but seems like there are a LOT of blind spots in that car. Might just be with all SUVs but driving that car can be a pain, hard to see.
I’ve owned a 2003 CR-V and I presently own a 2008 Saturn Vue. I liked both vehicles, but like the handling of the Vue much better, especially in snow. I looked at a 2006 CR-V EX when the new styling came out, but passed on it, as it seemed that they skimped on the interior finishes. It seemed like a lot of cheap plastic with little effort to disguise it. My 2003 CR-V was roomy and had lots of options, but the seats were not all that comfortable on longer drives. After about 50 miles, my back would start to ache.
I bought the 2008 Vue (restyled for 2008) because I need a vehicle that I can flat-tow behind my RV, and this fits the bill. The vehicle handles very well, as noted before, with very little sway and none of that wallowing that you tend to get with other GM SUVs. The interior is nicely laid out and is roomy: the rear seats fold forward and we brought home a 9 ft. Christmas tree yesterday with very little hanging out the back. The stereo is decent, but I wish it had a 6-CD player. It does have a jack for connecting an iPod, however. It comes with a year of free Onstar, and is set up for XM Radio.
I owned a Corolla years ago (1992?) and it gave me good service, but you pay top dollar for very little in the way of options, compared to a Honda Accord, which I’ve also owned. At least this was true in the older versions.
I would avoid Nissan products just based on what I’ve heard from owners.
What about the hybrid? My husband’s 2005 Escape hybrid gets about 26/29 MPG (depending on season; better gas mileage in summer. I hear they get even better mileage now) and has been a great buy so far. He’s really satisfied with it, anyway. The hybrid’s a 4 cylinder, but with the extra torque and power of the second electric engine, it’s supposedly equal to their V6 engine.
We have a 2003 RAV-4, and for our next car (once the Rodeo dies) we are going to looking at the newer model (longer) RAV-4. Love the Toyota, only drawback was lack of good storage for CDs, but with iPod/MP3 ports, now, not a problem. As for hating Toyota dealers, I can add another anectdotal data point to that, but we would look to CarMax for a two to three year old model next time anyway. With the 4 cylinder manual I was getting 27 mpg (lower these days) and had enough pep to elicit comments from passengers
The new Escape actually got worse in breaking, for some weird Ford marketing or style reason.
My 2000 Corolla is brilliant basic transportation. Not at all luxurious, mind you, but surprisingly swift (for an economy car). It gets 31 MPG on a daily combined expressway/local commute, this is with an automatic transmission and my incorrigible lead foot. Never had any mechanical problems with it either and the paint has help up well. Plus I bought it for about $7500 at 3 years old and 35000 miles. Of course, it is kind of a stripper-roll up windows, no power anything.
I had the misfortune of driving both a Saturn Vue and an Ion on a recent trip. Do not want! In addition to an oil leak, the nearly new Vue just seemed too big on the outside compared to it’s interior size. Every time I passed another car on a 2 lane road or tried to park, the perceived bulkiness made me wonder why I wouldn’t just get a sedan instead. It was nicely appointed inside, however, if you are looking for plushness.
The Ion was just horrible. It felt cheap. The plasticky, rattly interior reminded me of my old Ford Tempo, oly less soft. Bad fit and finish inside and out, a wheezy, underpowered engine, and bad brakes. Also, it seemed like the designers went out of their way to do things differently instead of better. The center-mounted instrument cluster, for example. Extra added bonus-the underside of the ‘shelf’ at the back of the car (ie. the front ceiling of the trunk) has spikes on it that will impale any luggage you stack too high.
I’m not sure if you are interested, but I’ve found recent model Hyundai Elantras and Sonatas to be really well made overall and surprisingly nice inside.
I learned the work-around for that. Contact several dealers, listing what you want and that you are “buying one within the week”. That sets them at each other’s throats. I did that with a 4-Runner and had dealers begging me to buy their vehicle. When my son totalled it 9 months later, the insurance company payout was $3k more than what I owed on it.
For subie I would prefer the Legacy GT wagon - closer to the ground and better cornering, other than that I second everything said here. The only car I would prefer is Audis RS6 Avante - A V10 lambo derived engine in a “family car” body, four wheel drive and load lugging capability (and I saw one as a F1 pace car), that’s goitta be good times
I drove a 2009 Toyota Matrix Friday.
Anybody have any experience with the Santa Fe?
We just got a 2008 Nissan Rogue, but considered most of the crossover options on your list.
Toyota Rav4 - Ruled it out right away. Just not crazy about how it looks and didn’t like the spare tire on the back. Was told by a Honda dealer that they moved away from that design because they get stolen and because in a rear-end accident the impact on the tire can cause more damage than if it wasn’t there. We also didn’t like the side-opening gate.
Honda CRV - Liked it, but just liked the Rogue better. Would have paid more for pretty much equal accessories/options.
Forester - Liked it too, but not crazy about the style. We were looking for deals on 08s and the Forester is so popular that there were no new ones around. Would have had to go with an 09. We considered it but just liked the Rogue better.
I think the Saturn Vue was a bit bigger than we wanted with a drop in gas mileage.
They are all pretty good according to Consumer Reports, with the Vue rated lowest. Scores out of 100 on 2009 models:
84 Forester (2.5 X manual trans)
82 Forester (2.5 X auto trans)
77 Rav4 (4 cyl)
74 CRV
73 Outlander (Mitsu.)
73 Rogue
57 Vue (v6)
All the ones listed except the Vue got a “Recommended” rating from CR. We didn’t consider the Santa Fe, but did consider the smaller Tucson from Hyundai. It was given a 67 by CR and though we have and like Hyundai, the reviews (not just the rating but road test reviews from CR and others) convinced us to spend a little more on the Nissan. I did have a Santa Fe for a rental once and liked it. FYI - CR considers the Santa Fe a “mid-sized suv” and the others you’re interested in “small suvs.”
If I were you, I’d decide between a crossover and a sedan first and you’ll be able to eliminate half your list. CR is a paid subscription online, but a library might have their annual car review issue, and I found the free reviews at Edmunds to be just as good.
We have had three Rav4s and three Corollas in my family. No complaints at all. The Rav4s were good in the snow, economical and comfortable to drive. My kids had the Corollas, and they sure seemed to like them also.