Midsize SUV - what would you look at?

scottIN

So starting to look for a midsize SUV for my girlfriend. Don't have a lot of requirements: leather, AWD, Bluetooth and heated seats. Want to keep it to around $29-$31 MSRP.

So far we're thinking about the CR-V and the Cherokee. Checked out the new Renegade, but I think it's going to be too small. Any other ones we should be looking at? I've thought about the RAV-4, but honestly, just never been a Toyota fan.

JARblue

My dad has a 2008 Rav-4 with V6 and towing package (3500lb). He's got nearly 250K miles on the thing, and it's still in great shape. I like the Rav-4 with a V6; it has decent power and decent mileage. The CR-V is a good option as well. I would never buy a Jeep though. My dad is looking at the Acura RDX (new probably out of your price range), but he is also considering the Nissan Rogue for mpg reasons (and a new one fully loaded is cheaper than the RDX).

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Roddy1

Santa Fe Sport with the 2.0 Turbo. You will be surprised how much nicer it is than the competition. Hyundai has their product line nailed down these days.

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2011 370Z, 6-Speed Manual, Sport Package. - K&N Drop ins | Top Speed Axleback | H&R Spacers SOLD
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mults

If the new Santa Fe is anything like the 2003 that I traded in for my new Jeep Cherokee Trail Hawk, you can't go wrong. We've had Hyundai's for over 20 years, and they've always been very good. The one thing that I didn't like about the Santa Fe Sport was having to use premium fuel (same with the Ford Escape with 2.0L turbo). I also didn't like the 2.0L, 4-cylinder having to work hard to move this heavy vehicle.

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mults
40th Anniversary 'Z', 312.06HP/260.58TQ (Dynosty EcuTek Tune)
Build Date/Number: 1/27/2010 #706
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7speed

I'm going to have to go with this. Had one as a rental as it drove pretty good. At first I didn't like the light feeling of the steering wheel but then I saw that you can adjust between comfort, sport, etc. Put it in sport and it felt just right.

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Tazicon

Anything in that price range is going to be fairly small unless you look at something gently used. We bought a 2014 Cherokee Trail Hawk and its pretty good, even with 5 people (3 adults 2 kids) in it we had pretty good room. Most of the time its just the wife and it works great for us. Please note I am a Jeep kind of guy and currently own 3 of them. My opinions can be skewed although normally I hate anything other than Wranglers and Grand Cherokees

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mults

Just picked this up about 6 weeks ago and I absolutely love it. It is a Jeep Cherokee Trail Hawk, and has more capabilities than I will ever use. I also looked at the Ford Escape and the Hyundai Santa Fe, but for me, it came down to looks and amenities.

You can also look at the Mazda CX-5 as this is in the same class.

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mults
40th Anniversary 'Z', 312.06HP/260.58TQ (Dynosty EcuTek Tune)
Build Date/Number: 1/27/2010 #706
Berk HFC + CBE, R2C CAI, Clear Bra, Cleveland Z Club

UNKNOWN_370

I'm definitely watching the Jeep.Cherokee for long term reliability. I always drove sports or GT cars and pretty much detest the whole SUV/pickup culture. But i am getting older and will need family like transportation. And if I'm gonna go there? I'm gonna do it in a Jeep. I have always admired them from afar.

Besides jeeps double up as SHTF vehicles. Oh and jeep resale value holds very well on 4x4 trailrated models.

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daisuke149

Def the new santa fe sport turbo. My parents have one.

They got it with almost every option except nav and sunroof for 24k. Heated seats front / back and the turbo in there does kick quite nicely. The Audio system could be better but with the navigation option it is (bass is a bit lacking, but highs are nice)

Easy and comfortable to drive. Smooth. Looks good and with 30k miles absolutely zero issues just like the 2006 sonata they had (130k miles 0 issues..ever..)

Also, the person above is incorrect. the 2013 with Turbo does not REQUIRE premium. It works with 87 up to 93. They advertise a drop in power about 10hp with 87 vs 93.

MMC Racing

Mazda CX-5. I really like ours. It is my wife's DD..

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b15

Those are all compact crossovers. Mid size would be the Highlander/Pathfinder, which you can't get in that price range unless you buy preowned.

I just recently bought a small crossover for my wife and we narrowed it to Rav4 and Rogue. We ended up with a loaded Rav4 awd and she loves it. The new Rogue is very attractive as well. I just dislike the CVT. The Mazda CX5 was a close third, it was attractive and the most athletic but we didn't think the interior fit and finish was as nice.

scottIN

Thanks for the replies. I did look at the Rogue (y'know, keeping it in the Nissan family & all), but you can't get leather in it - which I'm pretty sure means no heated seats. Two deal breakers.

We did the Cherokee Trail Hawk ride (over the big hill & all) at a car show and were pretty impressed. That's why we were kind of drawn to that one.

Funny how often the Hyundai shows up on here - maybe we'll check it out. Just never saw myself owning a Hyundai. Even though they've been around for a long time, I still don't think of them as a 'real' car company. Maybe a test drive would change my impressions.

Right now she's got a Ram Rumblebee - so anything would be an improvement. Especially for a 5' tall, 53 year old woman trying to get in and out of that thing. Good thing is that it's bright yellow so she's easy to spot.

scottIN

Okay. Just priced out the Santa Fe. Equipped like the Cherokee or CRV, it's about $12K more! Granted it's got more HP than the others, but that's not really what I'm going for.

daisuke149

whats the equipment level needed?

I saw a santa fe sport turbo
2014
new
awd
navigation
leather
heated seats front/rear
other stuff

just around 29k nearish to you

scottIN

Where did you see that? That can't be for the Turbo though. Base on the Turbo AWD is $33,275. By the time you add in the packages, it's $43,000 For the non-turbo with all the equipment (except nav), comes out to about $31,000 list, so comparable to the CRV or Jeep.