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OT: Compact SUV recommendations?

CornerTavern

CornerTavern

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So it's that time... my 2003 Jeep Cherokee finally died after 13 years and ~150,000 miles.

I'm looking to get a short lease on a compact-but-capable SUV, such as the Subaru Crosstrek or perhaps the Jeep Renegade?

I need something that can actually take a bike rack on the tail with a trailer hitch, boat rack on top, etc. Not looking for a wannabe "luxury SUV" like the Cherokee has become.

Any recommendations?
 
Subarus have great reputations (and between the wife and I we've owned 5 of them, way back when) but they all have CVTs now - and CVTs are the most diabolical, miserable, wretched piece of equipment ever to come off a drawing board.

The Renegade is a Fiat 500. It will, over time, suffer from having too much weight placed on tiny car parts.

Is the Ford Escape too big for your purpose? I had one for 3 years and liked it a lot, and I'm not really an SUV guy.
 
I have had two Nissan Muranos. I love them. You can get them in the luxury mode but also just get a strong suv that does what it needs to do without all the bells and whistles.
 
My niece has a crosstrek and likes it. I have driven Nissan Rogue as a rental several times and seems like a good option. Look at Mazda Cx-5.
 
CornerTavern said:
So it's that time... my 2003 Jeep Cherokee finally died after 13 years and ~150,000 miles.

I'm looking to get a short lease on a compact-but-capable SUV, such as the Subaru Crosstrek or perhaps the Jeep Renegade?

I need something that can actually take a bike rack on the tail with a trailer hitch, boat rack on top, etc. Not looking for a wannabe "luxury SUV" like the Cherokee has become.

Any recommendations?
Click to expand...
I am in that same process myself. I looked carefully at the CrossTrek, Cherokee, Renegade, and HRV.
Crosstrek - I really liked the way it drives, however, 11 year old son was very uncomfortable in the back seat due to the head rest being really tilted forward. Also the factory hitch is only a Class II, and not the Class III 2in receiver.
Renegade - Tiny rear seat door opening, rough ride, factory Class III hitch option.
HRV - interior layout was horrible. Only aftermarket hitch options - did not bother with test drive.
Outback - still need to test drive, but noted that the only factory hitch option was a Class II
Cherokee - 4 cylinder engine was way under powered. V6 isn't bad at all. LEss engine noise as well. Seating positions, front and rear, much better then Crosstrek or renegade. Class III hitch well integrated into rear bumper without compromising opening or ground clearance. Minus is that Jeep does not have best reliability ratings.

Planning on test driving the Outback today, as the real pricing for the Limited versions of the outback and Cherokee are comparable. Unless the outback blows us away, I expect we will end up the Cherokee.
 
Rented a Subaru Crosstrek in Salt Lake and drove it through the mountains in a week where we got over 6 feet of snow. It was fantastic. It tops the list for my next vehicle puchase.
 
rubaseball78 said:
Recent Cx-5 models have more power than past models.
Click to expand...

The optional engine is 184 hp. With an automatic transmission and AWD the CX-5 weighs in at more than 3400 lbs.

That is NOT a good power:weight in this day and age. The 2.0 turbo motor in the Escape has 60+ more hp at the same weight.
 
Regarding the hitch I really just use it for the Thule bike rack - I carry three or 4 bikes sometimes, so i don't want the wimpy little one if I can help it.
 
Last summer got a 2015 RAV4 (AWD) as a rental from Hertz - put 800+ miles on it in 3 days - lots of highway & some extended country roads & urban travel - 3 people & some luggage.
Comfortable - Nimble / Responsive - more than adequate pep - no complaints.
Would give consideration.
 
CornerTavern said:
Regarding the hitch I really just use it for the Thule bike rack - I carry three or 4 bikes sometimes, so i don't want the wimpy little one if I can help it.
Click to expand...
Exactly my problem as well. I also have a Honda Pilot and I have a 4 bike carrier and cooler rack that I use for tailgating(so I don't have to put my grill in the back of the pilot). The Class II hitches just aren't up to the stresses that the bike carrier or cooler rack can put on them.

I would really have liked the Crosstrek, but just wasn't comfortable enough for the kids
 
RU4Real said:
Subarus have great reputations (and between the wife and I we've owned 5 of them, way back when) but they all have CVTs now - and CVTs are the most diabolical, miserable, wretched piece of equipment ever to come off a drawing board.

The Renegade is a Fiat 500. It will, over time, suffer from having too much weight placed on tiny car parts.

Is the Ford Escape too big for your purpose? I had one for 3 years and liked it a lot, and I'm not really an SUV guy.
Click to expand...


Car mags are praising some CVTs - especially Subaru's - saying nice things - but not having had a need to personally evaluate, I can't tell what the praise really means
- is it 'wow they have really gotten this to be good'
or
-is it 'well, they have gotten it to where it is not heinously revolting'
 
PoorTailor said:
I have had two Nissan Muranos. I love them. You can get them in the luxury mode but also just get a strong suv that does what it needs to do without all the bells and whistles.
Click to expand...

I test drove the Rogue last year and I wasn't overly impressed.
 
The Renegade reminds me of a Kia Soul. I'm surprised that I have seen so many brand new ones driving around Tahoe. I think that they are all tourists from the Bay Area though. I doubt that I'll be seeing them once the first round of leases are up.

I once rented an Escape and enjoyed it. But this was in Oahu. What are you looking to do in this thing?

The Tahoe small SUVs that I see are mostly the CRV, RAV4 and Subaru Crosstrek and Outback.

After moving up here I got a new '12 Impreza. It's identical to the Crosstrek except for the extra suspension lift. I got it stuck 3 times on small berms and then traded it in for a 4Runner. I still see Crossteks everywhere - in fact just on my block there are 2 tan ones. They are good reliable cars and can take on icey roads and parking lots but don't have the power to move through serious terrain.
 
m1ipabrams said:
Exactly my problem as well. I also have a Honda Pilot and I have a 4 bike carrier and cooler rack that I use for tailgating(so I don't have to put my grill in the back of the pilot). The Class II hitches just aren't up to the stresses that the bike carrier or cooler rack can put on them.

I would really have liked the Crosstrek, but just wasn't comfortable enough for the kids
Click to expand...

Yeah i have two boys 11 and 13 and I need the back seat to be more-than-bareable for 1 hr rides to the beach, etc.
 
RUMBA-JK said:
Car mags are praising some CVTs - especially Subaru's - saying nice things - but not having had a need to personally evaluate, I can't tell what the praise really means
- is it 'wow they have really gotten this to be good'
or
-is it 'well, they have gotten it to where it is not heinously revolting'
Click to expand...

Most of the "praise" that I've read has been pretty specifically in line with "this CVT doesn't suck as much as most of them do".

It's just a shitty device, especially in the face of all the amazing development that's happened in the last few years with geared automatics. CVTs are, by comparison, inefficient and don't deliver power to the wheels very well. Subjectively, it always feels like the car is "broken".
 
The Outback is a great mix. Clearance of a Jeep and nice ride. Honda CRV is also a good deal right now.
 
RC1978 said:
The Outback is a great mix. Clearance of a Jeep and nice ride. Honda CRV is also a good deal right now.
Click to expand...

I'm borrowing a CRV right now, and it's OK. Just... OK. When I'm in it alone it's fine, but if I have bikes and kids in it it'll probably feel like a golf cart when i try to accelerate.
 
I have a Ford Escape Titanium version and I love it. it's actually my 4th Escape in a row. I've never had a problem with any of them.
 
I have 2 Ford Escapes (2003 & 2010) and they have both been good. Not sure about the back seat room for your boys as I've never had the occasion to sit there. But overall I would recommend the Escape. I will most likely get another.
 
RU4Real said:
Subarus have great reputations (and between the wife and I we've owned 5 of them, way back when) but they all have CVTs now - and CVTs are the most diabolical, miserable, wretched piece of equipment ever to come off a drawing board.

The Renegade is a Fiat 500. It will, over time, suffer from having too much weight placed on tiny car parts.

Is the Ford Escape too big for your purpose? I had one for 3 years and liked it a lot, and I'm not really an SUV guy.
Click to expand...
Excuse my ignorance, but what is CVT?
 
Another vote for the Ford Escape. Over the years the SUVs I've had have been the Explorer, Infinity QX4, and Toyoya Highlander. I like the Escape the best: good ride, mileage, great sight lines, not as big as the others I mentioned but fits 4 comfortably and 5 if needed. No mechanical problems at all.
 
I know in NJ the late model Grand Cherokee has developed a reputation as a wannabe Land Rover or a suburban soccer-mom car. But a month ago, I met up with a vendor in Utah. He lives on the windward side of the Wasatch and we drove back and forth from SLC through backroad mountain pass 'roads'. We even went off trail bashing. This is all in a near-stock GC Laredo-E (close to the base model). The only things he changed out were the tires for Good Year Wranglers and a skid plate. It took everything with aplomb and we sat in complete comfort. It's really worth a look...just get it in Laredo trim without the trappings of luxury and I think it's an incredible vehicle.
 
CornerTavern said:
I'm borrowing a CRV right now, and it's OK. Just... OK. When I'm in it alone it's fine, but if I have bikes and kids in it it'll probably feel like a golf cart when i try to accelerate.
Click to expand...
What year? The 2015 was a pretty solid upgrade in torque over the 2014.

edit: Got my years wrong.
 
Last edited:
Escape, CRV, RAV4 and the subarus all solid. BMW X1 performs superbly, but is pricey.
 
RUSK97 said:
I know in NJ the late model Grand Cherokee has developed a reputation as a wannabe Land Rover or a suburban soccer-mom car. But a month ago, I met up with a vendor in Utah. He lives on the windward side of the Wasatch and we drove back and forth from SLC through backroad mountain pass 'roads'. We even went off trail bashing. This is all in a near-stock GC Laredo-E (close to the base model). The only things he changed out were the tires for Good Year Wranglers and a skid plate. It took everything with aplomb and we sat in complete comfort. It's really worth a look...just get it in Laredo trim without the trappings of luxury and I think it's an incredible vehicle.
Click to expand...

I really really want to want the grand cherokee... I love my 2003 Jeep. I sat in the 2015 one, and I wanted to barf (wannabe luxury soccer mommy car gag reflex). It just felt wrong, and not like a jeep. Myabe I need to give it another look?
 
CornerTavern said:
This is one that i haven't even looked at.
Click to expand...

We drove one on vacation a couple of years ago, and we were impressed with the quality of interior materials and how it handled. Not usually a fan of GM products, but it appears that they really stepped up their game in the last few years. If you can get past the squarer look, it is worth looking at. That said, I just Googled it, and Car and Driver does not seem to be a fan:
http://www.caranddriver.com/gmc/terrain
 
valkabit said:
Excuse my ignorance, but what is CVT?
Click to expand...

Continuously Variable Transmission.

It's probably easier to direct you to Google than take up the page space explaining it.

It's an evil device and may well be responsible for AIDS, world hunger, religious extremism and climate change.
 
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CornerTavern said:
I really really want to want the grand cherokee... I love my 2003 Jeep. I sat in the 2015 one, and I wanted to barf (wannabe luxury soccer mommy car gag reflex). It just felt wrong, and not like a jeep. Myabe I need to give it another look?
Click to expand...
I don't know what state you live in; NJ dealerships particularly those inside the 287 beltway are going to stock high-end Limiteds, Overlands, Summits, etc with all the bells and whistles. Locate a dealership with a base model Laredo or a Laredo-E and check it out. I'm not saying it's best suited for you, but it might deserve a second look. I sure opened my eyes.
 
We really like our 2010 Outback, so another vote to at least take a look in that direction.

A CVT is a "continuously variable transmission". Link here.

If you think of gears on a bike having different sized gears that the chain jumps from one to the next, a CVT is more like a cone where the chain slides up and down. You never feel the car shift from one gear to the next. It saves on fuel consumption.
 
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RU4Real said:
Continuously Variable Transmission.

It's probably easier to direct you to Google than take up the page space explaining it.

It's an evil device and may well be responsible for AIDS, world hunger, religious extremism and climate change.
Click to expand...
This is Scarlet Nation - I thought it was Kyle Flood who was responsible for all those things??!?
 
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