Have you considered a Mazda CX7?
Some pep rom the turbo, and any model after 2008 will take regular unleaded.
I love me my zoom zoom.
One of my brothers bought a Santa Fe earlier this year, and his wife loved it so much they’re getting one for her now. They are nice cars if that’s the size you’re looking for.
Define “underpowered.” If you’re looking to tow a boat or whatever, they’re not what you want. If you want to drive in a sporty fashion, they’re not what you want, but that’s obvious from the word “SUV.” But they will ultimately get you where you are trying to go with them, and presumably you have some reason you need a trucklike vehicle.
I’ve been reeeally happy with my mazda 6 SW, so now that I’m considering an upgrade I’m looking at a mazda cx-7 as well. It looks amazing, and mazda hasn’t disappointed me yet. Anyone else have any experience with it? Tolwyn, are you saying you own one?
I’d tell you to buy a Honda HRV but alas. They don’t make them anymore.
Modern turbo diesels tend to be pretty damn adequate even in the lowly four banger configuration. (Though don’t expect something like a 200k lifespan, obviously.)
This is pretty accurate. They’re not going to go 0-60 in 4 seconds. They’re generally not meant to haul a 4000lb boat. They’re not even “trucklike”, since most of the small SUVs are built off of car chassis. They’re just for folks prefer the ride or like to sit up a bit higher or need a bit more flexibility in their cargo area. They’re simply the modern equivalent of a small station wagon.
I like 'em because I can easily get 5 people in the vehicle. It’s easy to get a car-seat in and out. I can haul a bunch of suitcases, bags of mulch or 4 sets of golf clubs without issues. As compared with a normal mid-sized sedan, it’s easier to get stuff in and out of 'em and I prefer to sit up a bit on the road.
Might be at the upper edge of your price range, but I’ve really been enjoying my Ford Flex. It started in the '09 model year so there are not a lot of used ones in the market yet. If you are a smartphone user, Ford’s Sync system is really fun to have.
My wife bought a CR-V about a year ago. I was expecting the worst of the worst in terms of handling and acceleration coming out of my daily driver M3. Handling… was tall, soft car handing, but it at least felt someone predictable at the minimal speeds I dared take it to. Acceleration pleasantly surprised me. It’s not going to win you any drag races, and it doesn’t throw you back in your seat, but it rarely has trouble merging into fast-moving interstate traffic. The only time we’ve struggled with it was when it was packed full of all the paraphernalia needed to care for a baby on a week’s vacation and we were trying to climb mountains in West Virginia.
So yeah… it’s a four-banger, it is what it is, but it’s not out of proportion to what the car’s intended to be.
We’re still (relatively) short term owners, but our experience with the CR-V has been great.
Hyundai and Kia offer GDI (gasoline direct injection) versions of the 2.4L 4-cylinder engines in their SUVs that offer 191HP and slightly better gas milage than the base 4-cylinder engines. The Kia with GDI that I drove seemed pretty peppy, certainly had no hesitation on reaching highway speeds or starting out well from stoplights. You probably don’t want to tow heavy stuff with it, but that’s not what most of the SUVs in this calss are designed for anyway.
I really like my '07 Mitsubishi Outlander. No major problems with it at all knocks on wood.
One of the joys of life is to rev the hell out of a small engine and still be within the speed limit (reasonably). You need either a manual or at least a sporty slushbox, but given one of those most modern cars have plenty of pep. Its way more fun to get 110% out of a 150hp car than having 400hp and never using 50% of it.
While there is a lot of truth to that (that’s pretty much the whole point of the Civic Si I had), cars that are just slow and don’t handle well aren’t going to be fun no matter what you’re doing. Cute utes generally fall into that category. I mean, I was looking around to see their 0-60 times, and most of them seem to be in the 10+ second range, which puts them significantly slower than the (already not-that-sporty) Honda Fit. Combine that with a high center of gravity and relatively heavy weight, and you’re not talking about something designed to have fun with.
Yessir, a 2008. I picked it up low mileage at auction. It’s a bit of a hog on gas (you’re better off using premium, you’ll get better mileage), but otherwise very happy with it. Drives like a sports cars.
You can also get a Santa Fe with a 3.3L 242hp (2007-9) or 3.5L 276hp (2010-new) V6. We have an '08 and it has plenty of power for climbing roads in the mountains and didn’t struggle a bit when we hooked a small trailer to it to move a large couch and dresser. It has a surprisingly smooth ride, tons of room for 4 adults and a car seat plus luggage, and has much nicer interior than similarly priced cars. You really can’t go wrong with a Hyundai, their quality has skyrocketed in the last 5-7 years. They’re even made in America now.
I’ve heard good things about the VW Tiguan or whatever it is, but I think it’s pretty pricey. Really, though, unless you’re into the sporty SUV market niche, which can get really pricey really fast, the CR-V/RAV 4/Sante Fe/Escape/etc. bunch is fine. Their fours tend to be fairly large displacement and torquey.
yeah, just went today to test drive one.
Now I’m on my way there tomorrow to sign the paperwork.
Mine’s the diesel though, which helps on consumption.
/droooooool
Yeah, I wish I could have gotten the Diesel.
If you can, skip the navigation package, thats the one part of the car I loathe. Youd be better off installing an aftermarket unit. They want to charge me $400 for GPS updates, So I went out and bought an $80 Garmin instead.
For a sporty cute ute, get a MINI Countryman S. I know several people who love thiers. You give up some utility and probably ride comfort for alot more sport than the others. Gets pricey if you start clicking options.
There’s a car called Outlander?
“Speak quickly, Outlander, or drive away!”