Small SUV - Opinions please.

[Seduce XR6]

Originally Posted by ute83

What about the ix 35 two wheel drive or the dualis?

The new Kia sportage is much better than its sister sibling (ix35) & I would not go for an ASX either as the seats are damm hard to sit on lol

Escape underpowered & bad handling in its class not to mention old design.

Dualis, Rav4, Kia Sportage would be my pick of the cheaper small AWD's

[Barnaby]

Considered the VW Tiguan? Apart from the crap name, pricey options & slightly smaller luggage area, they are the pic in this class IMO. Their pricing is good at the moment because of run out I think. Made in Germany too...

[ute83]

Originally Posted by Seduce XR6

The new Kia sportage is much better than its sister sibling (ix35) & I would not go for an ASX either as the seats are damm hard to sit on lol

Escape underpowered & bad handling in its class not to mention old design.

Dualis, Rav4, Kia Sportage would be my pick of the cheaper small AWD's

Did you read that in cars guide? Kia have a BAD reputation, heaps of trouble with the V6 carnivals.

[FTE217]

ute83 I can agree with first statement re the V6 and then may I correct you - first model Carnival V6 was an open case POS,everyone knows/knew of this since the troubles got reported.
Kia acted and fixed their problem V6 has been fine since the next model came out.

I suppose some mud will stick for some its human nature but let me tell you combined Hyundai/KIA are kicking strong nowadays.

[Bearman]

Took Mum around the yards today. The object was to sit in a few and see how she felt behind the wheel. Main focus on visibility, adjust-ability of the seat, ease of access with seat in position, tailgate configuration and general feel. The visibility test focussed on the front. Mum hates bonnets that fall away excessively so I stood in front and held up an exercise book indicating where the nose was. We have eliminated a few:
Suzuki Grand Vitara - Hates the side opening tailgate with spare mounted.
Toyota Rav4 - As above, also a bit too bulky.
Honda CRV - Too bulky.
Mitsubishi Outlander - As above.
Ford Escape - Size OK but she just didn't feel right in it.

The short list is now:
Mitsubishi ASX - Felt good in it and really liked it on a test drive. I was pleasantly surprised but to her the steering felt a tad stiff (FWD characteristic) and a fair bit of road noise.
Kia Sportage - Very well featured and well priced.
Mazda CX7 - Really liked it (but just as big as the CRV etc.... go figure).
Subaru Forrester - Not eliminated but wasn't ecstatic about it.
Hyundai IX35 - Worth another look but Mum tired by then.

We still need to drive the others (got to drive the ASX only) and have a closer look at them. The Mazda and Subaru will probably be eliminated on price.

Front runner at the moment is the Mitsubishi ASX.

We're also open to low Km used cars so time to hit the net. The local Hyundai dealer has a 2008 Tucson being traded this week, a local one elderly owner car with only 20,000km on the clock. We'll check this one out.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Bearman

Cheers for that!! Something to look out for, that's for sure.

Yep, the CRV is a major fuggly.

Kia Sportage should be on the list too

Originally Posted by FTE217

Big Damo works at a honda dealership from memory - thats it find a good local mechanic so as to avoid high labour costs but apprentice's working on your car.

Used to

Yeah, $110 an hour at the dealership I was working at, and a lot of shortcuts where getting taken on 40,000km services when we where busy.

Yeah the product is reliable, but its boring, any car is reliable when you're like the Honda customer, always gets serviced every 6 months at the dealership even though the car has only done 500km since its last service. They have their fair share of issues, Honda can't seem to make a decent auto transmission, the amount of autos coming out of cars under warranty while I was there was amazing. Or the new Civic Type R's, we had a few of those come in all with stripped 3rd gear because it cant stand up to being driven how they where intended to be.

Personally, I think Honda is riding on its reputation it earned back in the 90s when its cars where ace, these days compared to the competition its overpriced and overrated.

[Bearman]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Kia Sportage should be on the list too

It is now, after seeing one in the yard today at a combined Honda/Kia dealership.

Mazda CX7 also added tom the original list.

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by Bearman

Mazda CX7 - Really liked it (but just as big as the CRV etc.... go figure).

size isn't everything - one is a bus, the other is a car
the crv feels like a commercial vehicle
the cx7 feels like a car - and a good one at that

i am not sure on overall dimensions of the cx7, rav 4 and crv, but even if they are all the same basic size, the cx7 looks/feels lower. when sitting in it looking over the bonnet, it isn't much different to the 6, infact it is easier to see out of than the 3mps

the rav 4 feels like you would expect an suv to feel like and in the crv i kept moving over to the curb to pick up passengers

[stev3n]

If i was spending my money i'd go with the Subaru, possibly a low milage Outback?

[Stealth00]

Nissan Dualis or X-Trail should rate for a quick look at least. Have had an X-trail for the last 7 years and not one problem.

Dualis is smaller than the X-trail more the size of the Mitsubishi ASX.

[AUIIISR]

Originally Posted by FTE217

Forget Escape - imo POS I'm sorry to the followers of these.
They just arn't up to the standard of the other competition hence the pricing advantage.
Friends of ours bought one not long ago - at the time I wanted to mention don't but its there decision , yep at a bbq lunch recently he said whilst we talked cars the biggest mistake he made.
Subby is nice but for my wife and 3kids inside is just too small/tight for us to consider and SWMBO likes SUV height nowadays.
CRV on the 2nd one soon to replace - never a problem,keep to service intervals great reliable ownership - we don't care of looks but reliability you can't go wrong, what major service cost, yer like all these cars timing belt done @ 60thou k's etc big deal. Big Damo works at a honda dealership from memory - thats it find a good local mechanic so as to avoid high labour costs but apprentice's working on your car.
All my years owning cars - I don't mind paying more for quality to reduce the down time having thought to have saved up to $5k at purchase time.
Outlander good machine - but I hear heavy on fuel especially AWD.
Rav4 - can't go wrong imo again.
Have fun trying to decide I also am starting on the hunt its a pain !

Nailed it, Rav4 is the only other option I'd go for just for driveability, the Outlander, heavy on petrol yes, but when poking around town its next to same price of filling up the falcon. Im sick of the lowered family car and when we head up the snowys to the holiday house its just easier to take it off road

[exdubbleya]

Picked up a new TI AWD Dualis for my wife last weekend, and she is over the moon. We were in the same situation as you - wanted something SUV like, not too big, local runs (kids to school etc), good fuel economy and pretty much went thorugh an elimination process. (BTW, she was coming out of a Forester)
Kia, Hyundai, Captiva - too korean
Mazda CX7 - too big, and check out the fuel consumption
CRV - design?
Escape - too old (where is the Kuga!)
Rav4 & Vitara - just seemed too dated (and the tailgate)
Forester - was close, but just dosent have the same feel as the older models - and whats with a 5 speed box (my gemini had a 5 speed box in 1984)

The Dualis is really well appointed (Leather, power everything, auto lights/wipers, glass roof, climate control etc) and in my opinion pretty good value - on the road with 15km for under $33k. Its not the fastest thing around, but you sit high and have good visibility.

Anyway, thats my 2 bobs worth - good luck with your choice

[RAPID_BA]

Smart man putting the asx on the top of your list, ive spent plenty of time with mums asx and its quality mate. Newest design, best warranty.

I had the sportage for over a week, both 2.0l and then 2.4l model, they just feel cheap, the asx is like a merc next to it (it actually is on a merc chasis).

Just drive them for a while, sit in the back and quick smart the sportage cheapness will shine through. The hyundai i35 is no different. Consider the resale, asx will be all over it.

Rav 4 i drive em at work and they sound like a cheap truck, i was excited about the rav until i drove it.

Escape, never been near one.

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by exdubbleya

Forester - was close, but just dosent have the same feel as the older models - and whats with a 5 speed box (my gemini had a 5 speed box in 1984)

The Dualis is really well appointed (Leather, power everything, auto lights/wipers, glass roof, climate control etc) and in my opinion pretty good value - on the road with 15km for under $33k. Its not the fastest thing around, but you sit high and have good visibility.

Anyway, thats my 2 bobs worth - good luck with your choice

I'll take a 5 speed over a CVT any day of the week.

New Forester doesn't have same feel as the old, is that the feeling the backseat passengers have when they amputate their legs so they can fit in the back set.

[Seduce XR6]

if the CX7 is on your list now I would suggest it would be the best for its build quality, handling & comfort in general though on rough roads they can feel like an XR6 lol
I did not mention this before as they are larger & do cost more, also look at the fuel consumption factor which is a bit higher than a few others on your list but not hugely so.
I am not talking the Turbo as it does use a fair amount more.
The Diesel is good for economy but weighs a fair amount more & is a new Sky engine coming later this year.
Good luck & tell us what you end up getting along with a few Pics

[chevypower]

You did mention good visibility. How about a Jeep Cherokee or Grand Cherokee? (I might have missed the budget here, but if she can afford one, this would be my recommendation). It will be better to drive than the others previously mentioned. Stronger, and more capable in other ways too. Even if you don't use it to its potential, it won't hurt to have it. Good economy with the CRD engines too. Anyway, test drives are free! Best of luck.

[Bearman]

Update from last week.

Subaru Forrester and Mazda CX7 eliminated on price.

Local Nissan dealer did not have a Dualis in stock so was not considered.

Kia Sportage just didn't take Mum's fancy.

Hyundai IX35 was eliminated because the bonnet falls away too much and difficult to judge the front of the car - Mum's pet hate.

Drove a low mileage Hyundai Tucson and found much better visibility than the IX35 but put off by the handling which I considered rather unstable.

Had another drive of the Mitsubishi ASX over the same roads and was streets in front. Mum loves it so a win to the ASX!!

We left it at that point and advised her to wait for a demonstrator.

I've been back in Melb for a week now. Last night Mum rang. A deal has been done on the Mitsubishi ASX. She is buying the demo unit we drove. When she told me how much she paid I died in the ****, thinking she'd been ripped off but I had forgotten the fact that it was a 4WD unit, not the FWD so it made it a pretty reasonable deal. We drove it switched to FWD and I didn't give the 4WD thing another thought. It only has around 150km on the clock, plenty of extras (full size spare, nudge bar, reverse sensors, blue tooth and other techo stuff, tow bar, tint) and is a good deal. Maybe a bit more haggling or shopping around could have done a little better but being in a country town and a bit old fashioned she didn't feel right about buying out of town.

For what it is I quite like it!! A win to the Mitsubishi ASX.

Thanks everyone for your input, it was much appreciated.

[Mechan1k]

The little Mitsu is a decent unit ... and has an excellent warranty as well.
I really liked the Outlander and is a good unit as well ... but as you mentioned it was a little too large ... hence the ASX falls into the right sizing range for her.

In the end if you Mum is happy with the vehicle ... and likes how it drives .... that's the main thing in the end really.

[mrghia]

I'd go the mitsubushi they have built very good cars i would get another one regretted the day i sold our AWD magna.
Ford escape is cheaper for a reason... Especially with the fault list my mate told me.

[Seduce XR6]

Good on your Mum Bearman
Hope she enjoys her new toy.
How much did she end up paying if you dont mind telling us as it completes the story & I still have a sore butt from those hard seats so tell her to be careful not to sit in it too long lmao (joke)

[RAPID_BA]

Originally Posted by Bearman

Update from last week.

Subaru Forrester and Mazda CX7 eliminated on price.

Local Nissan dealer did not have a Dualis in stock so was not considered.

Kia Sportage just didn't take Mum's fancy.

Hyundai IX35 was eliminated because the bonnet falls away too much and difficult to judge the front of the car - Mum's pet hate.

Drove a low mileage Hyundai Tucson and found much better visibility than the IX35 but put off by the handling which I considered rather unstable.

Had another drive of the Mitsubishi ASX over the same roads and was streets in front. Mum loves it so a win to the ASX!!

We left it at that point and advised her to wait for a demonstrator.

I've been back in Melb for a week now. Last night Mum rang. A deal has been done on the Mitsubishi ASX. She is buying the demo unit we drove. When she told me how much she paid I died in the ****, thinking she'd been ripped off but I had forgotten the fact that it was a 4WD unit, not the FWD so it made it a pretty reasonable deal. We drove it switched to FWD and I didn't give the 4WD thing another thought. It only has around 150km on the clock, plenty of extras (full size spare, nudge bar, reverse sensors, blue tooth and other techo stuff, tow bar, tint) and is a good deal. Maybe a bit more haggling or shopping around could have done a little better but being in a country town and a bit old fashioned she didn't feel right about buying out of town.

For what it is I quite like it!! A win to the Mitsubishi ASX.

Thanks everyone for your input, it was much appreciated.

I took the ASX out last weekend (mums), its a cool car, she has the auto, goes good enough. You made the right choice.

[Bearman]

Originally Posted by Seduce XR6

Good on your Mum Bearman
Hope she enjoys her new toy.
How much did she end up paying if you dont mind telling us as it completes the story & I still have a sore butt from those hard seats so tell her to be careful not to sit in it too long lmao (joke)

Got it for $34K all up drive away with all the fruit, 4WD and auto. Have seen them for $32.5K drive away on carsales but not sure what's included. In all, I'm happy she got a reasonable deal.

Pics it up on Thursday and she's hanging out, it's been 18 years since her and my late Dad bought the Commodore.

[Matty4]

Well done Craig...

[Seduce XR6]

Well done Mum
I am sure she is thinking about your Dad in all of this & maybe even saying to him "name" you would have loved this 4WD etc
Good on her & as I have said hope she really enjoys driving it.
Oh & I don't think any of us said we were sorry to hear about your Dad passing however I am sure we all thought it, so sorry from me to hear about your Dad (mine passed away when I was 21).

[Bearman]

Bit of an epic thread mine here. My Mum after having had a fall and some other mishaps is considering surrendering her drivers licence. Not long after getting the ASX she lost confidence in her driving and in the last 2 years has hardly driven it.

It now has 8,000km on the clock!!!

There is a possibility this may be my new daily driver. Stay tuned.....

[Bearman]

My Mum has decided to stop driving and hand in her drivers license so the AXS will be moved on.

A sale to a nearby neighbour has fallen over so I'll be picking it up in a few weeks to sell. We had considered keeping it ourselves but I'd prefer a Territory or something along those lines.

Mitsubishi ASX base model petrol 4WD version. First registered November 2010, purchased March 2011. Done around 9,500km.

[janddbone]

All the best to your mum, a good friend of mine just handed his license in too. Big calls, but for the best.

[Morry]

That's as shame about your mum.

[THE SLUG]

A shame that she's had to hand in her licence, but I'm sure it's for the best! All the best to her and to you with the sale of the ASX!

[mik]

Thats a shame for your mum , losing that independence is a tough pill to swallow in our mature years,
i had to make that decision about handing the licence in for my old mum some years ago,
but in her case, it was without any doubt best for her, and for everyone else on the road too.
it was a tough thing to do , because my old mum was far from a natural when it came to driving a motor car and she worked very hard to learn to drive and get her licence ,and i feel a bit guilty sometimes for doing it , but **** happens and we just have to deal with it.

bit of a shame the car is not your cup of tea, , 2010 model car with less than 2000 ks a year would be a hard vehicle to find normally , anyway all the best to your mum and with the vehicle sale.