A friend of mine is in need of a new car and I thought i would get some opinons and see if anyone has had experiences with small suv's.

She was set on the Kia Sportage but now I have shown her the new Mazda CX-5 and she really likes that too. Has anyone had personal experience with either of these? I also told her about the new Ford Escape but she didnt like much. Her budget is around $24,000.

 

Maybe a used Tiguan 2.0T?

 

CX5 is a nice little CUV, but it's pretty underpowered based on my thoughts...

 

It's taken til the THIRD reply to withhold advice until pics are posted???

What's happening to CarTalk?....

 

My wife and I bought a CX-5 in May. We love it! It is under powered compared to the competitors but I think the driving experience makes up for it. For normal/DD use, it has plenty of kick and you can pass people if needed. It also has "auto-stick" if you need to drop down a certain gear. Go test drive one, your mind will be made up pretty quick!

 

If I had to go small SUV, I'd probably lean towards the CX5 is power output is not high on the list. If it is though, the RAV4 V6 should do the trick.

If fuel economy is not a sticking point, any consideration for a used RDX?

 

I agree. RDX.

 

my mom was in this situation.
she crossed shopped the Nissan juke, Mazda cx5, and the kia sportage.

after i convinced her that the juke was ugly and small, she was set on the cx-5.
dealers wouldnt budge, and this CUV is in high demand. she walked and went to KIA.

we now have a sportage.
pretty cool little CUV for being a kia.

its only been about a week, but i like it so far.

 

A friend has a Sportage and they are very happy with it.

Did she consider the new CRV?

 

Maybe a used Forester 2.5XT?

 

I no longer give car advice to friends. They ask my opinion, then buy a used KIA mini-van from Hertz. fuck-um.

 

You're right about the CX-5 being in high demand. Most dealers wouldn.t budge on the price and the exact combo we wanted was hard to find. We eventually found the EXACT one we wanted and the dealer budged a little bit but we got them to give us more on our trade. My wife couldn't (didn't want to) wait so we bought it.

Happy wife = happy life, right? lol

 

Get the Sportage.

Great design, best bang for the buck, most features in the bunch...and many options that the other makes just don't offer (see A/C seats). Best warranty too.

 

Friend of mine just got a 2012 CR-V and loves it.

 

Kia's hamstermobile?

She should get a Golf TDI 4-dr and 40mpg

 

UPDATE: As my MDX is at the dealership over the weekend for servicing, we were given a 12 RDX (base) as a loaner. (Ironically, this coincided with a trip down to DC this weekend.)

As much as I was disappointed at getting a loaner RDX, I have been pleasantly surprised with its performance and fuel economy. Despite my heavy foot, I seem to be getting about 24mpg. The only notable caveats thus far are cargo space and handling.

Honestly, this is the first Honda that doesn't seem anemic with an auto tranny.

EDIT: 13 RDX.....which pretty much blows the OP's 24k budget out of the water.

 

OP, did you decide on anything? I've been doing preliminary research on a possible replacement for our X3, in about a year. I can say that it is tough to find a "cool" small SUV (crossover) now. For me they all have one or more of the following traits.

1. boring or ugly styling (subjective, I know)
2. underpowered (I looked at the CX-5 too)
3. too expensive after desired options

It's a tough call. Good luck making your choice. The Sportage is looking like the best option right now. Too bad my wife has a deep rooted (and unfounded) hate for Hyundai / Kia.

Hmm... just went to Kia's sight and looked at the Sorento. Wow.

 

The CX-5 is certainly a top choice, but don't dismiss the Journey.

It was seriously updated in 2011, its interior is now excellent and as a value, can't be beaten.

 

Have only looked at CRV's inside and out, they look very nice.

 

Yeah, I was impressed. He got the EX-L with nav and a ton of accessories, actually looks nice.