Subcompact/compact SUV rec's.
 

Looking around for a sub compact / compact suv.

What i must have:
- seats 5
- decent trunk space (lets say fit a dog, or stroller in the future)
- AWD
- *prefer import*

What i've figured so far:

Mazda cx 3 - jacked up mazda 2, no trunk space.
Nissan juke - looks pretty uggs
Kia Soul - any thoughts? hows the resale value?

No subaru's - maintence is way to exp!

Any other options?

Toyota C-HR or Honda HR-V

The HR-V is great. If you dislike the CX3 you're probably going to hate the C-HR. Might as well not have rear seats, those rear passenger windows are sad.

CX-5

I looked at a bunch of compact SUV's before settling on a Jetta. Here are some of my conclusions:

They have awful storage. You have to go mid-size suv before you get any decent storage room and even they're surprisingly comparable with a sedan.

AWD option is 1000-2000 bucks on most models and they have systems that are mostly front wheel drive. They do not drive like a 4wd car. Personally, I prefer systems like Subaru even if it does waste a bit more fuel.

The CX3 is fun to drive. It's a bit small but I find them to be overpriced. Mazda 3's hit the sweet spot in pricing and I think the CX3 should be priced well below a Mazda 3. Fully loaded they almost cost the same.

I test drove a Soul and I hated the way it drove. It felt floaty like a Jeep without the off-road capabilities.

Another thing to consider if you're not driving stick is CVTs are all over the place in this class. They're the worst.

All the Subcompact SUV have tiny trunk space. (HRV, Juke, CX-3...etc)
No way to fit a stroller in there.

Plese go take a look at CUV instead (CRV, Rav4, CX-5, Rogue...etc.)

You can not fit a stroller in the back of the CX-3 however the trunk can be extended. the false floor and spare tire takes up valuable space. take a look here

If you want to get something small the HR-V is the way to go. BUT if anything spend a bit more get the CX-5 or Tucson it's Roomy.

http://i.imgur.com/QAjYgYl.jpg
Tucson you can fit a dog/ stroller with ease

for the guys suggesting Tucson and even Kia Soul - how's the resale value? Does the soul have AWD?? Can't find that info..

are the old stigma's still around? (Hyundai's build their cars from carshed air plane steel, etc)

There is incentive(better finance/lease rates) for me to go Cx-5 being a current mazda owner. But I saw Car & Driver name Kia as the #1 sub compact.

I also like the compact feel - feels like driving a gokart. But maybe I have to give those up and be adult?!?

Resale value: You can check Canadian Blackbook (google it) to get an estimate. It really depends on how long you're going to drive it. If you're trading it in at 3-5 years you may want to stick with Honda or Toyota.

Hyundai's are fine. I'm a bit biased but I find that they tend to cheap out on things below the surface, but for general reliability they're fine.

Please don't use Car & Driver for any purchasing decisions. Go test drive and check forums for reliability problems.

I like 'the compact feel' too but more importantly I like cars with a lower centre of gravity. I would take a sedan (ex Civic) over a bubbly and raised SUV for driving dynamics.

Also I'm not sure why the Soul is in your list because it's anything but a CUV/SUV. It's a compact economy car in the shape of a box.

my wife just got the HR-V with AWD

i've yet to actually drive it...she did the test drive cus she'll be driving it mostly but it felt pretty good as a passenger.
i like how the rear seats can be configured to accommodate vertical storage as well.
Not sure if they have a promo but iirc finance rates were pretty good

sport mode with paddle shifting looked pretty fun though i can't imagine it having that much zip to it as it has the same engine as the 9th gen non-si civics.

my only gripe was that the entire climate control was one big touch panel unit. I would've preferred buttons there.

Your wife bought a car without you even driving it for once?

does that bother you?

I didn't drive my wife's Highlander before we bought it. Like you, I didn't care, because it's not my vehicle. Then I actually drove it in terrible snowie conditions, and realized "Damn, this is an awesome little suv".

:awwyeah:

I honestly don't think you can go wrong with any of the import mini-suv's these days. Everyone seems to be doing a good job with what they're offering.

Soul doesn't have AWD.. I think it is designed to compete with the boxy segment which seems they are the only one left on the market.

and I agree with Hypa all mini suvs these days are really similar, the differences are minor (in within the same price range) in ergonomics and trim levels. One thing I noticed about the Koreans is their start prices are lower, but when you load it up to similar equipment levels to their competitors, the difference is negligible. The only difference is companies with premium brand (tiers) ie Honda vs Acura, they reserve some things like LED headlights for Acura.

Also note the size and price of SUVs have grown, so it doesn't hurt to look at older models. I got my friend's Macan for a few weeks and it is about the same size as an older Cayenne.

Hyundai and Kia have great warranty with decent resale but cheap-ish components and not the tight fit and finish you get with Toyota or Honda. Reliability is average. Not terrible but I've heard some horror stories with some of their product. Perhaps these particular examples were lemons, not sure. With warranty you shouldn't have any issues.

Honda and Toyota would always be my top two choices because of fit/finish, reliability, and resale but your entry price is a bit more. Mazda is creeping into this territory with me over the last 5 years or so. I like their offerings more now then a decade ago.

I find the compact SUV's way too small with little cargo area. Kinda silly since you buy a vehicle like that because you want cargo area. I'd look at the CR-V and Rav4 first, then check out a Tuscon or Sportage to see if their quality vs price point entices you compared to the Honda or Toyota product. If you still prefer Honda or Toyota then consider the HR-V and see if the limited cargo space vs lower price point is worth the savings.

Personally the CR-V or Rav4 would get my vote as I enjoy those brands and have had excellent success with them over the years. My mom has had 4 CR-V's, wife had one and now has an Odyssey (had a Prius too at one point). Mom currently shopping for a larger SUV and the Highlander or Pilot Touring are the only two I'll allow her to buy. Lol!! So yeah, I'm pretty biased.

My $0.02. Good luck :)

id rather have a civic or mazda 3 hatch then a subcompact suv. either of them are probably more spacious and similar price.

Great points here! The Jetta's trunk space is huge compared to these compact SUV's.

Really wish VW would bring their new MQB based Tiguan here and kept it the same size as the out going version and not a stretched wheel base with seating for 7. But good on them for not going CVT's on any of their cars.

i don't know much about these but what about the mitsubishi rvr?

http://app.canada.com/chrome/get.svc...compare:search

http://driving.ca/mitsubishi/rvr

They're basically a jacked up Lancer. Pros: Cheap, long warranty, awd, drives ok. Cons: Old platform, iffy resale, CVT, kinda slow. I had a lancer and the dealership servicing was awful. At least with a Subaru or something there are a bunch of options around town.

instead of the soul, what about the sportage? i think that comes with AWD here? i watched a euro spec review on youtube and the model that was being tested off road had the option of a driver-selectable locking center diff...

http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims...portage-10.jpg

Japanese manufacturers went with CVT because their cars are mostly lower torque cars and CVT is the most efficient in that power band. It is optimized for city environment (think Tokyo, HK etc).

Europeans and especially VW invented DSG and different combinations.. their engines have much higher torque than the Japanese.. so that and the IP generated, they wont' go to CVT unless there is significant cost savings.

Koreans they have developed their own DSG... then also see US as a main market.

Americans, Ford / GM collaborates on automatics, while FCA shops around to anyone that will give them a good price on components.

Mazda doesn't CVT and I honestly think it's because they care about driving feel. I have a Scion tC paired with a non-dsg slushbox automatic and it gets the job done. I've driven other Toyota's with a similar 2.5 litre paired with a CVT and it drives like poop.

Echoing other sentiments about subcompact CUVs having no space. My Mazdaspeed 3 has comparable space to a lot of mid size CUVs, the subcompacts will hold nothing.

I would lump Toyota and Honda in the same category, and Mazda slightly under. I like Mazdas, but find their pricing has crept a little too high, but they are willing to deal. I'm not a fan of Nissans.

I don't mind Hyundai/Kia, but they are only good deals on the low-med trims. The high trims are just as expensive as the Japanese. Also I still find their suspension tuning lacking, and component quality lacking. You really have to pick their expensive offerings (ala Genesis) to get good cars. Also don't take Hyundai/Kia's rated HP at face value, they drive a lot slower than what the rating says.

Mazda cx-5.
Owned one before I traded it for the Toyota Sienna. If I were to go back to a compact SUV, I would buy the cx-5 again. It's got AWD option, enough cargo room and seats 5 no problem. Handling is just amazing . Better than my Subaru Impreza. I referred it to my buddies and they bought it without regret.

I can't comment on kia, but the interior appears cheap. We had a 2012 Hyundai accent and interior was cheap as hell. Plenty of features but drove like shit. That's where I find the difference between Korean and Japanese imports. Kia and Hyundai have improved a lot, but it's the added features they give you when comparing prices with Japanese imports. Japanese makers will be a bit more pricey but you can tell by sitting and driving in one.
Just my two cents.

its got more to do with emission requirements. germans and americans went with turbo engines and japanese like nissan went with CVT. they basically both allow manufacturers to game emissions and fuel economy standads, while offering little benefits to end users.