Car Shopping - Small Crossovers

[Bike Chick]

I'm so very fond of the Subaru Outback but since any car in our household has to be union and American made, the Subaru is out. I'm looking at the 2011 Ford Explorer right now. Very, very, nice and good gas mileage.

[ASammy1]

My father LOVES his Dodge Journey and since you're from MI (me too!), I know how hard it is to support the foreign auto makers there.

[goldfinch]

I just went through shopping for the same thing. I also had the Toyota Rav4 on the list, priced comparably to Honda CRV, and the Hyundai Elantra Touring, which is like of like a long hatchback. I looked at the smaller ones too, like the Matrix.

Yesterday I bought the Rav4. The reasons:

Very comfortable to drive. The sitting position is great.
The back area is large--I can put my bike in it without even taking a wheel off. Even though the Honda CRV is comparable in size the way the back seats fold down leave a lot less room for hauling things.
The mileage is decent.
The hatchbacks were too small for my needs.
I got a good price for a two wheel drive four cylinder with no bells and whistles.
It is a toyota, it should last.
Prices are going up on vehicles that have Japan made parts so I decided to go for it now.

[nscrbug]

Have you considered the new Nissan Juke? I test drove one a few months back, and I absolutely LOVED it! Plus I like the fact that it doesn't look like all the other crossover vehicles out there...it's a little unique looking. It is definitely on my short list of vehicles that I'm considering.

Another one on my list is the Hyundai Tucson. They did a really nice job of restyling that vehicle...I think it looks great, and you can't beat Hyundai's 100,000 mile warranty.

[lawnchick22]

I recently bought a 2006 Rav4...Love love love it. It's a graduation gift for my son. I was between a crv and the Rav...rav won out. I already drive a Tundra, and know Toyotas are great vehicles.

I also hauled my bike into work this week without taking a wheel off and had plenty of room to spare.

I'm checking mileage now...prior owner said about 25 mpg in the city..pretty good, esp since it is a V6. Has great power MORE bells and whistles than my son needs, but it was a great deal....it's gonna be hard to give it up come June.

[surgtech1956]

I'm going to check out the RAV4, back in the 80's I owned a Toyota and it was a great vehicle. I'm going to go drive some vehicles in the next week and a half.

[pumpkinpony]

The Kia Sportage is based off the Hyundai Tuscon frame... I just poked my nose into a friend's parents Kia and it looks darn near the same, even the same trim style inside.

I have a Hyundai Santa Fe (slightly bigger) and love it. It's AWD. The back is big enough that I can put the road or mountain bike in it laying flat without having to take a wheel off. If you only fold down one side of the rear seat, my road bike will lean up against the seat just fine which gives more room for other stuff. With a couple of Saris Traps and a 2x4 you can put two or more in the back with the front tires off.

It gets pretty good mileage. If I set the cruise at 65 on the highway it'll show 26.5 avg. Of course that goes down if you go faster...

[Irulan]

Just curious... why do people think they HAVE to have AWD? Now, before everyone gets huffy... I am a former Subaru owner, and DH keeps a 4x4 rig for work. I live in a four season community. We get some serious snow at times. This is not a judgment, just a call for discussion

When I was new car shopping in O8, I made a conscious decisions to skip AWD primarily for mileage concerns. It saved a few thousand dollars on the car, too. Instead I got a great front wheel drive with traction control, put a set a snow wheels and top of the line snow tires on it in the winter (blizzaks) and it gets around just great. The only time i ever have issues is when the snow is deeper than the front end of my car. Who wouldn't when it's that deep? Plus I am a skier and do lots of trip to the mountain where there is even MORE snow... Shoot when I lived in Colorado @ 8000 feet and had front wheel drive w/snow tires, my traction was just as good or better at times than 4x4.

Sometimes I think we've all snowed by the car companies for what it takes to get around safely in the snow.

[Xrayted]

I'm so very fond of the Subaru Outback but since any car in our household has to be union and American made, the Subaru is out. I'm looking at the 2011 Ford Explorer right now. Very, very, nice and good gas mileage.

Hmmmm. There is no such thing as a totally "american made" car. There hasn't been for decades. Although, if you want as close to it as you can get, buy a Ford Econoline van. It's at 95%. Your Explorer... 80% american. The tipping point to be considered "american made" is only 75% and can be from Canada as well. Many "american" cars don't qualify and they are outsourcing more and more products each year. My Harley baaaarrrrrrely qualifies, actually.

Your Ford Explorer comes in way low on the totem pole overall, and the gas mileage is not really that good at an average of 14/19, even compared to other SUV's. You might want to check out a Ford Escape hybrid which is 90% "american" and gets 31/34 mpg. Or a Mercury Mariner hybrid or a Mazda Tribute hybrid. They come in at 90% "american" as well, with 31/34 mpg. Of course even though the Mazda is a Japan owned and built vehicle, it is still more "american" than the Explorer overall. As we all know, under it all, it's a Ford in disguise anyway. The nameplate on the front just doesn't say "Ford". The money is still sent to Japan though. Ford figured out a long time ago to put their hands in the pockets of foreign automakers to diversify. Did they partake of the bailout? I can't recall.

Well, you could look at Chevy's. Let's see... The Tahoe hybrid is the best mpg they have to offer at a measly 21/22 mpg but it's not an "american made" car either. Just has the nameplate. I guess you can forget that one afterall. Hmmm... "american made" SUV's with decent mpg... uh, hmmmm. Gimme a minute here. I know there's another one out there.


Well, most of them are coming in at about where the gas guzzling Tahoe does on mpg. Sorry. I tried.

As we all know, Dodge's are German with an "american" nameplate, Isuzu is Japanese (GM actually), Chrysler is German with an "american" nameplate, Mitsubishi is a Dodge but a "Japanese Dodge". (Apparently, the Germans don't like them either.) Jeeps are German with an "american" nameplate as well. Of course, I already mentioned that Mazda is Japanese but actually a Ford.

In the end, think we should all just stick to bikes. At least we know where those come from. Right?


(FWIW, I love my Subaru Impreza Outback Sport.)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMO8Pyi3UpY

[Crankin]

I can't imagine the setting where I live, my neighbors, or anyone dictating what kind of car I can drive. We still have "freedom" of choice, which we supposedly love so dearly? For years, my grandparents always were spouting the mantra of "don't buy German cars" ( the Holocaust) and "don't buy Japanese cars" ("what they did to our boys..."). One time when I came to visit, my grandfather was ranting on me about this, until finally I told him *I* was the one with a neutral car... at the time I had a Volvo and DH had a Saab, but it was my mom who had the evil Mazda. He shut up after that.

[Fredwina]

x
Bikes can be just as confusing
Take my two Bacchetta Recumbents
The Frame is made and Painted in Taiwan. It's then shipped to Tampa, Fl, where the components ( Including an American made seat and Chinese Handlebars). so is this American or Chinese? and which Chinese?

[Catrin]

I love my 100% Japanese made Mitsubishi Lancer... and I love my 100% American made Gunnar (at least the frame is), and I love my (probably) made-in-Taiwan-or-China LHT and Jamis. Thankfully we still have freedom of choice!

[zoom-zoom]

I love my 100% Japanese made Mitsubishi Lancer... and I love my 100% American made Gunnar (at least the frame is), and I love my (probably) made-in-Taiwan-or-China LHT and Jamis. Thankfully we still have freedom of choice!

That reminds me...my '10 Cannondale Synapse was made in the US, but not my '11 SuperSix. I seem to recall reading that as of this model year there are very few Cdales made in the US, now.

[OakLeaf]

That reminds me...my '10 Cannondale Synapse was made in the US, but not my '11 SuperSix. I seem to recall reading that as of this model year there are very few Cdales made in the US, now.

that's weird ... my '07 Synapse was Asian-made, although I forget what country. Back then it was only the hi-mod carbon frames that were still being made in the USA (by any of the big three) - I'm surprised they brought them back even for a short time.


I don't think there are many people who don't realize that we live in a global economy ... but there are plenty of jobs where the badge on your car is important. Lots of people have to buy a car to please their superiors, not (just) their neighbors.

[Xrayted]

Well, in case you were wondering...


Shimano - Japan and Taiwan
SRAM - Taiwan
Campy - Italy but some now made in Taiwan. Assembly is in Romania apparently
Trek - Wisconsin makes highest end frames but now rest made in China and Taiwan
LeMond - owned by Trek, made in Taiwan but the highest end is still made in WI, USA
Waterford (owns Gunnar)- all USA
Specialized - made in Taiwan
Seven - made in USA
Raleigh - originally UK but now owned by a Wa, USA company and made in Asia
Orbea -Spain concept, frames made in Asia, painted in Spain.
Motobecane - made in Taiwan
Kona - California owned but made in Taiwan
Jamis - US design, made in Asia
Giant - Taiwan (make many frames for many manufacturers including many on this list that say they are from US)
Bianchi - Italy originally. now many asian markets.
Cervelo - Canadian but made in Asia and just assembled in canada
Fuji - Made in Taiwan
Colnago - made in Italy except the lower range ones, they are made in Asia
Ducati - Licensed through Bianchi, but made in Asia
Felt - Asian made
Fisher - made in Asia but owned by Trek