conjonway

I'd like to put my vote forward for the Ford Escape, bought a brand new one the year before last (although feeling a bit of a mug now I've seen the 2013 version coming out, and how fast my 2011 has gone down in price).

Opted for the FWD instead of AWD because hey, we're in Toronto, they have snow ploughs, and I'm not doing any offroading. Got the dealer to throw in some snow tyres, and never had any problem crunching through the snow. (granted there's hardly been any since I bought the car)

Basically we liked the SUV size and space, especially with having a dog and nieces/nephews to cart around, but the fuel economy is pretty good, comfortable and has been very reliable.

A friend sent me this site for buying new cars http://unhaggle.com anyone used it, or heard of anyone using it? Seems like a good idea on paper.

R I C H

More operator error than Polaris quality control, though I'd have liked stronger plastics.

dbd33

Me too. While I was contractually bound to provide "a sport utility vehicle less than three years old having leather seats and 4wd" I leased a series of Escapes for three years each. Nothing went wrong with them. And, believe me, had anything gone wrong, anything at all, my lawyer would have told me, slowly and repeatedly.

Novocastrian

I imagine you're pleased that that painful episode is largely behind you. But still, Ford Escape?

mandymoochops

Probably hoping it was going to explode in transit

dbd33

I borrowed the Escapes from time to time. They seemed alright to me, to the extent that a hardtop can be alright, things fitted into it, the driver was comfortable, no features immediately offended me. What do you want? An SUV is just an estate car, it's never going to be more thrilling than an Austin Allegro.

dbd33

Prior to the Escapes I funded a Ford Exploder. Nothing went wrong with that either.

SambaDeAmigo

No problems with my 2010 Ford Escape. Been very happy with it. Not as fuel efficient as the Chevy Equinox but I found it better to drive. Ford makes really good cars now.

Aberdeen_Loon

I have a 2012 Journey as well, and I am pretty happy with it. They're pretty cheap, reasonably comfortable and they have a good sized cargo space.

They also come in 4 and 6 cylinder versions, with the 4 cylinder being a 2.4 litre engine. I have the 4 cylinder, and it still has a fair amount of pickup for a "four banger."

GC44

We had a good look at SUVs when we came over. Ford Escape struck me as being 10 years out of date, Chevy Equinox was nice, CRV was okay (we had Hondas back in the UK for 15 years with no trouble) but we fancied a change so finally plumped for the Kia Sorento. Good value, great spec and a fantastic warrenty. We went for the 2.4i AWD EX.

Steve_

I've had both and the Subaru is easily the better car. The seats are way more comfortable for example, and I'm not just comparing with one year of Audi, I'm talking now going back all the way to 1998 because I know who've still got Audis.

The Subaru also has more space in the back with the seats up (or down probably).

Audi you are paying for the name, I think.

iaink

And the interior design, Audi interiors are a class ahead.

Having said that Im very happy with the Legacy we have, it gets the job done, although in the winter for ski trips the top box is a necessity, as it would be for the Audi with 4 people in it I guess. The built in rack rails make that an easy job though.

Steve_

Are you opposed to American makes, Jeep has a fair number, Chevy Equinox, Ford Escape, etc?

The conclusion I've reached about SUVs is that you're better off with a station wagon, for several reasons, but the main one is that if you look at the storage space in the back, you'll see almost the same space quoted for an Outback or a Forester, but the Outback has more sq. ft. whereas the Forester has the same space but a lot of it is roof space.

I suppose if you have a dog or something in the back the SUV makes more sense but I've found it's easier to move furniture for example in a wagon (assuming you can disassemble it).

I'm talking about smaller SUVs, obviously if you go for something big like a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Ford Explorer it will have more space inside.

But anyway I would go for the Forester out of what you've listed. Subarus seem to hold their value better, imo, they're quite sought after on the used market.

Steve_

Well yes, they're prettier, but who cares in the winter. But they're not as comfortable imx and comfort outclasses fancy looking buttons.

I actually test drove a Subaru almost immediately after the Audi and it was blindingly obvious the Subaru was better, which is why I bought it, even though I had previously owned a couple of Audis.

Former Lancastrian

OH has a Nissan Rogue smaller version of the Murano.
The CVT transmission is smooth. Mileage ok but smallish fuel tank.
http://www.nissan.ca/vehicles/suv/rogue/en/default.aspx