Compact Luxury SUVs :( Help with Choices

[twitchyzero]

very few can sustain 75mph in the vancouver area...commuting on the interstate is not a thing here

turbos are great on paper, but to get it spooled means awful fuel economy in traffic

anything less than high teens in the city is a fail for a car made in the 2020s

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

very few can sustain 75mph in the vancouver area...commuting on the interstate is not a thing here

turbos are great on paper, but to get it spooled means awful fuel economy in traffic

anything less than high teens in the city is a fail for a car made in the 2020s

I agree that Vancouver driving is defs gonna be much closer to the city rating.

I know my location's not listed but I'm usually not in Canada - most of my driving is either rush hour gridlock or 50-75 mph highways

RE: poor economy in the Charger - yep. the 5.7 is pretty old and the car is heavy. I was getting 18mpg city in the Mustang GT (dual injected version of Coyote)

[bcrdukes]

Turbo technology has come a long way. They're likely to be a lot more efficient than the turbos from say 20 years ago. Regardless, fuel economy will suffer, especially for those of us who need to have a boost rush once in a while.

[trollface]

Originally Posted by AstulzerRZD

I agree that Vancouver driving is defs gonna be much closer to the city rating.

I know my location's not listed but I'm usually not in Canada - most of my driving is either rush hour gridlock or 50-75 mph highways

RE: poor economy in the Charger - yep. the 5.7 is pretty old and the car is heavy. I was getting 18mpg city in the Mustang GT (dual injected version of Coyote)

I'm just looking at your car history. How did you manage to have a 19 Mustang, 19 Charger and then a 19 Golf?

Wouldn't you lose your ass on each one or am I doing something wrong?

[bcrdukes]

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by trollface

I'm just looking at your car history. How did you manage to have a 19 Mustang, 19 Charger and then a 19 Golf?

Wouldn't you lose your ass on each one or am I doing something wrong?

The Mustang Ecoboost, GT, and Charger R/T were corporate cars that I had for roughly a month or two each.
They usually give out Corolla/Camry/Ecosport but I made some friends at the rental place

I usually only spend 3-4 months in each place, sometimes carless, hence the long list - there's defs a few not on there
I think my goal for when I finally settle down this year is to not drive anything for more than 12 months... probably a combo of heavily depreciated but popular cars, lease takeovers, etc.

[trollface]

Ah makes total sense now lol

[supafamous]

Originally Posted by forcedot

Why do people want or think they need an SUV over a sedan?

Something I can't seem to figure out, especially in the Lower Mainland.

New Dad here. Got an RDX when I couldn't find a wagon that would work well enough for us. The space in the back seat that let us haul the in-laws plus the baby plus enough trunk for those gigantic strollers was a must. None of the wagons I looked at did the trick - the Golf was too small for us (but great for a lot of parents) and the V60 was too much money.

[roastpuff]

Got to try a few cars over the weekend.

Toyota RAV4 - meh. Also, the 8 speed transmission in the non-hybrid was just like the rental Camry I had for a bit. Confused about what gears are appropriate.

Honda CR-V - It's a Honda. Decent drive, CVT is meh. Very spacious. Have had a lot of Hondas in the past so might want something different.

VW Tiguan - nope. It had Eeyore's personality. Just felt wallowy and huge. Also they neutered the power, wtf.

VW Golf Sportwagen - I like it, but just too small and low on power. If they had a Golf R version... even a GTI version...

Acura RDX - Wow. Nicer interior than expected, wish the A-Spec had more power. Lots of interior space. A definite contender. Ride was firmer than I expected, handles nicely. Really good value for money considering features etc.

Mazda CX-5 GT Turbo - nice, but not as nice as the hype made it out to be. Some fit and finish issues that I could see, and smaller than preferred. Eh.

BMW X3 - Wow. Wow. Wow. (Owen Wilson Wow). I know now why people go gaga over it, even the 30i base model. The ride quality was impeccable, supple yet sporty, driving dynamics were superb. Every little detail was not overlooked. The galvanic controls were much nicer than I expected. I don't know if I want to try the M40i or not because that's gonna make me blow my budget.

Audi - got ignored at OpenRoad Audi because I don't look rich enough, I guess? They were "too busy" to deal with me.

[belka]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

BMW X3 - Wow. Wow. Wow. (Owen Wilson Wow). I don't know if I want to try the M40i or not because that's gonna make me blow my budget.

Go back and take the X1 for a drive, it has the same engine as the X3 but it's only marginally smaller in size. Driving dynamics are different and the X3 is a little nicer inside with better quality materials, but you can save $$$. IMHO if I went the X3 route I'd go with the M40i, that engine and trans are smooth as silk.

[bcrdukes]

I loved the RAV4. I rented one out of Sacramento airport, drove to Lake Tahoe, Reno, and back to Sacramento Airport. It was 95% highway so the gearing was not noticable (and quite frankly, I didn't care.) Or maybe I just love boring cars.

[JDMDreams]

Did you drive the Rav 4 hybrid? I'm might be looking for a new car to get the hov sticker and I'm waiting to see the Rav 4 phev pricing vs model 3. I saw that the 19 GTI and sport wagons were having 0% financing on the VW site. Kinda tempted but then I won't get the hov sticker.

I wouldn't mind a telluride or palasade but no hybrid and no diesel kills it for me.

[tofu1413]

theres a new rav4 prime coming out. should be pretty wicked.

[Traum]

I seem to remember reading from somewhere that stock for the Rav4 Prime is gonna be super low in Canada?

I, for one, really wish that Toyota's PHEVs is more readily available. Looked into getting a Prius Prime before twice over a span of several months, and both times they didn't have any in stock. (And I did not want to leave a deposit to line up for one.)

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by JDMDreams

Did you drive the Rav 4 hybrid? I'm might be looking for a new car to get the hov sticker and I'm waiting to see the Rav 4 phev pricing vs model 3. I saw that the 19 GTI and sport wagons were having 0% financing on the VW site. Kinda tempted but then I won't get the hov sticker.

I wouldn't mind a telluride or palasade but no hybrid and no diesel kills it for me.

Drove the regular hybrid, pretty nice (better than the gas-only with the 8A), but interior is pretty bland and plastic. Drove okay, but not sporty or entertaining at all.

The PHEV is already on a super long waiting list - Canada is only getting 1000 or so, the sales guy tells me. Not sure if that's true or not.

Originally Posted by tofu1413

theres a new rav4 prime coming out. should be pretty wicked.

But then Toyota interior + Toyota no-haggle-sells-above-MSRP pricing on the hot PHEV cars.

Originally Posted by Traum

I seem to remember reading from somewhere that stock for the Rav4 Prime is gonna be super low in Canada?

I, for one, really wish that Toyota's PHEVs is more readily available. Looked into getting a Prius Prime before twice over a span of several months, and both times they didn't have any in stock. (And I did not want to leave a deposit to line up for one.)

Super long waitlist already I'm told, and honestly I'm not a huge fan of Toyotas.

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by Traum

I seem to remember reading from somewhere that stock for the Rav4 Prime is gonna be super low in Canada?

Not sure how true this is but I've heard that RedFlagDeals commentors are claiming ~520 allocated for Canada this year, that's less than 1 per dealer

[tofu1413]

I got a guy at capilano Audi that can help you out if you got Audi on the list.

considered wagon? those pre owned V90 wagons are pretty sick deals.

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van...074966562.html

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

Got to try a few cars over the weekend.

Toyota RAV4 - meh. Also, the 8 speed transmission in the non-hybrid was just like the rental Camry I had for a bit. Confused about what gears are appropriate.

Honda CR-V - It's a Honda. Decent drive, CVT is meh. Very spacious. Have had a lot of Hondas in the past so might want something different.

VW Tiguan - nope. It had Eeyore's personality. Just felt wallowy and huge. Also they neutered the power, wtf.

VW Golf Sportwagen - I like it, but just too small and low on power. If they had a Golf R version... even a GTI version...

Acura RDX - Wow. Nicer interior than expected, wish the A-Spec had more power. Lots of interior space. A definite contender. Ride was firmer than I expected, handles nicely. Really good value for money considering features etc.

Mazda CX-5 GT Turbo - nice, but not as nice as the hype made it out to be. Some fit and finish issues that I could see, and smaller than preferred. Eh.

BMW X3 - Wow. Wow. Wow. (Owen Wilson Wow). I know now why people go gaga over it, even the 30i base model. The ride quality was impeccable, supple yet sporty, driving dynamics were superb. Every little detail was not overlooked. The galvanic controls were much nicer than I expected. I don't know if I want to try the M40i or not because that's gonna make me blow my budget.

Audi - got ignored at OpenRoad Audi because I don't look rich enough, I guess? They were "too busy" to deal with me.

Was the X3 that amazing? I mean yeah it beats the Tiguan CRV Rav4.... but really?

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by tofu1413

I got a guy at capilano Audi that can help you out if you got Audi on the list.

considered wagon? those pre owned V90 wagons are pretty sick deals.

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van...074966562.html

Thanks tofu! I'll PM you.

The Volvos scare me with the reliability on the 2 liter, and electronics.

Originally Posted by EvoFire

Was the X3 that amazing? I mean yeah it beats the Tiguan CRV Rav4.... but really?

I was skeptical that it would be that much better... but it is. Everything just seems to be more than the sum of its parts. The chassis especially.

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by EvoFire

Was the X3 that amazing? I mean yeah it beats the Tiguan CRV Rav4.... but really?

Perhaps I can chime in here having driven the Q5, X3, CX-5 Turbo, and Stelvio Ti recently.
I the X3 the most out of this competitive set.

Interior Space:
I find the Q5 front seats tight width wise while I find the CX-5 backseats tight legroom wise. Both rows in the X3 are seem noticeably larger than the competition.

As far as cargo room goes, the Stelvio is quite tight, the CX-5 kinda tight. The X3 was the largest and a slight improvement over the Q5 owing to its low load floor.

As far as materials, the Audi has a lot of hard plastic with the soft touch paint all over the center stack. The Stelvio has a lot of cheaply grained FCA plastic (but this has improved for the 2020 model I saw at the Toronto auto show). I'd prefer the CX-5 design & materials to those two. The X3 has a nicer design and materials than the CX-5.

The Drive:
As far as powertrain, all are pretty great. The CX-5 turbo is a torque monster down low and the transmission short shifts to accommodate for this. The 30i engine in the X3 feels a bit weird in the way that it falls off in the upper rev range but the 40i engine is fantastic. Stelvio engine is less fall-offy than the X3 30i. I don't remember much about the Q5 powertrain.

Driving dynamics wise, I like the Stelvio Ti the most - steering has great feel and the front end feels very light. The X3 M40i is certainly competent but you can definitely feel the higher CoG and weight shifting around. CX-5 is a refined daily but not something you could really carve some corners with. Q5 steering is really light and numb.

[beatdownvictim]

Spring for the x3m40i if you can. R
I went from an odyssey to that and no ragrets. Now my wife drives it.

I average 13l/100km in city and about 8l/100km on highway

Love driving that thing as i miss the sound of the engine/exhaust compared to driving my p3d

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

Thanks tofu! I'll PM you.

The Volvos scare me with the reliability on the 2 liter, and electronics.


I was skeptical that it would be that much better... but it is. Everything just seems to be more than the sum of its parts. The chassis especially.

It is a competent car for sure, but I rated it the same as the Q5 and RDX. The RDX lost out on interior space and financing, whereas the Q5 lost out on interior quality and financing.

The RDX while seemingly spacious and large, did not fit our car seat well.
The Q5 is very clever with its interior, I especially liked the sliding rear seats which gives you a larger trunk space in a pinch. It is true that the Q5 interior doesn't seem as nice, surprising for Audi. Probably cause they needed to leave room for the Macan.

I liked the engine more in both the RDX and Q5. The RDX felt like a tuner engine and I liked how it sounded. The EA888 in the Q5 just felt more urgent than the soft response of the B48 in the X3.

We got 0.24% financing with the X3, with our Mini lease required to be traded in and both Audi and Acura not really wanting to touch it, we went with the X3. We like it. I don't like driving it.

Originally Posted by AstulzerRZD

Perhaps I can chime in here having driven the Q5, X3, CX-5 Turbo, and Stelvio Ti recently.
I the X3 the most out of this competitive set.

Interior Space:
I find the Q5 front seats tight width wise while I find the CX-5 backseats tight legroom wise. Both rows in the X3 are seem noticeably larger than the competition.

As far as cargo room goes, the Stelvio is quite tight, the CX-5 kinda tight. The X3 was the largest and a slight improvement over the Q5 owing to its low load floor.

As far as materials, the Audi has a lot of hard plastic with the soft touch paint all over the center stack. The Stelvio has a lot of cheaply grained FCA plastic (but this has improved for the 2020 model I saw at the Toronto auto show). I'd prefer the CX-5 design & materials to those two. The X3 has a nicer design and materials than the CX-5.

The Drive:
As far as powertrain, all are pretty great. The CX-5 turbo is a torque monster down low and the transmission short shifts to accommodate for this. The 30i engine in the X3 feels a bit weird in the way that it falls off in the upper rev range but the 40i engine is fantastic. Stelvio engine is less fall-offy than the X3 30i. I don't remember much about the Q5 powertrain.

Driving dynamics wise, I like the Stelvio Ti the most - steering has great feel and the front end feels very light. The X3 M40i is certainly competent but you can definitely feel the higher CoG and weight shifting around. CX-5 is a refined daily but not something you could really carve some corners with. Q5 steering is really light and numb.

We test drove all of them except for the Stelvio. I really like how it looks but Alfa

We did buy a X3 so lol

[bcrdukes]

Originally Posted by EvoFire

we went with the X3. We like it. I don't like driving it.

We did buy a X3 so lol

...If I am reading this correctly, you like the X3, but don't like driving it, but bought it anyway?

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by bcrdukes

...If I am reading this correctly, you like the X3, but don't like driving it, but bought it anyway?

Yes pretty much LOL

I drive a manual F80 M3. I've had a NC Miata and MS3 and CRX.
The X3 is the wife's car family babymobile.

It's the lesser of the evils and top of the class for compact-ish SUVs. If it was up to me only I would have picked a F31 wagon or a A4 All Road. I couldn't really argue with the SUV cause it's going to be her daily as well and she wanted the SUV.

[striderblade]

Check out the Kia telluride or Hyundai Palisades. Both get good reviews and best bang for the bucks. Thinking of trading my Audi Q5 for 1. Just can't decide which one. If you can wait then look up the new Genesis gv80