If You Love Your Small SUV, Please Tell Me About It.

I don't have a ton of info but my neighbor just LOVES her Mercedes smaller SUV. She got it used and the price was right, so that's why she went with what most people think is an expensive car. For her, it wasn't. She has 2 teens and a tween and she's always ferrying them around to activities with their friends and their sports/gymnastics gear. She's very happy with it. She had a minivan before, and this seems to be a cross between a minivan and a small SUV. Good luck!

I LOVE the 2015 Subaru Forester. Actually, starting with the 2014, but I think they made some engine modifications that make the 2015 much better (better mpg and longer between oil changes). We had one years ago (1999) that we kept for 165,000 miles before it felt too small for our growing family of 4. We sized up to an Xterra, and drove that for 310,000 miles.

Last year it was time to move on. So I was looking at the new Forester's again... the kids both sat in the back (son was 16 at the time) and they LOVED it and said it had even more room than the Xterra did. Lots of storage space in the cargo area, too. Almost (but not quite) the same as the Xterra had.

AWD, of course.

Well, the one I wanted (with all the upgrades I wanted on it) cost around $30,000 and we just weren't ready to spend that much. So we started looking at used. Couldn't find one that wasn't the older models that were much smaller in the 2nd row seating with poorer mpgs, but they had a used Outback on the lot. It just happened to have every single upgrade I wanted to add to a Forester model to make it how I wanted it, but being used it was $10,000 less than the new Forester. Granted... used, and not the newest year model. But it only had a little over 60,000 miles on it.

We love it. The kids have tons of room in the back and it's great for trips. We ride in comfort in the front, too.

Honestly, I would look at the Forester, if you want a small SUV. It does sit up a little higher (vision wise for the driver) than the Outbacks do. And they are SO maneuverable you won't believe it if you've never driven one. The mpg they get now run like 26/34 or something along those lines. I know my Outback is rated around 19/26 or something, but I average 27.9 mpg every fill up.

Just double check the oil change recommendations for the year model you are looking at. For some weird reason the 2013 and 2014 models (across the models-Forester, Outback, Legacy) all have much shorter oil change interval recommendations. My Outback recommendation is 7,000 miles in "normal" driving conditions... some of those 2013 and 2014 models it is like 2,500 or 2,750 or something.

Happy shopping!
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The handsfree (steering wheel controls) is nice. I have it on my 2011 Outback. It really depends on what "package" you buy. I probably wouldn't ever buy another vehicle without it. My vehicle does not have the navigation, but (like Elena B) I have it on my phone. And when I Bluetooth my phone to the car media, I can answer calls from the steering wheel AND listen to turn by turn navigation through the stereo speakers as well. The stereo plays (satellite, radio, CD, Aux) put pauses when the navigation speaks, or the phone is in use thru the bluetooth. Easy peasy. If I plug my iphone in to charge while I drive, I can just ask Siri to make calls or text or whatever. She can read me my texts through the stereo speakers. ;)

We have a 2013 Subaru Forester. My son is 6'3" and he's comfortable in all the seats. I'm 5'6" and I am too. My husband is 6'0" but a hundred pounds heavier than me, and he finds it completely comfortable for him too.

When we chose a new car, I test "sat", rather than test-drove almost all the SUVs. I wanted one that I could comfortably see the road from, not feel like I was driving a truck, not feel like I was in a giant vehicle or smushed into a tiny one. The Forester was the only one that checked off all the boxes.

Gas mileage is great. Cargo area, rear seat, all great. No complaints.

One thing to consider: many places are going "hands free", while calling on cell phones. The 2013 Forester included Bluetooth hands-free calling and hands-free radio controls (volume, station changing, etc) on the steering wheel. It's a consideration. You might look into buying a car that already has those capabilities, so you don't have to add them in later. I think that perhaps some 2012 SUVs have the hands-free Bluetooth capabilities, but many of the 2011 models don't. It's something to consider if a 2011 model seems good, but doesn't have that hands-free technology. You will probably have to add that in soon enough, and that could add a lot of money in an after-market purchase.

I chose the 2013 model because it had the Bluetooth handsfree tech. It doesn't have navigation, but we have that on our phones. But to receive a phone call by pressing a simple button on the steering wheel is nice. And it doesn't violate any laws.

I had a 2002 Subaru Forester for 13 years (@ 180,000 miles) and last year sold it off to a neighbor and bought my brother's used 2007 Forester (@ 107,000). He, in turn, bought a brand-new 2015 Forester, which is even roomier than the older model and has all the new safety gadgets in it. Love, love, love the Forester, especially the AWD which has gotten me through many a big snowstorm here. I also like sitting a little higher up than you do in a regular car, but driving something that is not big and unwieldy, like the larger SUVs. Plus the gas mileage is not terrible. I think the newer Subarus are even better for that. I definitely recommend it.

We love our Subaru Forester! It's a nice small size for an SUV yet it holds us, our kids, our dogs and our ski or camping gear nicely. I love it because it was rated #1 for driving on ice and snow and that is important to me. We do a lot of winter driving and I always feel safe.

my aunt has a subaru forester. older than the models you're looking at, but she loves it. it's very reliable, good in winter weather, and tough enough to deal with dogs and the desert.
khairete
S.

I have a CRV and I am amazed that such a small SUV has so much room for passengers. I have teens and adult kids, all have ridden in the back seat, none have wanted for more room.

I fill the tank once a week and that includes a 40 mile commute five days a week and other driving needs. I think the 2015 won some awards as well. It is worth taking a look at. My current CRV is a 2012, the one before that was 2007. The 2007 had over 100,000 miles on it before I had to get new brakes which was the first real maintenance on the car.

They are very comfortable workhorses.

Oh and I love the hands free everything. It always jacks up the texts when it reads them but it is amusing to hear the tries.

We had a rented Hyundai Santa Fe over the Thanksgiving holiday as our cars are too old for big road trips! We loved it! Lots of leg room - my brother - 6' 2" was surprised at how roomy it was in the backseat and plenty of room in the "trunk"! Very comfortable - it might be a cross over and not an SUV - not sure. Drove like a car and not a truck and good gas mileage. Good luck!

We have a 2013 Toyota Highlander that we got new in 2013. We LOVE it. I am 6'1 and my husband is 6'3. My legs are longer, so we always put him in the driver seat and me behind him...if my legs are fine, we are good to go. My legs are FINE there and it's incredibly comfortable. The gas is average of 19-20 MPG as well, that was important to us when we bought it as well. And it currently costs about $40 to fill...gas prices are about $2.10 where we live.

We are going to trade that in sometime in the next 18-24 months and go back to a Suburban or Yukon XL though, we need the trunk space with our kids activities and travelling as a family of 5.

We have a 2004 Honda CR-V and my dad has a 2015 CR-V - I have two boys - ages 13 and 15 with long legs - they fit comfortably in back seat.

LAX gear and a Violin as well as soccer gear fits in the back

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We have a 2004 Honda CR-V and my dad has a 2015 CR-V - I have two boys - ages 13 and 15 with long legs - they fit comfortably in back seat.

LAX gear and a Violin as well as soccer gear fits in the back

We love love love our 2015 Subaru Outback. We drove a few older ones too, which were great (but we couldn't find exactly what we wanted with options). They hold their value really well so we spent a bit more and got a brand new one. With the push button start, keyless entry, backup camera, etc (awesome packages), I am super happy with it. Both of our kids have a lot of room in back and the there's a ton of storage.

We did a ton of research before we bought, and Subaru really cares about customers. They have lots of loyal fans. Also, they have partnerships with environment and animal groups like spca that will allow you 2% under invoice no haggle (if you're a member). We got a great deal. When we upgrade our other car in a few years, we are absolutely going to get another Subaru.