My wife is looking at Buick Encores, Chevy Trax, Ford EcoSport, and other subcompact/compact SUVs/crossovers. What would you recommend? What would you avoid?
Would you mind elaborating on what makes those bad choices?
Terrible overall quality complete with quickly self-destructing engines and transmissions.
Those are not good choices - avoid at all costs. Look at a Toyota Corolla Cross or a RAV4, instead.
Unfortunately, the Corolla Cross is out of our price range. We are looking at used. Would you mind elaborating on what makes those bad choices?
Buick Encores, Chevy Trax
NOPE! These Opel Mokka based cars are known for being very poorly built.
Ford EcoSport
Well, if you can find one that's a 2.0L naturally aspirated with a conventional automatic,
if and only if it has been heavily discounted - it might be worth a look.
Realize that the EcoSport is an ancient car and has been a flop due it's HORRID value proposition.
It's miserable outdated lifted Fiesta for the price of an actual SUV.
I wouldn't even consider it a at a penny over $15k!
What would you recommend?
Around the world, there are plenty of punchy little SUVs, like the Toyota Yaris Cross to the Ford Puma.
As a matter of fact I drive a small SUV (or rather "CUV") and absolutely love it.
In the rest of the world, a CUVs costs a lot less than a family sedan, as these are based on compacts,
for example the Ford EcoSport is based on the old Fiesta, and yet they try to sell them it at the price of a Corolla -
What a rip off!
With how overpriced CUVs are in the US, it makes a lot more sense to get a SUV like the Corolla Cross.
Just get a Corolla Cross instead, you can't even compare it to the Fiesta based Ford.
Unfortunately, the Corolla Cross is out of our price range. We are looking at used.
Then consider a used Rav4 or cr-v because the cars you are considering are awful when it comes to quality and reliability.
If the Corolla Cross is out of your price range, consider the Toyota CHR.
Corolla Cross is made by Mazda and first shipments are coming out of New Zealand. I'd research their QC. Something else, I don't remember if they put a regular or CVT in the C Cross.
Corolla Cross is the Corolla but with a suv body so I wouldn't be concerned at all. It does have CVT but it is being made at the joint Toyota Mazda plant so not Mazda only. I own one; traded one of my 2022 Civic's for it and it's a good car. Mine is made in the Alabama plant and not New Zealand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Xxc8zgsJ8
Wow. Every one that I've seen in SoCal has had a VIN starting with 7. I have a friend thinking of buying one. There's decent inventory. I'd still make sure the transmission was made by Aisin/Toyota. Toyota CVTs have a launch gear and, despite a few early glitches, they have designed the best CVT so far.
Yes the VIN starts with a 7 which means the joint Toyota Mazda plant in Alabama like I said above. So not made in New Zealand and not made by Mazda alone. And it has the M20A-FKS engine just like the one being used in the Corolla sedan.
The first character of the VIN is the VIN number country code. It is used to identify the country or region where the car was manufactured. The country may be represented either by a digit or letter. For example, “J” means Japan, and “2” means Canada.
...
Oceania - VIN Country of Origin.
6 Australia
7 New Zealand
(source: https://epicvin.com/blog/vin-country-codes-of-the-vehicles )
@FutureSoCalEscapee the Corolla Cross is built in the United States: also, it makes sense to build it here to avoid tariffs.
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https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-corolla-cross-all-new-body-style-adds-utility-fun/
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https://pressroom.toyota.com/mazda-toyota-manufacturing-begins-production-on-2022-corolla-cross/
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I can’t think of any Toyota product made in New Zealand or even Australia and then imported to the United States.
@daywalker what you are saying is correct and it is built in the United States.
@FutureSoCalEscapee You can go online and find the VIN number of any brand new Corolla Cross then plug it into the NHTSA vin decoder and it will show you it's built in the United States.
here is the link: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/decoder/
and here is a vin of a new Corolla Cross from a dealership website (definitely not posting my own car's vin); plug it in and you'll see it's made in Alabama. 7MUEAABG2NV033109
Would you mind elaborating on what makes those bad choices?
There's a 2 year waiting list on engines for the 1.4T,
if you're buying used, prepare to park it for 2 years when (not if) the German built A14NXT blows up. {pear}:laugh:
And is there even a need to specify why an overgrown designed in the 2000s Fiesta is a bad choice?
We are looking at used
Consider a CX-3
if you're buying used, but beware, it's tiny and a bit miserable and handles poorly - but incredibly reliable.
It's a lifted Mazda2 (witch was marketed in the US as the Scion iA / Toyota Yaris)
is out of our price range
I really don't recommend looking at CUVs if you're looking for inexpensive cars - their value is terrible in the US.
Just to illustrate, my Corolla hatch sized CUV was about $13k brand new pre-tax (in the US new car tax is near 0),
But it's sister car starts at over $20k in the US!
in other regions where CUVs are hot, they're all significantly cheaper.
For example, looking online, in new Zealand it's similarly cheap, there it's $13.5k after tax for a well-equipped LX. (when converted from NZ$ to US$) - makes no sense why in the US similar models are almost twice that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACTSEUr7srY
Don't fall into the trap, do not overpay for a compact car based crossover.
Looking at used EcoSport and Mokka-derived car prices - they seem like a terrible deal.
Consider getting a Corolla / Mazda3 / if you really want a CUV, a Mazda CX-3
Look at the used Honda HR-V & Toyota C-HR.
out of our price range
Save up for the $50 boots (Toyota). It will cost you less in the long run.
Few things... Bad transmissions on the OP's list.
Corolla Cross is made by Mazda and first shipments are coming out of New Zealand. I'd research their QC. Something else, I don't remember if they put a regular or CVT in the C Cross. Mazda is not as familiar with CVTs. If the CVT is made by Aisin, I'd breathe better.
I support RAV4 consideration. Bought three in the last 1.5 years, all had the 6-speed transmission and were made in Japan. Very content.
Buick has gotten on some list of "reliable cars." Don't believe that crap. Being reliable for 12 months does not make a reliable car... Toyota has the track record.
CHRs have been discontinued. Maybe there's some deals out there because of the change???
The transmission is a K120 CVT by Aisin. Mazda does not even design or manufacture CVTs.