Hey Scotty, a family member of mine is looking at buying a new compact suv. She’s been looking at the Nissan Kicks and a Ford Escape. I know the Toyota and Honda’s are better but she’s not looking at spending that kind of money on a new SUV. Which vehicle would you recommend and is there any other ones you would suggest taking a look at? Thanks.
I would consider the Mazda CX-30. The Nissan Kicks should be just fine for 100k miles or so but long term not so much. I would also look into a used (or at least CPO) Honda HR-V/Toyota RAV4.
What does she think of Mazda?
Honestly don’t really know much about Mazda’s. Haven’t looked into them at all.
The new Mazdas have a lot of Toyota technology & are better built than before. The new CX-5 can certainly last a while.
What is your opinion on Mitsubishi’s?
Stay away from Mitsubishi if you keep your vehicles more than 10yrs/100,000 miles. They are part-owned by Nissan & have atrocious quality in their petrol vehicles. Their turbo diesels are much more robust.
The base CR-V is only $265 more than the Escape. The RAV4 is $1065 more and the CX-5 is $305 more than the Escape. Out of those options, I’d personally pick the CR-V every time, if I was trying to save cash. The segment benchmark is the RAV4, without doubt. The wildcard entry may be the Forester which is $390 cheaper than the Escape. All prices quoted from https://www.thecarconnection.com/compare/ford_escape_2020_choices
How would you compare the Mazda CX-5 to the CRV in terms of reliability?
CR-V > CX-5 because Honda makes the world’s best engines.
Listen to What @ InThrustWeTrust says and you will thank him for the coming years.
Does it have to be brand new? And how long are they planning to keep? If they buy used (which I recommend) then they can also look at the Toyota, Honda, and the Mazda’s. For longevity those are your best options. The Escape and Kicks won’t hold up or last as long and they they will be back in the same boat looking again for a vehicle. Also, some versions of the Escape and Mazda CX-5 feature cylinder deactivation which has a higher propensity to wear out/damage the engine over time - I recommend staying away from those.
Between those two, longevity wise, get the Ford. Better transmission.
There are better options on the market, but if she wants new and doesn't want to pay out of her nose, the Escape isn't a terrible choice.
It's her money. She can do whatever she wants. But if she has to have new, I would also recommend looking at a Mitsubishi, as I had an eclipse cross for a year and it was a stylish, capable, and well-built vehicle.
Mazda's are likely too expensive and the Chevy's have 3 cylinders.
Nissan Kicks and a Ford Escape
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Just vanish that thought! Drop it, … stop looking at the above two!
Honda HRV, Mazda CX-5, smaller Mazda CX-3, … I would go for either of the two Mazdas. These are very good. Really good! Nice, too, …
… but, please, no Ford, no Mitsubishi, no Kia, no Hyundai!
F.S.
