So my son just turned 16 and will be getting his driver's license in December so I am looking at getting a new CUV this month or next. I need it now because my Plaid isn't a good car to teach my son on because of the yoke and I feel the X7 is a little large for him and don't think it is a great car for him to learn on with 500+ hp either (plus I'm trading it in a few months and don't want to damage it). Right now I have to go to my friends used car lot every Saturday to pick out a CUV for him to drive to get hours in and I'm tired of doing that.

So here is where my head is. I want a CUV for him because it sits a little higher and has more cargo space for his hockey equipment and any other stuff he hauls around. At one point I was going to just buy a used $15,000 RAV4, CRV, CX5 or Tuscon but after looking at what I could get for $15k, it would be a relatively older model with a decent amount of miles.

So after some thinking and against what I wanted to do, I am thinking about just leasing something new for $350-$400 a month for 3 years. I originally didn't want to get him something new out of principal since I am old school and don't want to spoil him but at the same time I don't want to deal with any maintenance/out of warranty issues with an older used car. Also, as he is learning to drive more and more I will have to be in this car a fair amount the next year and I'll be damned if I have to ride in some crap box car.

So here is what I briefly looked at last Saturday that is in my price range (the lower base or one step up from base models).

1. Hyundai Tuscon
2. Hyundai Kona N-Line
3. Mazda CX-5
4. Kia Sportage

I didn't have time to test drive them yet but our of these four I really liked the looks of the Kona N-Line the best but overall I liked the CX-5. Does anyone have any thoughts on the cars listed or can think of any other CUVs in this price range? I was thinking about a Nissan Rogue as well since I just had one as a rental and it wasn't bad at all. The RAV4 and CRV are probably out of the budget so those are a no go.

Thoughts?

 

Whatever you get your teenage son, I recommend something with sub 200hp for a first car.

I was young once too so I know what it's like wanting to drive fast while being young & dumb. Lol

 

Used RX350 is my vote. Better than all of those

 

What about a Corolla Cross or HRV?

 

I was in the same situation in November last year. We got our son a 2024 Hyundai Tucson SEL. I brought him with me when I went around shopping for cars so I can get his input which car he is most comfortable driving. He liked the Tucson and I agree with his choice. In fact, I find myself driving it when I have to do errands. I don't know if you have experienced Hyundai's Bluelink feature but I find it useful to track the car's location, status, etc. Perhaps the other cars in your choices have the same feature too. Anyway, good luck on your search and wishing your son the best in his driving (and to you/your wife for that auto insurance)

 

Yup, already had the same thoughts, these are are right under 200hp.

Way more than I want to spend plus I decided I don’t want to own the car.

Good call, I have never heard of a Corolla Cross. I looked it up and it looks pretty good, will check one out this weekend. May check out the HRV but thought it may be a little small but who knows.

Awesome information. I haven’t experienced bluelink but what I like about the Hyundai is all of the maintenance is included for the lease term so one more thing I don’t need to worry about. As for my son driving, I have much more patience than my wife so I’ve been teaching him. Never imagined how difficult it is for new drivers to get the hang of everything because it’s like second nature to all of us to drive. Definitely some phantom braking by me in the passenger seat.

 

One more thing I just have to say, I haven’t bought a regular non-premium/luxury car in a while and my experience stopping in these dealerships was not great at all except for the Mazda dealer. It’s like the Hyundai and Kia dealers didn’t want to sell cars. I’m walking around the showroom begging for someone to help me and even when I finally get someone to help me it’s just not a good salesman.

 

Oh, forgot to mention that my son did most of his first driving experience with the Polestar so the driving dynamics were totally different. He found the Tucson much easier to drive and driving position more convenient (Polestar sits low). As for the dealership experience, we were fortunate that our local Hyundai dealer was not anything like Amirza's (I know you frequent the EV forum too). My last advice on this is to make sure your son at least sits on the driver's seat of whatever car you're considering. Have him see all the controls, switches, etc. and ask for his input/opinion.

 

That's because you're doing it all wrong
Good cars sell themselves.

 

Want: Low center of gravity, mid-sized or larger, lower horsepower.

 

If you are looking at the Kona, why the CX-5 and Sportage? Why not CX-30 and Seltos? Those are more comparable by price and size. Same class/size as the Corolla Cross and HRV.

 

i wouldn't lease a vehicle for a 16 yr old driver. you'll have to repair it if it gets damaged before returning it, and your insurance will be higher.

even if you spend more up front on the purchased used car you'll get some back when you sell it.

i'd get something smaller than a rav4, like a honda hr-v.

 

What about a Model Y Long Range? Incredibly safe and (as you know) you can set parameters/limits for speed under his "driver profile" for added peace of mind, which is something (to my knowledge) you can't do in any other car. If my kids were turning 16 right now, I'd lean towards them having a Tesla.

 

CX5 would be a great choice IMO. One of my agents just traded her CX5 in on a new Kia Nero Hybrid which is pretty sharp.

16 year old won’t necessarily damage a car. I never did, my wife never did. Most of my friends never did. Get something with cameras and blind spot monitoring and parking sensors.

Only thing about leasing it, is I would like my kids to be able to keep the car long term while they get started in life until they can afford to replace it. Mom and Dad will buy them each one car and then it’s up to them. If you lease, he’ll be 19 and the car will be gone and he’ll have nothing, what’s he going to do about a car when he gets out of college? If you buy him a new car he can keep it until he’s 30 if he wants. My office admin still has her car her parents bought her (a Mazda 3) when she was 16 and she’s 30. Her and her husband just got a new Sienna since they had a baby and now he drives the old paid for Mazda 3. I was given my moms couple year old Explorer when I turned 16 and I kept that through college until I graduated and I got my ES300 on my own.

Just food for thought…

 

That's what my parents did for me, offered me a new car up to 50k back in 2014. I thought that was wasted on a car so I just kept driving my truck since it was already a free car in my book...my dad gave it to me as a hand me down when I started driving and it's never left.