We are looking at a Small SUV needs AWD and navigation under $30K.

I am leaning towards the Honda CRV. Wanted any advice, were also going to look at the Santa Fe Sport which is a tad larger.

We had looked at the Forrester before but were not impressed didn't care for the CVT. We had not looked at the CX-5 Mazda but when testing the Mazda 6 we were not impressed with the TomTom nav system and the Forrester also seems to be lacking in the nav department as it seems like a generation behind the Honda.

 

Sportage, Rav4, Escape, Rogue all deserve a look, but the CR-V is a safe buy.

 

I don't endorse Ford, but there's the Escape. There's the Tucson too. However, if you will keep it 7+ years, pick between the CRV or RAV4 without a doubt as they are the most reliable.

EDIT: Did you see the Subaru Crosstek XV? Basically an Impreza hatchback on stilts but also has the CVT. However, it does have a manual mode, paddle shifters, and " 6 gears" for a more engaging drive whereas the Forester has this only in select models.

 

Honda CRV is pretty good, except for low ground clearance and weak off-road capabilities. But it's very reliable and comfortable.

 

Yeah because in the latest issue of 4WD Action they had a lot of CRVs off-roading

 

I assume you are talking brand-new rather than used.

That said, it's hard to go wrong with the CR-V. It's Swiss-Watch assembly-quality is legend, it has a stellar reliability record, a ride that is smoother than most of its rivals, good space efficiency inside for its exterior size, a fairly nice color choice, FWD models if traction is not an issue, decent outward visibility except for the large D-pillars, and generally easy-to-use controls. Negatives include a less-flexible 5-speed automatic where some rivals use a 6-speed, the lack of a V6 for added power, and an ingrained culture at a lot Honda dealerships that sometimes make them difficult to deal on.

Also take a good look at the Subaru Outback and Forester, both of which have good histories. The Outback, being a raised Legacy wagon, is probably the most car-like of all SUVs in its driving experience. The Forester's outward visibility and interior space efficiency are virtually unmatched. The Subaru Symmetrical AWD systems are considered by many in the industry to be the best-designed AWD systems of them all. Negatives include a boxer-four or six engine that, while generally reliable, will probably not last as long as the Honda's 4, CVT transmissions on the 4-cylinders (if you don't get a manual) that take some getting used to, and a somewhat more sparse dealership-network than Honda.

 

Given that most cell phones have better nav capabilities than factory systems, I would vote not to count out a vehicle because you don't like the factory nav system. The CX-5 gets pretty high marks from consumer mags and car mags alike, and gets pretty good gas mileage.

I never really dug the Forrester. If I was in the market for one of these vehicles, I'd look seriously at the CRV, CX-5 and Rogue.

Given that you have 2 Honda products in your signature, it would certainly be a safe and familiar choice.

 

can't go wrong with CRV

 

The XV Crosstrek is a nice small raised-suspension hatchback AWD (with some funky paint-colors), but it doesn't have the room inside or good outward visibility of the larger, more squared-off Forester. That's why I didn't mention it in my last post.

 

personally, I'd look at the CX-5...descent styling, drives pretty well and you can beat the pricing on them right now

been thinking about jumping into one myself as the commuter

 

This. I purposely bought my 335d without Nav, and instead installed an iPad mini on the dash. I've got Waze for navigation, plus music from Pandora, Amazon, Beats, etc, podcasts that sync with my main iPad, and even the odd playoff football game.

Unless Nav systems improve dramatically in the next few years, I think our RX will be the last car we ever buy with one. It's been literally years since we used it for directions.

 

I went through this process myself last year and narrowed it down to the CX-5 and Rav4. In the end, Rav4 was a little larger and more comfortable for me, which ultimately made it the winner.

No bad choices in this class, which is great!