Time to change the car again.

I've had the XC60 for almost 6 years and put almost 160000kms on it. Served me very well, but it's out of warranty and the service bills are starting to get quite large so its time to change.

I've narrowed it down to these three cars. A downgrade from luxury/near luxury, yes, but not really inspired by the luxury market anymore and the ones that do ignite my fire are well out of my reach. My wife will keep the RX400h, it's still going strong despite nearing 200K on the odo so Lexus will stay in the family.

All three are priced around the same with my target pricing. (Let's see how negotiations go)...

Outback 2.5i Limited $37,800 with taxes

CX-5 GT $36,700 with taxes

RAV4 Limited $37,000 with taxes

minus the trade in value I get for the Volvo. Canadian Black Book says I should be able to get between $12,500 to $16,000

CX-5 has the style and the drive
Outback has the versatility and full-time 4wd (Big plus in winter wonderland)
RAV4 has the highest incentives and the best reliability reputation/resale value

Test driving them on Thursday and maybe I'll close the deal by the end of the month.

Opinions welcome.

 

My wife really likes her '14 CX-5. She doesn't like leather seats so she opted for the Touring trim, but we're only missing a handful of options. Overall, we're both a big fan. Only 3 complaints - the TomTom based nav is slow, the cabin gets a bit loud, and the paint is pretty fragile. The first two, (nav and NVH) have been addressed in the latest refresh and the paint issue is just an overall Mazda thing.

 

I can't speak to the CX-5 or the Subaru, but my parents have a 2013 RAV4 and love it. I've driven it several times and other than a little 4 cylinder vibration at lower RPMs, it's an impressive ride. I'm always taken aback by how much room it has. They are very happy with it. It's been very reliable, gets good gas mileage, is great in snow, and is a pleasant drive. I look forward to hearing your views after driving them all. I doubt you could go wrong with any of these 3 vehicles.

 

Not a huge fan of the CVT in the Subaru, but theirs is fairly good, and it does help achieve good fuel economy. If the Limited you're looking at has EyeSight, it's a very good safety/technology system. It's very comfortable around town and for long highway cruising.

CX-5, especially with the 2016 update is definitely the fun one of the bunch. I think the SkyActiv powertrain and transmission are well suited to the vehicle, and it also offers quite a bit of technology, HID headlights, etc.

Not a big fan of the RAV4 styling, inside or out. You may be able to get a deal on one since those incentives are so high. The refreshed one doesn't come out until October or so.

 

Yeah the RAV4 price I have is with the tech package because of incentives. The CX-5 and Outback prices don't include the tech packages.

 

I can't believe the XC60 is already six years old! Ages well. Venom, was yours the T5 or T6?

 

T6. Hopefully we don't have to wait another 6yrs for the new one like the XC90.

The 400h is almost 10yrs old When we purchased it the Lexus showroom was still in the same building as the Toyota dealership. You had to walk through the Toyota part to get to the Lexus floor haha. Now there are two huge Lexus dealers in Calgary. Shows how much the city has grown.

 

Ordinarily I'd say go with the Outback, as it is clearly the most carlike in its road manners and the most pleasant in drive, though the CX-5 is not bad either by crossover SUV standards. But, Subaru 2.0L and 2.5L non-turbo engines have had recent (2010-2014) issues with piston-ring durability and more-than-average oil consumption. If you want to take a chance, though, that those issues have been resolved for 2015-2016, and otherwise like the Outback, give it a look.

 

Can you buy a Rav4 in the states and save yourself $10,000??? I knew you get screwed buying a new car in Canada, but that's more like on the prison rapey side of getting screwed.

 

Great choices.

Just curious. Why wasn't CR-V in one of your choices? For me, its exterior design is a deal breaker, but just wondering what your reason is.

If I were to go with RAV4, I would wait until 2016 model comes out. I don't really care about the changes, but it might hold the value better than 2015 model.

Other than that, I have hard time choosing one from those three. It's so close that I would consider dealer location as a choosing factor. The one with closer/more convenient dealer like walking distance to work/home.

 

How about Honda CR-V? I have a 2014 with 23,000 miles and it's pretty reliable no issues. Anyway among the three I would choose the Toyota RAV4 , not familiar with the Outback, however vs the CX-5, I find it to be more roomier passenger and cargo wise, especially the rear seat since the CX-5 has that hump in the middle. Also I think it has a bit more features that isn't found in the CX-5 I could be wrong though.

 

For me its down to aesthetics as well, it looks like a whale. The CR-V also is the most expensive of the bunch for what I want included and that kinda rubs me the wrong way considering Honda is a "value" brand. The Rav4 isn't the greatest looking thing either, but the incentives make up for it. I might be able to get a better deal in the states, but the hassle would be too much for me. The trade-in value for my XC60 is already going to get me a deal.

Dealer locations could be a factor. There are 7 Toyota dealers in the city, 4 Mazda dealers and only 2 Subaru dealers. More chance they would play ball at Toyota and Mazda, than at Subaru. Especially considering the Outback is in high demand.

 

So I've decided on the Mazda, and its been a frustrating experience. I've sourced 6 dealers around the province including one bozo salesman who said my offer of 5% over invoice wasn't "serious" and also that it was illegal to sell a car without a block heater. But, I've finally got a price I can live with. Now just have to choose the colour and should pick it up in 1 - 2 weeks.

 

Friend of mine with his recent Forester 2.5L had erratic power delivery at higher revs due to one cylinder occasionally misfiring. They gave him such a hard time stating he must have abused the engine until finally they saw more customers complaining and they fixed it under warranty. This happened early on in his ownership.

My dad owns the '13 RAV4 XLE (latest gen) and it's the most space efficient package out there just edging out the CRV which is also stellar in this area. Good ride and cargo is unmatched at 38 cu ft . Rear seat room is huge in every dimension. Puts the NX to shame rear to cargo. On the negatives, interior is a little cheap with hard plastics everywhere and super-thin carpeting. 70k km and no issues whatsoever and still running on original brakes and tires though he has a winter set he swaps. Only money invested has been regular maintenance (i.e. oil changes and air intake/cabin filter changes).

Colleague bought the Outback a month ago and it's the most "luxurious" and refined of the three and best offroader without a doubt. But I don't trust that 2.5L Boxer unless you're getting a short lease.

CX-5 is the sportiest best handler and most fuel efficient. Another colleague of mine has the GS (not GT) for two years now and loves the fuel economy (best one in this group), but he's not too happy that the 2L is a little under powered and he's had to replace his brake pads (not sure about rotors) in less than year due to excessive wear and has had some electrical gremlins with the power windows all fixed under warranty. (You're looking at the GT which has the 2.5 so power should not be an issue). Besides the above, he's had no major issues though to report. Mazdas prior to 2010 were notorious for their easy rusting but they seem to have fixed that or improved it in their latest vehicles.

Choice to own 5 years+

1. RAV4
2. CX-5
3. Outback

Lease and not buyout afterwards:

1. CX-5/RAV4 tossup
2. Outback

 

Congrats! We also had some challenges with our dealer search, but I'm glad it worked out for you