Had I not decided to special-order a Lacrosse, I would probably have bought that steel-blue AWD 3.8L G80 I sampled a while ago, with the light-gray leather interior. It was a very impressive car in its build quality, inside and out, and I was indeed tempted to take it home. But, I found the Lacrosse more comfortable, smoother, quieter, I had had excellent service from the local GM shop, and, with the G80, I'd essentially be starting over with strangers. I also wanted another big Buick, after many decades, for sentimental reasons......something that is hard to describe on paper or in a forum-post. Kind of like the way some drivers got addicted to the (former) BMW 3 and 5-series.

Anyhow, back to the Niro. My brother, of course, read my Niro review, and looked at a couple of them himself. But, he felt the Sportage, despite its higher operating costs, was easier to climb in and out of, had the AWD he was looking for, presents more of a solid, protective package in case of an accident (he regularly deals with Beltway and Dulles-Connector-Road traffic now), and, of course, has more interior room. Like the comments you made about the Dodge Caravan a couple of days ago, he just didn't feel as safe in the Niro as he did the Sportage.