Considering Small SUV, Input Requested
 

My wife likes sitting up high when driving. She liked our '06 Escape Hybrid, but we sold it and got a '05 Prius (easy 50MPG :D). She doesn't like how low the Prius is, so we're now considering getting something a little taller.

Vehicles currently being considered:

'10+ Escape Hybrid
Test drove one and she liked it.
Pros: Would probably average at least 30MPG. Plenty of room.
Cons: Expensive used, '10+ required because it has electric AC so we don't melt when the engine is off.

Mazda 5 mini-minivan
Test drove one and she liked it.
Pros: Plenty of room for cargo and/or people. Manual tranny if I can convince my wife. :)
Cons: Would probably only average 25-28MPG.

Subaru VX Crosstek
Haven't driven yet.
Pros: AWD, good ground clearance, would be a good everything vehicle. Manual tranny if I can convince my wife. :) MPGs aren't bad considering its capabilities.
Cons: Probably only available new.

The most important things are high driver position (doesn't have to be super high, Mazda 5 was adequate), MPGs, and reliability. Don't really care for any fancy features besides cruise control. I would like to keep MPGs as high as possible, at least higher than average for the type of vehicle. Budget is low $20k for new, preferably low teens or less for used.

Anyone have any other ideas or comments about my current ones?

Has she tried Raising the seat ? seriously, my car is like a 70's low rider with the seat set low.. Up high its like im driving a Bus , a very tiny Bus.

Maybe some counseling to find out what this deep-seated (PUN!) need is all about.

My cat likes to sit up high too, but I understand it because he's what- 14" tall?

I knew a short guy in college that drove a ginormous Imperial- sat on a pillow in there too.

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps14fc65a9.png

Seat height isn't adjustable without messing with the mounting bolts, but maybe we'll try some folded towels. She said that there are other aspects that bother her, such as the windshield going off forever into the distance (seriously, large sunshades barely work). She really doesn't like driving, so if a different vehicle will help, so be it. I would really like for it to not have to come to that, though, I like the Prius (can't say I wouldn't like something else, but I would get used to it in a few months anyway). I don't think the Prius is really that low, I feel its quite tall for a car, I think the feeling of being high is what she wants. We'll try adjusting the seat differently and see if that makes any difference.

The funny thing is, I'm shorter than her, and I really don't mind sitting low...

I have known plenty of tall guys who drop adjustable chairs as low as they can, while I always sit as high as I can, so that I need less leg room. I had a 6'4" friend who drove a Metro, which always seemed curious.

Retrofitting the driver's seat might just be easier or cheaper than purchasing an SUV, especially your options are between worse mileage and much worse mileage.

There are enough Prii that there must be a proper sun shade somewhere.

People are strange with their opinions. Mom told me today that I would eat her food even if it tasted like cardboard.

That is why she has Tapatio, but I am not going hungry!

I recently tried to find out if the four-door Insight was more than a fake Prius and I only found stupid things like they immediately walked away when they found out there was not a cup holder for the rear seat, or you could not get them with leather.

The Toyota Prius, The Car that is Saving the World--ya gotta have leather!

My question is: If your wife does not enjoy driving does she:

1. Drive as little as possible and\or:
2. Drive as terribly as possible?

If you were in Europe, I'd tell you to get a VW Transporter T4 2.5 TDI 75kw (in US it was called "Eurovan" and had a V6 in it). Nice and high off the ground, can handle dirt roads reasonably well, 30mpg with a normal driver. Cruiseing at 50km/hr is 1100rpm. I've heard of them hitting 140 km/hr. (90mph)

If you need good acceleration, downshift and acceleration is quite good. Up to nine passengers, with an option of having the back door open up or with double doors. If you remove the rear seats, you'd have an equivalent of a pickup with a top. Please beware that I am talking about the shorter version with no high top. A high top and long body raises fuel consumption.

The escape hybrid has a weak reverse gear. Actually it doesn't have a gear at all, it uses the hybrid drive to back up.
Something to think about for long term or if you plan to use it as a real SUV.

I wondered if this might be the case with the Escape. There was somebody at the lake the other night in a fairly new Escape Hybrid. They had a hell of a time backing up a little 14-16' john boat (maybe 700 lbs fully loaded with the trailer). We had to wait, and wait...and wait for them. Their Escape didn't seem to have enough ooomph to back up the slight incline prior to the boat dock. I seriously could have done it by hand. Finally they pulled forward, and quickly backed up to the dock.

At the time I thought they were just a lousy driver, or that they couldn't see out of the back window with all of their vacation gear. Later we were talking to some people on the water and they said that the electronic reverse didn't have enough power to push them over that little hump.

Too bad because my wife was seriously considering one for her next vehicle.

After reading a bit about how the hybrid drive works...I would think the electric motor in the Escape would have been PLENTY to back up that little boat. I guess that's what I get for listening to fellow beer chuggers on the water! I'm back to my original belief that they were just terrible drivers who couldn't back up the boat.

I'd vote Mazda5, since I own one! But, the newer generation is supposed to be a little better than the older. I've read the older ones had a rear suspension issue that would eat tires. Mine has 22,000 miles with the factory tires and it looks like they will hit 40,000 with no problem. But, I think there is a workaround for the older generation using a Mazda3 suspension part (I'd have to go back and look for specifics)

My Mazda's fuel log is mostly my wife driving it. During the winter, she got 22ish, but drives my daughter to school and the car sits and idles (gasp!) to keep them warm. Now that it is hot, she is getting 25-26. When I drive it, I get 26-28 and up to 30 hwy. It is an automatic.

We have the base model. We bought it new since the used market for Mazda5's was very limited. The sticker was $22,500 (I think...) and we paid $19,500 since it was a 2012 sitting next to 2013's. It came with cruise control.

We were looking for something that seated six, so when my parents came into town we could take one car. We also wanted something that could hold luggage and my 75lb dog on road trips. Lastly, we wanted something that got decent gas mileage. So, for the price, we couldn't beat the Mazda. Plus, Mazda's are fun to drive, even with the 5 having a 2.5L four cylinder. It has enough power to move the car up hills fully loaded.

My sister has the manual version of the 5. She loves hers.

My 2003 Matrix felt like I was sitting up high. It was a design feature called 'command seat position' when I read about it. Personally, I didn't really like that a ton, but got used to it quick enough. Anyway, I got 35 mpg lifetime mpgs over the few years I had it.

http://www.carsbikesbacon.com/img/14312.o.jpg

You could always keep the Prius with a little modification keep the good mpg and be higher up.

That was done all wrong! You need to get LRR wheels that size, put in an air dam, belly pan, etc!

You cannot ruin the aero! :)

Has anyone noticed that the Prius doesn't sit on the frame straight? The driver's side is lower. Probably photoshopped.

I figured it was but believe it or not I couldn't find a lifted Prius on google images.

Better fuel economy crossovers;
Honda CR-V
Mini Cooper Countryman
Nissan Rogue
Hyundai Tucson
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Toyota RAV-4 EV
Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid
Subaru Forester
Buick Encore
Audi Q5 Hybrid
BMW X1 sDrive
Scion xD
Mazda CX-5
Ford Escape

or wagons too;
Prius V
Ford C-Max Hybrid
Lexus CT 200h
VW Jetta SportWagen
Kia Soul
Toyota Matrix
Honda Fit EV
BMW 328d

...sorry to confuse you more.

Ford recomended not towing more than 1000lb because of the weak reverse rig.

I definitely think that getting a good shop to give the Prius a driver's throne is the best option, but the current Forester has a higher highway rating than I have been able to get out of mine.

Often it's the intangibles that really determine how we choose our cars, rather than picking a logical choice. My wife has the same "need" for her vehicle. Since she has a rather short commute, her current Tahoe has fairly low fuel costs. But it also tows our trailer and gets reasonable mileage for long, family trips (22-25 mpg hwy). I picked her Tahoe because it was 2wd, 4.8L, and had e-fans, air dam, and high gearing, in other words, the most efficient option of what she did want.

I'd probably stick with the Escape. You know she likes it and it works for your needs because it has done so in the past.

I know nobody around here likes Chrysler, but have you considered a diesel Grand Cherokee?

Have you priced one out? It's twice his $20,000 budget...

Mrs. ecoTex drives a 2014 mazda cx-5. She couldn't care less about hypermiling, and gets 28.7mpg (just checked) lifetime average over 42,000miles in 15 months.

When I drive it, with A/C, it averages between 35-38 mpg.
But it might be hard to find one used.

What about a Nissan Juke?

How many people does that seat? 5? Does it have the Skyactiv? I heard the new CX-5's are capable of high 30's for mileage.

I wish I could swap a Skyactiv into my 5...

Oops, didn't see that he was buying brand new.

They are a bit rare, but I see used 2008+ for $16k to $23k

Thanks for the replies everyone. We test drove a Crosstrek and Outback today (both 4cyl autos). My wife liked both, but preferred the Outback because of its comfier seats and height. I preferred the Crosstrek because its smaller and seems like it would do better offroad because of it (not a priority, but if its designed to be used offroad, it might as well be good at it).

This search has shown me two things. I really like my Prius, its 50-60MPGs, its instant torque from the electric motors, and that ours is paid for. I have also found that most automakers have stepped up their mileage game recently. Unfortunately, most of the changes are so recent that buying new is the best way to get them. However, it'll be good news for us in about 5-10 years. :P

I'm hoping we come to the decision to just keep the Prius and deal with it. I really don't want to have car debt again or pay twice as much per mile for gas. If not, at least there are some interesting small-yet-large vehicles available.

Allegedly, the "Average" American drives 15,000 miles yearly, so 1,250 monthly. If you get 50 MPG and, for the sake of simplicity, you figure you purchase three gallons for ten dollars, that car would cost $83.33 per month for gas.

Replace that with a car that gets 25 MPG and not only are you paying $166.67 monthly, but the monthly payment would be even more, so ride height would cost five times as much.

Have you tried the Honda Fit?
I wanted that for the same reason as your wife.
You should be able to find one new (non hybrid) well below the $20.000 mark.

I also wanted the hybrid version with the EX trim, which ruled me out for a sharp deal. So I got a barely used Insight instead and drive with my head close to the roof ;)

I did like the way the Fit drives even more than the Insight.
My wife is small (5"1) and liked the Fit too. She refuses to drive the Insight. But she has her own car (the I10, which also is quite high but not available in all markets)

Just in case you haven't heard this but there are a lot of people who have said the crosstrek is really underpowered especially when it's fully loaded with people or stuff. On the other hand however being a huge outback fan I also know that on the 4th gen (2010-2014) most people never see the EPA estimated 30 mpg either and even on the highway see as low as 25 mpg. Personally if you're interested in the outback I would recommend looking at the 3rd gen (2005-2009) as most see higher mileage figures out of them.

I LOVE the 5. But not for a poor reason.

Resale value sucks. Which is good for a buyer, getting a second hand one. I see many nice units for cheaper than Honda Insights (G1). Yes, their fuel economy as a base stat is not impressive. For it's power level, I would expect more. If you get a standard, keep in mind EOC. That will significantly help fuel economy. Ecomods otherwise are all the same, really.

The only car I considered (REALLY considered) against my Mustang was the CX-5. For a close price (~25) it was very nicely equipped. Gorgeous inside, ride was great- sporty in a turn but comfortable in a straight. The biggest thing was after test driving so many Mustangs, it felt like a slug with a parachute flat out. I couldn't figure out why it was so cheap. All Mazdas seem a tad pricey than a foreign competitor, but I don't think it's a rip off.

If you want, I can make you a spreadsheet of auto populating costs/mile if you give me the general factors, and which cars.

PM me your e-mail and I will invite you to this doc.google.

Should be easy as cake to use.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/T5...5dV8=w720-h453

I have seen the i10 in Uruguay, and it's far from the soccer-mom SUV stereotypes. And probably not crashworthy according to the NHTSA :D

We've averaged about 10k miles per year so far, so less than most people, but still enough that gas adds up.

I've actually considered getting a Fit a few times, I just hadn't brought it up yet because its not really that tall. It does feel pretty tall when you're in it, though. We checked them out at the dealer today. We only sat in it, but my wife thought she would like driving it. They only had base models left, so we won't be considering buying one until the 2015's arrive at the end of June (the base automatics don't have a manual shifting option, which I would need as a compromise).

The Crosstrek didn't too bad, but I didn't get a chance to push it much. I did notice that the mileage for the Outback on Fuelly has been pretty consistent, which is strange because their other models look to be on the rise.

That spreadsheet looks good from the screenshot. Maybe my wife will decide she doesn't mine the Prius' setup when she sees how much the other options would end up costing.

The used car market here in El Paso doesn't provide many options for used cars, especially the ones I happen to be interested in. :/

My wife is of the Aaaaah, I need to be high up and wrapped in steel! school of thought also. She loves my Fit but doesn't feel safe in it at all. She loves her Grand Caravan (3.6, 25ish mpg). It lets her sit high and pretend that = safe, tows the camper and can carry absolutely everything. Pretty well priced, too. I was looking at the Mazda back in '12 when we got the minivan, but the higher mpg wasn't high enough to make up for the higher price and smaller size.

How do their crash test ratings compare?

What is the worse a car can perform there nowadays, anyway? How bad is three stars? I would watch a movie with three stars.

Three stars FTL.

When I was in the desert the guy in charge was rated three stars, wore them on his collar. Complete train wreck.

A friend of mine has a Honda City (basically a Fit sedan). When he bought it he was kinda scared about the mileage until he decided to try the manual shifting trick which improved the mileage significantly.

Escape hybrid!!!! :D

We've decided to wait and save up for the car, minus what we would get selling the Prius (we would get a loan for that much and pay it off when the Prius sells). This way we stay debt-free and I get to find out just how much my wife really wants a different car. :P
The Fit, Mazda 5, and Outback are the top contenders currently. Not sure about new vs used, we'll have a few months to think it over.

The fit has a higher seat height than the Prius? That is an infinitely better choice than an SUV! :)

Wife wants an SUV, so she chose to have a Fit... tentatively...