Looking for a Midsize SUV Somewhere near $25k, Made 2017 and Later with a Decent Motor

Mudlode on 02/04/2024 - 19:02
Last edited 02/04/2024 - 19:18 by 1 other user

Looking for a newish SUV for the wife, she is currently used to driving a 125kw 2.4L petrol ASX (not ours)

I am currently between a few options but a few features we really want to see -

-Decent motor of minimum 120kw
-Reliable motor/gearbox that can expect to do 10 years of solid work ~15-20,000km per year
-Ideally no CVT's
-No euros
-Under 100,000km
-Proximity key is something the wife would love to see

Not keen on all these new 1.5/1.6 turbo petrol's as something to trust long term.

Three front runners for example -

2017-2019 Tuscon 2L
2015-2018 K24 4th gen CRV
2016-2019 Ford Escape Ecoboost 2L (not 100% sure on longevity but parts are very available as the motor is in 20+ models)

Alternatively on the dark side there are almost new Haval Jolion or H6 within budget that would still have 5 years warranty.

Automotive Car SUV

Comments

  • coffeeinmyveins on 02/04/2024 - 19:04

    carsales.com.au

  • altomic on 02/04/2024 - 19:10

    This thread from 2 days ago has some suggestions

    • Mudlode on 02/04/2024 - 19:24

      yeah I had a look through, not looking for a 7 seat though, she likes the midsize SUV dimensions

  • Euphemistic on 02/04/2024 - 19:29
    +1

    No ASX? No Kia (same platform as Tuscon)

    As long as you go Japanese or Korean and avoid CVT you can't really go wrong.

    Drive em. Buy one YOUR WIFE likes.

    • brendanm on 02/04/2024 - 21:25

      ASX has a CVT though.

      • Euphemistic on 02/04/2024 - 22:09
        +1

        Didnt realise, i dont keep up with compact SUVs because 'appliance'

        • brendanm on 02/04/2024 - 22:17

          Yeah the lancer and ask have had cvts for ages, they are a pretty decent thing though, about a million times better than Nissan cvts.

    • Mudlode on 03/04/2024 - 08:32

      Would do an ASX however only in the new 2.4L which was only introduced in the higher trims a couple years ago and therefore still out of budget. The 2L just feels underpowered and far louder in comparison

  • spackbace on 02/04/2024 - 19:37

    Carsales - 158 options

  • CheapandUsed on 02/04/2024 - 19:39
    -1

    CVT seems perfectly fine in my Honda CRV.. same with the CVTs in Subarus, and Toyota's, and likely the Mitsubishi ASX you currently have.

    Only Nissan seemed to have had problem's with theirs and they just so happened to be the only Japanese car company in partnership with the French at the time.

    Having said that, I'd take my chances on a Nissan CVT over a haval DCT any day of the week!

    • Mudlode on 02/04/2024 - 19:49

      yeah that's fair enough, the Mitsubishi we have experienced feels nice with the CVT, it's certainly not meant to be a sports car but just helps it stay in the band when needed, I'm weary of them, mate of mine has a mid teens forester that's currently quoted for a new CVT when it has a full Subaru service history

      • brownsound on 02/04/2024 - 20:06

        ouch. how many km on the forester? does he seem the type to drive it hard?

        • Mudlode on 03/04/2024 - 08:30

          Wasn't far over 100,000km
          Subaru are really kicking their feet fighting the warranty claim and she hasn't had the car for over a month, this is in metro Melbourne

    • dassaur on 02/04/2024 - 20:18
      +1

      Give me a slushbox any day of the week!

    • Slinky0111 on 02/04/2024 - 20:46

      I had a CVT pulsar. CVT clapped out at 175k roughly. Was down the gold coast at sea world when it Went and had it towed to von vibra Nissan. They were really good, straight up said they will put a request in to Nissan Australia for good will fix I just had to pay to diagnose it. Ended up costing them around 12k in parts and labour in a hail damaged pulsar that was only worth 3k.

  • Gdsamp on 02/04/2024 - 20:21

    mazda cx5

  • MrFrugalSpend on 02/04/2024 - 22:00
    +12

    SUV… sigh….
    My wife thought she wanted a SUV until we drove basically every one on sale over several weeks… then we bought a car - it drives SOO much better than all the SUVs we had just driven and never looked back, noting it had way more features for the money (effectively cheaper), had excellent safety rating, was more fuel efficient, as well as better handling. Nearly fell into the sheep mentality, phew.

    So we can understand the role it is to perform, can you explain why, does your wife, need a SUV - what functions are important?

    E.g.
    - Does she go a lot of places requiring high ground clearance?
    - Does she need a higher towing capacity?
    - If mid-size, I presume a more spacious cabin for a larger family / grown up kids is not the reason?
    - Is this your main vehicle to take on road trips / camping
    - etc?

    Otherwise, if these are not important considerations, do yourself a favour, keep an open mind and consider / drive some Mazda 3's or 6, Hyundai i30, Honda Accord, Skoda Octavia, Toyota Camry etc. Can get a hatch / wagon if that is important.

    This for example, we love:
    https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2017-holden-commodo…

    Or if you have to have a SUV-ish version (i.e. a crossover) and really count on the decent engine size, the V6 Calais is feature packed German wagon:
    https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2018-holden-calais-…

    • MrFrugalSpend on 02/04/2024 - 22:15
      +3

      PS - thanks for the neg for me taking the time to give some helpful advice about the exact same scenario I wasted weeks and weeks on, only to realise we didn't actually want or need it. Also, do the environment and your wallet a favour.

    • Pcosmic on 02/04/2024 - 22:32

      But I want to be high…

      • altomic on 03/04/2024 - 22:07

        Escapism is not the answer.

    • jm7 on 03/04/2024 - 06:30
      +1

      Agree. We had a 2022 Rav4 Hybrid Cruiser and sold it to 'downgrade' to a 2021 Golf Wagon (pocketing circa $20k).
      We absolutely love the wagon (more than the Rav4). They're so underrated and really practical.

    • Mudlode on 03/04/2024 - 08:28
      +1

      While I absolutely agree with you I've always had wagons, and she actually would prefer a standard hatch or wagon, our primary reason I did not mention in the post above is we live in a semi rural area with a heavy roo population and she drives to work at all hours, an SUV simply makes her feel a bit safer should she hit a roo at 3am and I understand that, unfortunately with wagons too it's either full size Commodore wagons which she personally hates as I've had a couple, euros or Grey imports like the Honda Jazz (fit) wagons, they just aren't a thing anymore in the domestic market for a smaller Japanese/Korean build

  • lachhelix on 02/04/2024 - 22:01
    +2

    Take the Tucson out of those front runners imo

    • Mudlode on 03/04/2024 - 08:28

      Any particular reason? This is exactly why I'm asking the question

      • lachhelix on 03/04/2024 - 14:26

        Solid platform that's been around for a long time - Korean parts are relatively cheap and plentiful
        Ecoboost I'm not sure about
        And I've found the Tucson drives much nicer than the CRV

        • Euphemistic on 03/04/2024 - 14:29
          +2

          Maybe im not the only one that thought it was 'take the tuscon our of the list' rather than 'choose the tuscon'

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