Which SUV is best for this area of Colorado?

[jazzlover]

I have several friends who have RAV4's and CRV's and they all seem happy with their respective vehicles. As was posted, they are NOT vehicles suited for arduous trail use, though. For that, one needs a "true" 4WD--but even many of the newer iterations of those are not very trail-worthy. I keep an old "beater" 4WD for those times with my work or pleasure that I need one.

A good source for vehicle reviews is CanadianDriver . Because they are writing for a primarily Canadian audience (where they really have winter, "eh?"), the reviews frequently contain good information on vehicles' winter performance--something often missing in the SoCal-oriented American automotive press. You just need to convert the metric l/km fuel economy figures they quote to mpg's (conversion factors available on the Net). Because fuel is more expensive in Canada, they also report more extensively on the fuel economy characteristics of the vehicles they test, frequently including information on real world winter and summer fuel economy.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Ticky909

It all depends on driving style, a crv or a rav4 both have pretty poor mileage regardless, though its better than larger SUV's. I would personally go for some older small SUV without traction control or stability control and a good manual gearbox.

My CR-V gets about 22 mpg on the highway. Not the greatest, but it's not terrible, either.

[sosobroke]

Fort Collins is a bus, bike, walking friendly town. You really don't need a SUV, and most people stay out of the mountians during bad weather.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by sosobroke

Fort Collins is a bus, bike, walking friendly town. You really don't need a SUV, and most people stay out of the mountians during bad weather.

There sure is a lot of traffic there for a bus, bike, and walking town.

[supercar]

I know the OP seemed to be only considering the CRV and RAV4, but I will comment again that the Subaru Forester should also be considered. It is very similar to the other 2 vehicles and I think it gets slightly better fuel economy. the Subaru drivetrains are very reliable and since every vehicle they make is AWD they have very good AWD systems.

We purchased a manual/stick shift version several months ago and we are averaging about 26MPG combined mileage over that time. The new Forester is bigger and nicer, but less expensive than the previous version.

[mrswolfgang]

I'm a Toyota fan, but the CRV is also a nice vehicle. Winter in Fort Collins usually isn't bad. We have a couple weeks total of questionable weather. The snow doesn't usually stick around on the roads...it evaporates so quickly, but like I said, there are a couple weeks throughout the winter that leave some snow and ice on the road. We've lived here for 10 years now. The neighborhoods are trickier because they don't plow and if the street doesn't get a lot of sun the snow/ice sticks around longer, but they are really good at plowing the main roads. In fact, we have only had about 5 "school closing" days due to the weather.

The drive to the mountains isn't bad. An hour to Denver and another hour or so to Breckenridge area. I-25 is an okay drive, though I hope you're not planning on doing it on a daily basis. 2-lane highway is not the brightest idea for most of the trip.

I think your choice of a CRV is a good one. We have a friend who has one and really likes it. Good luck and welcome home!

[maciesmom]

I have a RAV and really like it. That said, I agree with the poster that said they are pretty comparable. Don't over think it. It really is not that big of a deal. Go with the one you get the best buy on and like the best....Also, my RAV is FWD only and 4 cylinder. No problems for general getting around. You do not need a 4WD or AWD just because you're in Colorado.

[froggin4colorado]

Agreed, you don't need an SUV for winter driving. That's a romantic thought...CO having snow on the roads during the winter and needing an SUV. The snow here lasts for a day or so and the days without snow far out number the days with snow by far.