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I need a car for mostly city/country road driving. We live in Colorado, and I have my heart set on getting an AWD/4WD vehicle. We have one big cross-over (Mazda CX-9), and I'm looking for another AWD car. It will be mostly used on city streets/country roads, but I should feel comfortable on it in 6 inches of fresh snow, or on a slippery snowy mountain road, if I have to. I love how Mazda CX-9 handles these types of conditions, and I would like something similar in handling, but not necessarily the size.
I can spend 25K max for a new or ~18K for a used 3 year/30K miles. The car should comfortably seat 4 adults, or 2 adults/3 kids, and have some cargo space (2-3 large suitcases). I need automatic transmission. Gas mileage is not very important, but should be somewhere around 22 MPG city/30 MPG highway.
I'm looking at Subaru Impreza and Mazda CX-5. I realize they are somewhat different classes of vehicles. I drove Impreza as a rental, but only in the city, on dry roads (wet, but not snowy). Hopefully, CX-5 is not that much different in its "feel" from CX-9, other than being smaller car.
I think price wise Impreza will fit the bill nicely, but for Mazda I may need to up my budget slightly.
What other makes/models should I look at?
For 6" of snow, I'd rule out most cars. Not that you can't find AWD cars that could handle it, but I just don't think they'd be as well suited as an AWD small or midsize SUV. For your budget, I think the Hyundai Santa Fe could be a good contender, or a V6 Jeep GC or even the regular Cherokee.
I'd also look at the Acura RDX, though it'll probably be at the top of your budget for a slightly used one. But, I think it would be the best option out there in that price range that is lightly used.
You might do better with a Forester or an Outback, although we have traveled a good bit in an Impreza.
We won't really use this car for long road trips, since Mazda CX-9 is used for that. Primary use would be 20-30 minute trips around town, and sometimes an hour or two drive on a highway to one of the neighboring cities.
For 6" of snow, I'd rule out most cars. Not that you can't find AWD cars that could handle it, but I just don't think they'd be as well suited as an AWD small or midsize SUV. For your budget, I think the Hyundai Santa Fe could be a good contender, or a V6 Jeep GC or even the regular Cherokee.
I'd also look at the Acura RDX, though it'll probably be at the top of your budget for a slightly used one. But, I think it would be the best option out there in that price range that is lightly used.
Well, we don't have 6 inches of snow every day here . But I was in the situation this winter (and more than once) when my husband went up to the mountains and took CX-9, and I needed to do some city driving. 6-8 inches of snow had fallen the night before, and I was less than comfortable in my compact FWD sedan.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Our 2014 Escape does fine in a few inches or compacted snow, but in 6" or more we might have to disable the traction control. It's always in 4WD and automatically applies power to the wheels that are not slipping, but when they are all slipping it can get confused and not go anywhere according to people in colder climates. Since 6" is very rare here it's not a big deal. For deep snow our previous Jeep with a manual shift to 4WD was great. You might find a Grand Cherokee for that but it only gets 16/23. I'd look at the Forester, they meet all of your wishes and are under your price new.
I would suggest set of dedicated winter tires as well, 4WD help to start moving, winter tires would help with braking as well. Find a set of rims on craigslist or ebay, they are not that expensive. Find 4 tires with mountain and snow flake on them, not just something with M+S.
You should be able to find a well equipped (leather, nav,etc) Subaru Outback or Forester within your price range. Check out Flatirons of Boulder. They have some great deals.
Otherwise, here's an oddball suggestion. Check out a pickup truck. There are lots of good deals on them and they can be had for thousands below MSRP.
You should be able to find a well equipped (leather, nav,etc) Subaru Outback or Forester within your price range. Check out Flatirons of Boulder. They have some great deals.
Otherwise, here's an oddball suggestion. Check out a pickup truck. There are lots of good deals on them and they can be had for thousands below MSRP.
Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions!
Mandalorian - Ha-ha, that's where we are headed - Flatirons Subaru .
After some days of pondering this question, I realized I want a smallish car - in terms of Subaru models, Legacy would be as big as I would go. I park in a park and ride parking lot 3 times a week, and having a smaller car is an advantage. So, I'm even more inclined toward and Impreza or Legacy. Pickup trucks would be too big for me though.
Also, regarding a set of winter tires - definitely!
I am not sure if you can find the XV Crosstrek around the price you prefer, but it's not a bad vehicle, with the increased ride height, yet being a smaller vehicle, overall, with Subaru's AWD system. It is basically a raised Impreza, and people I know with them are very happy, since the Forester had gotten larger, but the Impreza did not have the taller ride height.
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