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Old 05-31-2017, 10:46 AM
 
228 posts, read 200,022 times
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I am coming up on the last year of my lease on a Mazda 3 GT. Great car, love it!

I live in Colorado, and AWD/4WD are highly touted for handling the snowy conditions particularly when driving through the mountains. I've never really encountered any issues with my FWD Mazda 3, but it seems like it could be an issue if there's particularly heavy snowfall. Apparently there are AWD/4WD requirements in some parts of the mountains when it snows a lot.

I'm trying to stick with something smaller, so I've looked at some hatchbacks and small crossovers. The problem I'm running into with a lot of these cars is that they seem to be very under powered. Most of them top out around 150 hp and similar torque. I am concerned with this only because we are considering getting a small camper for the summer camping seasons. Add to the fact that you're driving through the windy, steep mountain passes and that does not seem like a lot of power to meet our needs. My old Mazda 3 (2.0L) that topped out at 150 hp would struggle on some of those inclines at times.

I've considered the option of a small truck like a Toyota Tacoma, but I've never really been a truck guy. I'm tempted to stick with the Mazda 3 GT, because it's sports a 2.5L engine with 185 hp and 185 lb-ft of torque. This is far more powerful than most of the other AWD vehicles I see on the market in my price range. The only major disadvantage with the Mazda 3 GT is the lack of AWD and potentially less space than a crossover would provide.

Can you share your thoughts and experiences with AWD crossovers and hatchbacks? Based on the info I provided, do you have any suggestions for me? Thank you!
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Old 05-31-2017, 11:18 AM
 
Location: Concord, CA
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I have a 2014 Ford Escape AWD with the 2.0 Turbo engine. It has 270 lb-ft of torque, plenty for towing.

It will accelerate to 80 mph heading into the Eisenhower tunnel at 11K feet.

So far, not one problem.
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Old 05-31-2017, 11:22 AM
 
Location: Earth
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I don't have any comments on the AWD experience,but out of curiosity, what tires were mounted on your Mazda when driven in snow?
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Old 05-31-2017, 11:40 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wellshii View Post
I don't have any comments on the AWD experience,but out of curiosity, what tires were mounted on your Mazda when driven in snow?
On the current car or the old Mazda 3 I had? I can't remember the exact brand and model, but they were standard all season tires.

I've heard a lot about the advantages of just getting some good snow tires for the winter. It's definitely something I'm considering.
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Old 05-31-2017, 11:43 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vision67 View Post
I have a 2014 Ford Escape AWD with the 2.0 Turbo engine. It has 270 lb-ft of torque, plenty for towing.

It will accelerate to 80 mph heading into the Eisenhower tunnel at 11K feet.

So far, not one problem.
Thanks, I'll look at that one. My parents have 2016 Escape, which I've driven, and I really liked it. They had the smaller 1.6L engine, but it was still zippy. I'd lean more towards the 2.0 turbo Titanium model. It seems to have more of what I'm looking for.
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Old 05-31-2017, 11:54 AM
 
Location: Earth
797 posts, read 745,281 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thom Hanks View Post
On the current car or the old Mazda 3 I had? I can't remember the exact brand and model, but they were standard all season tires.

I've heard a lot about the advantages of just getting some good snow tires for the winter. It's definitely something I'm considering.
Yea I was going to mention that.
First car that comes to my mind in a less than 20 price range is the Impreza. I just googled the GT model of your car,so perhaps you can go with a base WRX model. They start at around 27k. Plus with turbo,that's less power lost at higher elevations. Way more car than the Mazda mechanically wise.
https://www.cars.com/for-sale/search...28880&zc=79928
https://www.subaru.com/vehicles/wrx/index.html
https://www.cars.com/for-sale/search...28880&zc=79928

Last edited by wellshii; 05-31-2017 at 12:05 PM..
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Old 05-31-2017, 11:58 AM
 
Location: Concord, CA
7,132 posts, read 9,211,413 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thom Hanks View Post
Thanks, I'll look at that one. My parents have 2016 Escape, which I've driven, and I really liked it. They had the smaller 1.6L engine, but it was still zippy. I'd lean more towards the 2.0 turbo Titanium model. It seems to have more of what I'm looking for.
You can buy it new for $27.6K

https://www.truecar.com/prices-new/f...&zipcode=80920
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Old 05-31-2017, 12:03 PM
 
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Most of said hatchbacks including the 3 have a recommended towing capacity of "not recommended". There are options out there like the Golf and Forte5 which are turbo these days and have more power than the 3 but are cheaper.

You can get some cheap AWD cars/crossovers in the low 20s but with anemic power. Good power and AWD is upper 20s. Turbos are definitely a good option for high altitudes though will have less towing capacity than a v6/8.

Though if you like your 3 and the buy out at lease end is cheaper than what one would be on a lot with similar mileage I would likely recommend just buying that. Not sure if it's the same there in Colorado but out here in WA/OR at elevation it's usually a matter of requiring snow chains unless you have 4wd equipped with winter tires. And even then you are still required to at least carry the chains.
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Old 05-31-2017, 12:06 PM
 
228 posts, read 200,022 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wellshii View Post
Yea I was going to mention that.
First car that comes to my mind in a less than 20 price range is the Impreza. I just googled the GT model of your car,so perhaps you can go with a base WRX model. They start at around 27k. Plus with turbo,that's less power lost at higher elevations. Way more car than the Mazda mechanically wise.
https://www.cars.com/for-sale/search...28880&zc=79928
Ah, okay. I wasn't sure if they made the WRX anymore. I'll keep that one on the list as well, but I know they can be difficult to find out here in CO. I really like the Impreza, but I was concerned with the lack of power on the other models.

It doesn't look like the WRX comes in a hatch...true? Not a huge deal, but love the storage capacity that a hatch provides when we go on those longer road trips for camping.
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Old 05-31-2017, 12:11 PM
 
228 posts, read 200,022 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by notnamed View Post
Most of said hatchbacks including the 3 have a recommended towing capacity of "not recommended". There are options out there like the Golf and Forte5 which are turbo these days and have more power than the 3 but are cheaper.

You can get some cheap AWD cars/crossovers in the low 20s but with anemic power. Good power and AWD is upper 20s. Turbos are definitely a good option for high altitudes though will have less towing capacity than a v6/8.

Though if you like your 3 and the buy out at lease end is cheaper than what one would be on a lot with similar mileage I would likely recommend just buying that. Not sure if it's the same there in Colorado but out here in WA/OR at elevation it's usually a matter of requiring snow chains unless you have 4wd equipped with winter tires. And even then you are still required to at least carry the chains.
Yeah, as long as I come in under $30k (brand new), I am fine with that. Ideally, I'd like to find something used (low mileage) under $20k. I think my buy out for the Mazda 3 GT is around $15k after the 3-year lease is up. I rarely drive it, as I have a public transit pass through work, and I bike during the summer. So the low mileage could potentially add a little bit of value to it, which would go towards the cost of the car if I buy it.
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