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Cx 5 should be a sfe bet. I rate any car based on the numbers I see on the road. I hardly saw foressters or vw golf. Even thoigh there isis a lot of riguans these days.
But I mm worried mazda may be killed by hyundai/kia in the next decade or so despite having two solid cars in mazda6 and cx5.
The Golf Sportwagon isn’t really the same as the Forester or CX-5. It will feel the most traditional since it’s a wagon.
The Forester will be the most capable off-road. It will also be the best deal in low to medium trims.
The Mazda might be the best handling. It will be the best value in the top-end trims. The reliability should the highest, but neither the Subaru or Golf are bad by any means.
I don’t know. I think that you should buy what you can get the best deal on.
Volkswagen plans to cancel the AWD Sportwagen and the Golf AllTrack -- because of slow sales, which is because of a lack of promotion. (VWoA prefers to promote the Jetta, Tiguan, and Atlas.)
Still, it's a great car and when people can no longer buy new ones they're going to seek out used ones in prime condition. Thus a serious shortage of used ones.
So I think they are the best bet, because if you decide you don't like it, lots of other people will want to buy it and the resale value will be higher. The Subaru and Mazda are great too, but they will be plentiful in the used-car market and won't have such a high resale value.
Lastly, the CX-5 only comes with an automatic transmission, the Forester only with a CVT transmission, but the VWs are available with a 6-speed manual. That one will be especially rare and most likely to bring full price in the resale market.
Subaru SUV/CUV models hold value generally well because Subaru demand moderately but reliably exceeds factory capacity to build them and Subaru remains ambivalent about adding another factory
Here up North with snow and salt - the Subaru are the ones with the highest number/cost of repairs as they age. In the short term Subaru would be tied for number one. In the long term Subaru would be number 2.
Skip any Volkswagen product. Too many horror stories about mechanical and non-mechanical problems/repairs/issues. Although my neighbor got a free new Volkswagen because of the Volkswagen cheating scandal.
The number one choice would be Mazda. Just better everything - short term and long term. A high quality Made in Japan vehicle.
Others will chime in on differing opinions.
I wouldn't put Mazda as #1, they have the worst AWD system compared to Subaru or even VW. People don't buy Mazda in snow countries for that reason.
As for Subaru mechanical issues, if they are maintained well. I don't see how much Mazda mechanical are any better. My co-worker's 2008 Mazda CX3 has rust issues not any different than Subarus. I personally think rust is blown out of proportions because these cars do rust when people drive them through salted roads often and never cleaned them or have underbody corrosion protection.
I like Mazdas because they are sort of like cheap BMWs. Great looking interior, solid cars but don't age very well compares to BMWs. By 100k mi they have issues to sort but few Mazdas make it to 200k without major problems with engine or transmissions. For every 200k Mazda on the road there are 5 more Subarus with 200k. Every Mazda I've owned I had to dump after 150k. For every Subaru I've owned I had to dump them after 175k so they are pretty close to even my opinion just that Subaru AWD > Mazda.
My girlfriend's daughter drives a 5 door Impreza. That's the non-lifted version of the Crosstrek. She lives at Vail. I don't understand why people pay the $3,000 up-charge for a lifted 5 door Impreza with some plastic body cladding. The Impreza gets better fuel economy and handles better. With snow tires, she has no problems snow driving with the lower car. She's short so it's also much easier getting bicycles, paddleboards, and kayaks on and off the roof rack.
Let me explain. Like your daughter I am short, so the Impreza would have suited me fine. But my 79-year-old husband is 6'4", obese and is starting to have mobility issues. It's hard for him to get in and out of standard vehicles. A raised chassis solves that problem. The Crosstrek also has driver's seats that can be raised and lowered. When you have a very tall driver and a very short driver it's hard to find a car that is comfortable for both. This feature solves that problem, too.
My girlfriend's daughter drives a 5 door Impreza. That's the non-lifted version of the Crosstrek. She lives at Vail. I don't understand why people pay the $3,000 up-charge for a lifted 5 door Impreza with some plastic body cladding. The Impreza gets better fuel economy and handles better. With snow tires, she has no problems snow driving with the lower car. She's short so it's also much easier getting bicycles, paddleboards, and kayaks on and off the roof rack.
Where I live, the up-charge for the Crosstrek is about 1100 dollars over the Impreza.
I do think you are correct, most people will be fine with the 5 door hatchback impress with about 5 inches of ground clearance. We opted for the 8.7 inches of ground clearance in the Crosstrek because of our frequent trips to mt ski areas on less than stellar roads. NC ski areas don't compare to Vail in ski access, but the road access isn't nearly as good as Vail either.
Our little Subaru has passed many an AWD SUV with less ground clearance in ditches along the roads of WNC, including our neighbor's non-outback Legacy with the lesser ground clearance.
VW has improved some on reliability but I'm not ready to look at them again as I keep my cars well outside warranty. They have a 6 year 72k warranty though if you don't hold your cars much past that I'd look at them.
Forester (non XT) is very slow, nearly Prius levels of slow. Again, I drive a Prius so it's not a deal breaker but the Prius gets good fuel economy though which the Forester doesn't. The Forester has other things I don't need. The backseat is much more roomy than the Prius, similar cargo room, ground clearance, and AWD. I don't need any of those things but maybe you do. With some ATs they're quiet capable on fire roads and trails. They're not what you'd take to Moab or Rubicon by any means, but that would be my primary reason to look at the Forester.
CX-5 no turbo is by no means fast but it's competitive with the rest of the class, which the Forester is not. On the other hand the Forester is roomier and gets a few more miles per gallon. Basically they're pretty close and it will come down to preference so test drive them.
I'd probably wait for the Rav4 Prime myself. It'll be more expensive but on paper looks pretty good.
We usually drive our vehicles from cradle to grave. We also have a small fleet, between our business and personal vehicles. If we get bored with a vehicle, we just move it around in the family. We quit buying vw over a decade ago, because of reliability, especially as they age. (They could be improved now, I don’t know, not going there again)
The other two, Subaru and Mazda, are equal in my opinion. I think you should drive both, if you find them equal, go for the best deal!
One of my favorite vehicles of all time, Mazda Miata. Fun to drive and a bulletproof drivetrain.
CX5 is the clear winner here. Test drive all these cars, you'll buy the Mazda.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tominftl
Trouble with Mazdas, they don’t have enough dealers.
You know that isn't universally true, right?
There are 7 Mazda dealers within 15 miles of me.
7.
S E V E N.
2 VW dealers and 2 Subaru dealers in the same radius.
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