L'Ecuyer & Sons Car 2.0...
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- monNom1
I own an Outlander (the 2007 - 2017 gen). It's a great vehicle. Hasn't given me a single issue in 5 years. All wheel drive, peppy V6, Nice interior with lots of room for my 6'4" self and for two rear-facing car seats in the back seat (which adjusts 2 ways). Available 3rd row seats, but those are really small, only good for small kids. Great value used.
I tested a LOT of other vehicles prior to getting this one, so I'll let you know a bit of what I remember (these were 2010-2012's at the time.)
Subaru Forester (2011) - automatic. Great car. Really hard/plasticy interior. Great visibility. Really hold their value. In the end I didn't buy it because the price premium for used was so high.
Kia Sorrento (2012 ) - automatic - really really nice vehicle. V6 with lots of power, AWD, nice spacious interior. A the time, a very good value if you bought used, and reliability seems to be really good. Consumer Reports top pick last year, so the price premium might be creeping up.
Honda CRV (base) - gutless. Exceptionally cheap interior. CVT transmissions are the worst. Hated everything about this one. Newer versions, or not base trim might be better.
Toyota Rav4 - good handling, reasonable power. cramped interior. Dash banged my knee when driving. Headliner came too low on the windscreen, making it hard to see traffic lights.
Mazda CX-5 - not enough headroom on the version with AWD (always had a sunroof which eats into headroom). Didn't drive it cause I didn't fit.
Nissan Rogue - headliner too low on windscreen Low headroom.
Didn't drive it cause I didn't fit.I also tested a base-model outlander with the 4cyl engine and CVT. It was still better than the Honda, but it felt sluggish and a bit disconnected.
Didn't even consider a Ford. Family works for a dealer and has some stories...
Didn't even consider a Jeep. Quality/reliability is terrible.
I haven't heard much about the newer gen Outlanders either way, but I know that Mitsubishi isn't really a big player in Canada, and may be less so in the future. It does comes with a 10 year powertrain warranty though. Best in the biz.
If I were buying used today, I'd probably get a Sorrento, Maybe another outlander (v6/auto) if the newer gen was as good a value as the old gen.
If I were buying new, probably a Forester.
As for longevity, here are some rules of thumb: Always a regular automatic transmission - no CVT/dual clutch BS. They are incredible problematic, and near unserviceable. Never a small turbo, which are in vogue right now. Fewer cylinders makes for more stress per cylinder, and turbos just compound that problem. Not to mention the spin really fast and hot, so they don't last long. Avoid high compression engines for peace of mind at the pump.
If buying used, here's a great free resource that catalogs actual sale prices in the Canadian market. I've found that asking prices are usually way higher, but for our last two purchases it was spot on for what we ended up paying.
- I guess the one thing to take from this would be to try them all yourself. Some that were top contenders going in weren't at all after we tried the competition.monNom
- oh, and a handy rule of thumb: Most vehicles loose 50% of their value in 5 years/100k, Then 50% again the next 5 years/100kmonNom
- Jeeps are garbagecannonball1978