Looking to buy a SUV crossover and need some advice.

trackrat

trackrat

trackrat

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I am looking to buy a small SUV, as I have not had one before I am looking for advice from you knowledgeable people.
First I have about £25,000 to spend, I will be looking for a petrol engine as I only do about 4,000 miles a year.
Being an old fart, I do not drive much at night, but need something that is a bit higher than an ordinary hatchback to make getting in and out easier for my disabled wife.
These are the cars I have been looking at and would appreciate any views on them.

Honda HR-V, Suzuki Vitara, Mazda CX-3, Skoda Yeti and the Mitsubishi ASX.

Does anyone own one of these and what are your thoughts on them.
As this is probably the last new car I buy, I need to get it right.
Any help is appreciated.
 
The Honda is the best all rounder in that list and the safest choice. The Mazda is the best looker of the lot and the sportiest, really nice cars, but I find Mazda's tend to have a bit more firmer ride and I would have question marks over long term reliability of those high compression engines, although they dont have any major complaints as of yet.

Don't know much about the Vitara, they look good on paper with good packaging, the Yeti is practical but nasty and horrible in other ways its also really old coming up to 7 years I think, the same with the ASX which is nearly 6 years old, why spend all that much money on cars that are due to be replaced in the near future.

You need to go and test drive each one, they are all actually quite different to each other, also bare in mind these cars are not that big, they are essentially jumped up superminis so you need to check that its practical enough for your wife to get in and out of.
 
Yes I will be having test drives, have already organised the Honda and Suzuki, buy I was
just trying to see if anyone owned any of these models and there thoughts.
 
Wife is on her second ASX. They are a solid car and come with a decent pile of specs as standard. I can't give you a comparison against the others on your list as we only looked at the TIguan and i30 as alternatives. Both were more expensive and awful availability at the time. Worth a test drive.
 
Personally, I'd go straight for the Yeti. Very practical, easy to live with and pleasant to drive. The Vitara's a great shout (I love them) but they're a little firmer, residuals aren't good and the finish isn't as upmarket as the Skoda. The Mazda's not bad but it's cramped, expensive and basically a hatchback on stilts.

The Tucson's a good option but the only catch is that the entry-level petrol isn't much cop, neither is the turbo petrol version. The SE Nav with the 1.7-litre diesel engine would set you back just under £23k, however, but doesn't tally with your petrol needs. Fine car, though.

Conveniently I did a group test of the petrol Yeti, Vitara and CX-3 recently. Might make for useful reading. :)

I've not driven an HR-V but my colleague did give it a solid four-star review, so it may well be worth further investigating. Had a nose around the one in our car park, though, seemed quite a smart thing :)

Always had a bit of a soft spot for the ASX but they're just not as good, overall, as the other options. Might prove a bit cheaper, though.

Any questions, just ask!
 
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Lashout_UK, thanks for those links, you certainly have a good job.
And thanks to others for throwing in the Hyundai, Kia and Subaru, that has just made my choice a lot harder.
 
New Sportage looks really nice!

I typed my last post on my phone so was brief, but we were looking for a similar practical car and went for the Sportage (63 plate). Considering the price, £21,000 brand new, it's been fantastic. We got the 2, mainly for sunroofs and roof rails. The sunroofs are brilliant, especially in the back. When I get into another car it's weirdly dark and small.

For features - air con, cruise control, automatic wipers, electric mirrors, bluetooth, part leather, reversing sensors, led daylights, alloys etc - nothing else came close for the price. And loads of space. Four of us went to the Lake District with a small roof box, used it for work for ages, moved house and the rest of it.

So far it's been great, still averaging 45mpg and haven't had any problems, though the other benefit was the 7 year/100,000 warranty.
 
I got a Yeti earlier this year, can't fault it. 2l 4x4 model, bags of room even with dog, pram, baby, missus, shopping etc but still fun to drive.

VW engine and I've found it very similar inside on the internals coming from a Golf.
 
After test driving 6 different small SUV'S the wife decided she liked the HR-V, (which was the third test drive), only problem is a 14 week wait, but that will soon pass.
Thank to all who replied there were a couple mentioned that I would not of thought of.
 
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