Hey all

Looking to replace our Prius with something with AWD and decent economy. We are looking at subcompacts, primarily will be driven by girlfriend, and she doesn't even want a regular compact suv.

That leaves cars like the CX3, HRV, Juke, etc.. anyone have any first hand experience with these, from the 2016-17 era? I like the HRV the best, but the no knobs of that era is its biggest knock, and a noisy engine/powertrain?

 

I had a 2017 HR-V LX which was manual both in terms of knobs and tranny lol. Nothing wrong with the car and I liked the utility. Average power for a vehicle that size, and it handles better than my current Forester. I did not find either the engine or tranny loud. My sister has the EX with sunroof, and no complaints there either. PM me if you need more info.

 

tx - we're leaning that way but iffy due to lack of volume knob

hyundai kona looks pretty good too, not too expensive

 

I personally think Mazda makes a nicer (better, looking, nicer interior, etc) car than Honda. Reliability and quality wise, I don't think you can go wrong with either, especially since the HRV doesn;t have the L15 turbo motor that puts fuel in the oil. so it's really going to come down to driving them and deciding which you prefer.

 

I have had 2 Jukes. 2012 AWD CVT and a 2015 FWD MT Nismo RS. I really loved everything about them, especially the RS. The biggest problem with the Juke is the CVT trans. It will go out eventually and they arent cheap. You cant get a manual trans in AWD either. So if AWD is what you are set on, pass on the Juke. If she will consider FWD with a manual trans, I have nothing bad to say. They are fun little cars that handle good and run pretty good too.

 

Subaru? Maybe a Crosstrek?

But out of your choices, Mazda's quality is really improved. They aren't exciting at all though.

 

i perosnally like the mazda the best but i think it's also the worst utility-wise

the jukes are nice, she actually likes the look, but want awd so reliability is a concern

we're looking primarily at hrvs and konas at this point

 

The Nissan CVT is 100% a no go. That trans WILL go out on you. Probably more than once if you keep the car past 80-100k miles.

 

Kona Limited has the 7-speed DCT with 175hp TDI 1.6L
All other models are 2.0L 147hp NA DI motors with 6 spd auto
AWD is optional
They seem to be small in utility space as well but I like the sporty style.
Worth a test drive to scope it out. Not sure if you are into leasing but there seem to be good offers on the 4th July sales

 

yeah the interior seems to be really nice on both the kona and the hrv.. konas seem to be much, much cheaper than the hrvs though, especially if we want MY19+ on the hrv for the damn volume knob

 

Is the Rav4 too big? I have friend with one of those and he really likes it.

 

sadly yes (for her). We had a 2011 v6, i freaking loved that thing.

 

Toyota has a smaller CUV, the C-HR. But its not highly rated.

 

^ IRCC that rear roofline slope on the C-HR was pretty steep and uncomfortable for taller people sitting in the back. As for the Nissan CVT, it is nice to have confirmation on the issues that I keep hearing about on the web. Reminds me of the auto tranny issue on the 98-02 Accords. Fortunately, I had the 5 spd so no issue for me back then

 

Off topic, but this would be my choice, although Suzuki refuses to sell the Jimny here. Maybe if enthusiasts make enough noise, they would consider it. Granted, Suzuki's history here hasn't been great, but with the growth of the SUV market since Suzuki last sold SUVs here, and with rusty Sidekicks still going for $5,000 in Canada, it could be a winner for people who just want a basic, small SUV. It's the only car that I would buy new right now.