Just curious what others considered. Got mine in 2017 just for model year reference. For me it was:
- RAV4 SE (underpowered to be "sporty", interior felt cramped, just couldn't see myself driving it long)
- CR-V (I know it's a mom car but it's a great car)
- GTI (always wanted one but wanted something a bit bigger/taller)
- Used 2013-2014 RDX (nice but hard to find in my price range w/ low miles)
- Subie Outback
- Hyundai Tucson (Not bad but I drove the CX-5 right after and the Tucson felt cheap after that)
- 2016.5 CX-5
- Used Q5, X3, etc but maintenance costs would've been too much
- Ford Escape/Edge/Explorer/F-150
- Used Volvo XC-70 (Im a big wagon fan but didnt care for the interior. And pricey for me)
Bit of a disclaimer, I only tested the RDX, Tucson, and RAV4. I had driven previous gens of the GTI and CR-V, as well as the new Outback. Was planning on testing the others but after I drove the CX-5 I knew it was the one and didn't even bother with the others. I also tested the 2016.5 CX-5 back-to-back with the 2017 and really liked that too but after talking with the dealer it was only going to be ~$2K more for the 2017 so I was like (cabpatch)
- RAV4 SE (underpowered to be "sporty", interior felt cramped, just couldn't see myself driving it long)
- CR-V (I know it's a mom car but it's a great car)
- GTI (always wanted one but wanted something a bit bigger/taller)
- Used 2013-2014 RDX (nice but hard to find in my price range w/ low miles)
- Subie Outback
- Hyundai Tucson (Not bad but I drove the CX-5 right after and the Tucson felt cheap after that)
- 2016.5 CX-5
- Used Q5, X3, etc but maintenance costs would've been too much
- Ford Escape/Edge/Explorer/F-150
- Used Volvo XC-70 (Im a big wagon fan but didnt care for the interior. And pricey for me)
Bit of a disclaimer, I only tested the RDX, Tucson, and RAV4. I had driven previous gens of the GTI and CR-V, as well as the new Outback. Was planning on testing the others but after I drove the CX-5 I knew it was the one and didn't even bother with the others. I also tested the 2016.5 CX-5 back-to-back with the 2017 and really liked that too but after talking with the dealer it was only going to be ~$2K more for the 2017 so I was like (cabpatch)
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