AWD Wagonish Car For Cheap Snob

[Tony S]

I have a nice car. 2011 Acura TSX wagon, bought used in 2012. Been happy with it, but at 150k it's starting to be time to look at a replacement. A) Really starting to miss AWD during this snowy winter. B) Getting tired of the constant brake issues that turn out to be a "feature" of this car.

Drove the Golf wagon the other day. Very fun car but a tiny bit small, and loud on the highway. Also expensive for what you get in terms of conveniences. For example, I'm kind of spoiled by climate control. Only available in A-spec Golf for almost 40K. Whoa.

Herself has a 2013 Outback. Very practical but such a snooze. And bigger than I need. And still not cheap.

What do people think about the new Tiguan? CX-5?

Has to be reliable, newish, awd, and under 35k. Needs to support roof box. No crazy Euro electronic gate latch failures! (Friend owns Volvo money pit.) Needs to really work in bad weather. Recently rented a new SUV, all of whose proximity alarms went off and would not stop because the sensors were covered in snow and ice. Took Kevin F and me about twenty minutes to disable them all with the control panel. Tested in Los Angeles, obviously.

 

[Philpug]

Buick Tour-X? I hear there are deals to be had.

 

[Andy Mink]

all of whose proximity alarms went off

Happens frequently to my RAM truck. Luckily it figures it out and shuts them down, just giving a warning when you start up. There are also buttons for both front and rear to shut them off manually. I'll be watching this thread as I'm looking for something AWD, big enough for 4, carry skis and gear for day trips, and hopefully have some features I've grown to like, such as Android Auto compatibility.

 

[noncrazycanuck]

i'e also been looking to replace the wife's forestor
for my point of reference all mid and smaller suv seem to get bigger than i prefer every year.

test drives
so far quite liked the volvo xc40 jag f-pace close second and afa romero was a pleasant surprise ,
all a bit more than i really want to spend but the number of dealers for servicing is really the bigger negative

second tier
mazda cx-5 drives pretty well not a great interior, the toyota rv4 is not exciting in all aspects but seems very practical and should have that toyota reliability.
crv drives like a mini van, acura's length and interior sadly reminds me of a taurus wagon,

We have been happy with the subaru as a ski vehicle but their new models haven't kept up and the wife wants a change
other than service trucks or pick ups i haven't bought north american since the 80's, that's not likely to change.

will look at the bmw and mercedes but I already own one German car and not sure i want the expense of another even if i prefer the handling .

good thing that subaru still runs fine as i'd like to keep it to the end of this ski season even if the wife doesn't .

 

[coskigirl]

I love my 2018 CX-5. It’ll be a year old this month. Also, my alarms go off once then just dash warning.

 

[cantunamunch]

Buick Tour-X? I hear there are deals to be had.

Lost me at 'GM 2 liter turbo 4'

 

[neonorchid]

Eh, it's small small, and a wishy-washy maybe only if you're able to get a high gov tax credit for the plugin hybrid EV - https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a25223865/2019-subaru-crosstrek-hybrid-drive/

 

[tball]

A CPO Infiniti FX37/Q70 is worth considering. It's based on the G37/370Z so it's fast and fun while being pretty cheap used and reasonably nice. It has old school tech and big displacement going back to a ~2009 redesign. They are very reliable into high mileage with a rock-solid V6 (no turbo!) but poor fuel economy.

I'm still not sure if I like the dramatic look, but I had an FX37 as a loner while my G was being serviced and it was super fun to drive for an SUV/wagonish AWD. It's worth a test drive for the grins.

 

[Philpug]

Lost me at 'GM 2 liter turbo 4'

Since it's not for you, it doesn't matter. But 250 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque is damn good.

 

[Marty McSly]

Since it's not for you, it doesn't matter. But 250 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque is damn good.

The Tour-X looks a lot like the Opel that's being sold in Australia as GM's replacement for the locally-developed Holden Commodore. We get the 3.6 litre HFV6, but everyone wishes for the turbo 2 litre 4.

 

[Marty McSly]

Does Subaru not sell the Levorg stateside?

 

[Tricia]

Drove the Golf wagon the other day. Very fun car but a tiny bit small, and loud on the highway.

We have the Golf Alltrack with snow tires. Its a beast in the winter. The only time we take the Yukon is when the snow is deep enough we need clearance or when we take a road trip and need the cargo capacity.
The Golf has enough length in the back to put Phil's skis in with out moving the seat. I know your skis are shorter than his.
(not judging)

 

[neonorchid]

The Tour-X looks a lot like the Opel that's being sold in Australia as GM's replacement for the locally-developed Holden Commodore. We get the 3.6 litre HFV6, but everyone wishes for the turbo 2 litre 4.

It is an Opel.

 

[Philpug]

Does Subaru not sell the Levorg stateside?

No, a shame.

 

[Marty McSly]

It is an Opel.

I should clarify. The AWD wagon gets the 3.6 V6 Down Under. The 2WD hatch and wagon get 2 litre turbo petrol or diesel engines.

Apparently the RHD conversion of the AWD is incompatible with the turbo 4.

 

[neonorchid]

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-model-y-release-date-184056363.html

 

[François Pugh]

Lost me at 'GM 2 liter turbo 4'

Lost me at GM....and I used to be GM's biggest fan.

 

[cantunamunch]

I know your skis are shorter than his.
(not judging)

I was confused by this- it didn't seem quite right - then remembered OP is a skate skier.

Lost me at GM....and I used to be GM's biggest fan.

<- rebuilt two 1.8 Opel/Brazil engines in driveways and two Quad4s (in a garage). Nevah again.

 

[KevinF]

Recently rented a new SUV, all of whose proximity alarms went off and would not stop because the sensors were covered in snow and ice. Took Kevin F and me about twenty minutes to disable them all with the control panel..

Thanks to extensive therapy, I had just started to forget about that traumatizing episode. Thanks for the reminder.

Tested in Los Angeles, obviously.

Tested? What makes you think they tested it? God, that car was a vile POS

 

[Coach13]

They aren’t selling them anymore but we like the Toyota Venzas we’ve owned. AWD and plenty of room for skis and gear too. Also 1 of the few car/wagon type vehicles my sons and I have adequate head and shoulder room at 6-4, 6-6 & 6-8.