we gave our 2016 mazda cx-5 awd sport to my older daughter who drives mountain roads to a school internship in west virginia.

we have a 2005 ford focus wagon with 115k that is a great local car but is getting a bit long in the tooth.

i was looking at small cuvs or hatchbacks as an option.

new? doubtful.

lease? maybe.

used? probably!

anyone drive a mazda3?

how about a honda hrv?

or perhaps a subbie impreza?

any and all thoughts are appreciated.

thumbs up.

rob

I’m going to guess there’s a specific reason you didn’t mention vw.

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I have a 2016 Mazda3 hatchback. Any questions about it I could answer?

"i was looking at small cuvs"

What's a "cuvs"?

Rob,

Hatchbacks and subcompact SUVs aren't the same machines. The Impreza, Mazda3, and Yaris hatchback are comparable. Same goes for other subcompact hatchbacks. The HR-V is comparable to the Subaru Crosstrek, Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Kona. I've driven subcompact hatchbacks and subcompact SUVs. They have different feels and should be considered different classes of vehicles and treated accordingly.

Robert

Id find another CX 5.

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

thanks all for the sharing-

i have also looked at the mazda cx-3, another cx-5, rav4 (too large), cr-v (too large), and even the elentra gt hatch.

size is a slight consideration.

storage capacity is a consideration.

fuel efficiency is a consideration.

but perhaps the key variable is reliability.

...and then there is price!...

any and all insights are indeed appreciated.

thumbs up.

rob



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2019 01:00PM by robfilms.

Bought our first Crosstrek in 2017 and have really liked it. When we went to replace our Toyota Matrix this year, we considered many of the choices mentioned above, as well as the new AWD Prius.

We went with a slightly used 2018 Crosstrek...so now there are two in the garage.

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

I'm currently (well, when it gets back from the body shop after the deer tried to kill itself on my car, but I digress) a Mazda 3, 2.5, 5 door. I'm extremely happy with it. It is very sure-footed - I know exactly where the car will be on all turns. The safety features are well integrated, and keyless entry is very convenient. I'm also quite fond of the entertainment system. The center console joystick takes a bit to get used to, but after than I'm glad to never have to reach the touch screen.

Were I to do it again, I'd have gone up one trim line for a better sound system. That's my only issue.

My wife drives an Impreza. 4 wheel drive was a must for her. The acceleration and handling are excellent. She's a bit disappointed in the storage space, but that mainly because of all the <valuable things> she has to have in every nook and cranny.

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Embarassing myself on the Internet since 1978.

If fuel efficiency is a requirement and AWD is not, I would avoid it. There's pretty much an indirect correlation between the number of drive wheels and fuel efficiency. That said I've become addicted to AWD in NE Ohio's snow and ice.

Beyond that I found the Honda HR-V to be kind of weird. Kind of an AWD "Fit". Cramped. But I'm fat.

My local VW dealer has brand new 2018 Golf SportWagen 1.8T S w/auto models for $18,591. Comes with 6 year/72k miles full factory warranty too. If I was car shopping I’d be very, very interested in this.

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Yoyodyne ArtWorks
My local VW dealer has brand new 2018 Golf SportWagen 1.8T S w/auto models for $18,591. Comes with 6 year/72k miles full factory warranty too. If I was car shopping I’d be very, very interested in this.

ya-

you anywhere near new york city?

rob

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robfilms
you anywhere near new york city?

I bought my VW wagon while living in nyc. Local VW dealer let me drive a Golf and I really enjoyed it. Toyota dealer wanted to know WHAT COLOR car I wanted to test drive. And it had to be scheduled ahead of time. I ended up using Zip Car to test drive a couple of cars. I decided I'd rather pay than deal with a dealer. Its not a half bad idea either - rent it and have some time on your own with it.

I found a great deal in the DC area - $5k off msrp. I took the bus down, bought the car and drive back. Process was smooth. Turns out that if you contact a dealership and say 'I want to buy xyz car on saturday morning' they'll make things as smooth as possible.

Its annoying, some VW dealers compete on price and some don't. I guess I'd check to see if your local dealer could be competitive on price. Mine wasn't. (I was moving to Madison, WI and considered that local)

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Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2019 02:34PM by mattkime.

We are loving our 2015 Toyota Prius V--that's the long one with a regular hatchback. Link from generic car dealer:

[www.lianissansaratoga.com]

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robfilms

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Yoyodyne ArtWorks
My local VW dealer has brand new 2018 Golf SportWagen 1.8T S w/auto models for $18,591. Comes with 6 year/72k miles full factory warranty too. If I was car shopping I’d be very, very interested in this.

ya-

you anywhere near new york city?

rob

Nope, Madison WI area, here are the dealer links, do a fly and drive!

[www.z-vw.com]

[www.z-vw.com]

[www.z-vw.com]

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vw reliability, meh?

and i have never dealt with a vw dealership that weren't total jerks.

(the nyc metro area could have something to do with that but, really?)

and i'm not even sure i haven't gotten over the moral quandary of vw's corporate liars.

but the golf sportwagon does look like a good ride!

rob



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2019 03:43PM by robfilms.

Golf Mk7 and up (2015 to present) seems to be solid in terms of reliability. I have a 2017 with 27k miles and have had no problems. The dealer I linked to is good, straightforward and no funny business with lots of extra charges/fees/etc.

The moral question is certainly an issue, it was a definite negative factor when we bought our car. We drove Hondas for over 30 years and I was quite reluctant to buy a VW, but the Golf is so superior to the Civic with CVT that I just couldn’t pass it up.

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We have an 07 Mazda 3 hatch that just rolled over 130k miles; I put 500 of those miles on it yesterday and it is still fun to drive. I keep waiting for it to die but it keeps running with barely any unexpected maintenance. The newer ones with SkyActiv are amazing.

I test drove a 2017 Mazda 3 with the 2.5 liter engine and automatic and was very impressed. Not as much low-end torque as the Golf, but quite nice. The lack of Apple CarPlay, higher price than our Golf and the sketchiness of the local Mazda dealer ultimately swayed the decision in favor of the Golf.

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robfilms
any and all thoughts are appreciated.

Volt. You won't regret it. Go used, of course.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

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robfilms
we gave our 2016 mazda cx-5 awd sport to my older daughter who drives mountain roads to a school internship in west virginia.
...

if you really like the CX-5, get another one. If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

Although I've not driven (yet) the latest VW Golf Wagen, that would be my vote, if that's in your price range. That deal for a 2018 seems killer.

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Hurts like a bastid...

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robfilms
and i'm not even sure i haven't gotten over the moral quandary of vw's corporate liars.

Drive one and then decide whether its worth moral wrangling.

Take a look at cargurus to shop around. Looks like the Madison WI deal is pretty solid.

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tomorrow, i plan on going to the ny auto show at the javitz center.

i am hoping i can take my small list and see/sit in each of the vehicles i'm interested in.

my most wonderful wife has even agreed to spend part of saturday visiting car dealerships.

it would be hard to visit four dealers (mazda, honda, subaru and maybe vw) in one day.

if i can get her to buy in on some model choices then i can start to shop for my best option.

i only wish i realized sooner that i wanted to get out of the ford.

i like buying cars at the end of a month and i fear i have missed that opportunity for april 2019.

thumbs up.

rob

I drive a 2015 Mazda3. I love it. It's a joy to drive. I took it out from Camp Wood, TX, through Leakey, and Vanderpool. Fantastic Drive.
[goo.gl]

New 2018 and one should come with CarPlay.

I will be getting installed in my car soon (I hope). Dealership charges about $400 for upgrading the USB ports and software upgrade.

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Eli Weisel

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

"I don’t want to see religious bigotry in any form. It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." - Billy Graham 1981

"Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise" - Barry Goldwater

I have driven a 2017 Golf Alltrack for the last two years with no problems whatsoever. I highly recommend it. Very comfortable and fun to drive. If you don't want the AWD then going with the Golf Sportwagen would be a great choice as well



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2019 10:38AM by carl.

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Speedy

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robfilms
any and all thoughts are appreciated.

Volt. You won't regret it. Go used, of course.

glad someone at least threw it out there. best little hatch on the planet.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

just back from the ny auto show.

i was impressed by the looks and features of the honda hrv...

...and the...

...hyundai and kia products!

Kia Soul, Kia Sportage, Kia Niro.

Hyundai Kona, Hyundai Elentra GT hatch, Hyundia Ioniq.

hmm...

i believe i need to do a bit more research.

thumbs up.

rob

my most wonderful wife spent the entire saturday with me driving cars!

woowoo.

it was fun to be together.

it was fun driving someone else's car.

it was definitely a bit weird being at the prey of car sales people.

the sales people were trying so hard.

the dealerships we visited were pretty crowded.

everyone mentioned "end of the month" as the reason.

if everyone wants a "great deal" at the end of the month, can everyone really get one?

as for the cars:

we really liked how a 2016 mazda cx3 drove. very nice interior. 2.0 engine was plenty for the subcompact and mated well with real 6 speed trans (no cvt). the driver's arm rest was on a plastic hinge and squeaked whenever touched. annoying. back seats were tight when sitting behind myself (i'm six feet) not too much rear cargo space when seats up, plenty when down with hatch. many reviews i watched seemed accurate. still on the list.

dealership did not have a mazda3 hatch (2016-18 preferred years). after all the car shopping we went to trader's joe for a quick shop. in the tj parking lot, we stopped someone with a 2016 exactly as we wanted. she (mid 50s slight diminutive in stature-similiar to my most wonderful wife) raved about the car, how it drove and how it satisfied what she needed a car to accomplish. we will devote next weekend to round2 and see if we can't drive a mazda3 hatch.

we then drove a 2014 subaru impressa with 35k. it was a trade in, one owner car. inside, we felt much lower to the ground. the boxer 2.0 was peppy enough. but the cvt droned on. i was unimpressed with the ride. perhaps we had a well used model. i do know that subaru refined the cvt after the 2014 model year. we will try for a crosstrek next weekend and see if subaru still stays on the list.

we then drove a 2018 cx-5. i have a 2016 cx-5. this newer model handled very well. 2.5 engine was enough for this small cuv. very comfortable interior. very comfortable ride. plenty of room in back seat and hatch. the only negative-for us-was that my most wonderful wife felt the nose of the cx-5 was a bit long and she felt the vehicle was just a tad too big for her. she is a very good driver. she has driven larger vehicles than the cx-5. she felt the same with our 2016. she never loved it but liked it plenty. as a value proposition, it remains on our list. she is still sorting out how she feels about the cx-5.

we went to a kia dealership to see a soul and a niro. the place was packed. the music was loud. there were several women sales people. and the whole vibe was young. it was so crowded we couldn't get a test drive on any vehicle till another day. bummer. my most wonderful wife thought the soul was impressive, especially for the money (new and used). the salesperson was a guy in his mid 30s in a nice blue suit and brown shoes-very hip. he was really working. not in a bad, aggressive way but in a manner suggesting he just wanted to make a deal so he could continue his life, pay his rent and be with his family. ultimately, we will not return. my most wonderful wife ending up feeling like the soul was weird looking and not for us.

we headed to the honda dealer. i knew they had recently acquired a 2016 hr-v lx with 10k miles. they were asking a wee bit more than $18k. the sales person, again mid 30s, caught us outside as we strolled in. he too was well dressed and very professional. we gabbed a bit and then he arranged a test drive with the hr-v. the smaller engine was peppy enough, we drove locally, not on the highway so couldn't determine if the many comments about being under powered were accurate. one impression we both had was that for $18k+, we thought the interior was down right chintzy. the amenities were really low end. very surprising. and disappointed. i think as a value proposition, the hrv is off the list.

still in the running:

2016-2018 mazda3 hatchback
2016-2018 mazda cx-3
2016-2018 mazda cx-5

2016-2018 subaru crosstrek

and we are going to test drive the vw golf sportswagon s 2016-2018 and see how that feels.

more to come.

thumbs up.

rob