Best Mid-Size or Compact Crossover Under $350/mo?

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the conversation so far. I’ll try and answer/address most questions/comments.

@BigFudge Yeah, I checked in on the Escape and honestly, at the upper trims, it’s just as (or more) than the CX-5, just as @jamiemose said. Unfortunately it’s also out of the running, although I like the CX-5 more than the Escape in almost every criteria. However, the redesigned 2019 Edge may be in the running once I can find out pricing from my favorite dealer. Not sure if any Ford SUVs lease well though. Seems to be a mixed bag.

@changehiphop Please keep me update on what you ultimately choose. My vehicle I’m replacing is only at 70k miles, so I’m no hurry. I really like the new Santa Fe looks, so I may wait to see what I can get once those details are released. If you’re looking at the QX60, have you found a dealer in MI with as high of discounts as you referenced? I wouldn’t mind going higher than $350 if it’s not significantly and I get more vehicle for my money.

@kevinmr Is that substantiated elsewhere? I read another article stating the additions to the new vehicle lineup, but when asked about existing vehicles, they weren’t saying for certain. The article you posted was the first that I saw that says it’s official.

@rovericantafford Yeah, it seems like a lot of folks are in the same boat. What’s tough is that a lot of models are getting redesigns, and I’m not too interested in leasing a vehicle at the end of its design life. Luckily the vehicle I’m replacing is low miles and in good replace (not a lease) so I can wait. And honestly, I’m thinking I need to take it month-by-month looking for incentives on the vehicles I’m really interested in. Compass is interesting, but a little on the small side. I’d prefer a Cherokee at minimum.

@DRich2 I’m not really interested in the Equinox for the reason in my OP. They’re just everywhere around here. Plus since I’m looking at 4/AWD, and I want upper trims at 15k miles, those low Equinox leases don’t really work. I’m much more interested in the Terrain, and it’s a strong consideration if they throw some better incentives out like they did recently.

2 Likes

Dont ever trust that. Car manufacturers have zero motivation to update older systems, as its always in their best business interest to just sell you a newer car vs retroactively updating the older system.

I almost fell for the same promise a few times and so glad I passed on it. 2016 Honda Pilot was the most recent, as it was skipped for CarPlay but the 2017 got it. 2016 owners still waiting in the wind. The only instance I’ve seen a manufacturer live up to retroactive update promise is Ford. I believe any 2016 or newer Ford running Sync3 can be updated to have CarPlay/Android Auto. And even then a hardware change is required as the USB port on 2016 models is a slower interface than the USB port on 2017 models.

I’m in the exact same boat here. We have 3 month old twins and I need an SUV/Crossover. I stress the word need as Im simply never buying a sedan/coupe again because im done with the whole bending over thing to get kids and cargo into/outof a vehicle. I also appreciate the higher seating position, better visibility and AWD option.

Anyways Im in MD which means the lease deals here suck. So its either pay something crazy like $500 month to lease a Ford Explorer thats been the same bodystyle since 2011… or wait for any type of deal on the upcoming 2019 RAV4 or Subaru Ascent. That brings on another issue though, new cars are hot sellers and any deals will be hard to come by.

I’d also be interested in the VW Atlas or Tiquan… but their leases suck. One option that really surprised me was the completely redesigned 2018 Jeep JL and it leases very well due to the ridiculously high residual. Seems like a fun vehicle, especially with the top or doors off, very masculine and its on-road manners and technology are finally up to par with others in the SUV class. The only problem is the very expensive sticker price… you are looking at $40K sales price for a Sahara or Rubicon model and it will be light on options. To add simple things that are now standard on other middle tier vehicles like blind spot detection, LED headlights/taillights, parking, 8" touchscreen, etc… you are up to $45K. And with almost no incentives it will be impossible to hit the 1% rule with a true $0 down lease.

Detroit dealers are not making any deals. not enough inventory in Ann arbor and grand rapids and the other two in Metro Detroit are owned by the same company so they effectively have a lock on the market and don’t need to deal. Try @Benedetto for Ohio deals. Had a QX60 prem plus lined up at $389 last month

1 Like

Aside from those crazy (Chevy) deals I don’t know why anyone in MD would want to lease. 6% of SP every two or three years? No thanks.

Yep… 6% sales tax on every car purchase is another excellent reason why leases suck in MD. I actually changed over my vehicle registration and driver’s license from VA because believe it or not… VA is even worse. 3% annual property tax on all vehicles AND they tax the full sale price on every purchase regardless of trade-in.

As for why Im interesting in leasing, Im literally only interesting in driving something for 2-3 years. So I figured by the time I finance, buy, sell and lose money to depreciation. I would get by better leasing something that 24/10 or 36/10.

@Daekwan I’m with ya. The Wrangler is actually what got me into this search, as that’s what I was hoping to get in the first place. However, it’s when I found out that almost all of the options I really want are not standard, it became pretty evident that I wasn’t going to get the one I wanted at the price point I wanted. It really just seems like this month is just short on options at my price point, and I’ll have to revisit this in June.

Does lease turn in reduce the tax burden by the value of the old vehicle in MD? [Assuming same manufacturer].

Nissan Rogue can be had with 15k for that money

I should probably know the absolute answer to that question. But last I looked into MD charges the full purchase price (cap cost) of the vehicle for leases. Unlike most other states who charge tax on just the usage/depreciation cost.

Let me rephrase. MD charges tax on the selling cost of the vehicle for leases, but does it allow a trade in offset and does a lease turn in count as a trade in.

E.g. I lease a 60k msrp Volvo with a selling price of 45k. I pay tax on the 45k. If I trade in a vehicle worth 30k, I only pay tax on the difference between selling price and trade in value (45k-30k = 15k is what is taxed).

Does that same set of circumstances exist in case of a lease turn in instead of a trade in?

I would like to know the exact answer to the question myself. As I have a vehicle worth $17K I would consider trading in for tax savings. If not I plan to sell it privately to recoup the highest sale price possible.

No experience with other vehicles on your list except he above. With twins, 2x infant carrier, these two models are NOT a good fit. Always bring your car seats and stroller for test drive, you will be surprise how some/most SUV are actually smaller than their exterior dimension suggests

I totally agree bringing carseats and stroller is smart thinking on a test drive. Thats exactly how my wife ended up with the VW Atlas. We had test driven the Pilot, Highlander, Explorer, QX60 and (old style) Traverse before the Atlas. It was one of the few vehicles where I (being 6’3") could fit in the driver’s seat and after adjusting the seat for my height, could sit behind the driver in the 2nd row (which was also adjusted for my height) and I could then fit in the 3rd row behind that seat.

The Atlas has 97cu/ft of cargo room… roughly the same as a Chevy Tahoe while the Pilot has 83, the Explorer has 81. They are much smaller inside. The wife was interested only in big 3 row SUVs since the plan was for her mother to live with us for a year or so to help with the babies. She wanted a vehicle that could fit 3 adults + 2 newborns in rear facing carseats + 1 double stroller… with enough room leftover for a Costco run or another adult.

FWIW the 2019 RAV4 is completely redesigned and unless you sat in one at the 2018 NY Auto show last month, then you’ve never seen it. It won’t hit dealerships until this fall. Same with the Subaru Ascent… it will not go sale until this summer. Smart money still says get the Subaru Ascent. Measured at 87cu/ft the Ascent is still smaller than the VW Atlas, but is the biggest Subaru ever made and will be ridiculously popular… as popular as the Highlander & Pilot.

The real question is do we NEED another 3-row SUVs in the garage and the answer is no. The upcoming 2019 RAV4 will be the biggest RAV4 ever… and have more leg/head room than a full sized car like the Toyota Camry. It should easily fit 2 adults + 2 newborns in rear facing carseats… and the double stroller in the cargo area for the trips we take without Grandma. If Grandma ever needs to go (or we are doing a big Costco run)… we can just take the Atlas. Waiting 6 months for the 2019 RAV4 is also a major concern because the clock is ticking.

I would also consider the redesign Chevy Traverse. FWIW it is supposed to be a cheap lease (mid $300s with nothing down) and with 98cu/ft is slightly bigger than the Atlas. I dont mind driving a bigger vehicle, if the price is right. That said the interior of the Traverse looks even cheaper than the interior of the Atlas with all the fake chrome and shiny plastic.

How much are you getting on the XC90?

That’s a, err, unique test. Carmakers know very few families have 6’3 people sitting in all three rows.

Quite frankly, I’m amazed it’s even possible.

We are big people. Therefore we drive big vehicles. For example I’ve owned a Lincoln Navigator since Tom Brady won his first Super Bowl. ‘99 still going strong with 190K on the clock.

FWIW this is very common test among professional car reviewers and YouTube bloggers. Watch any car review by Doug Demuro or Alex on Autos in YouTube, they are both over 6’ tall and do the same legroom test. Just because it’s your car, doesn’t mean you won’t ever need to fit in the back seat.

The issue is NOT 6’3" in all 3 rows, but rear facing infant carriers in 2nd row. For smaller size SUVs, this will means the first row will be so forward that even my 5’5" wife won’t be comfortably in the first row. This applies for many smaller size SUV we tested, Q5, CX5, Rav4, X3, … this size group, even Rx350 suffer from this

I was not aware Alex is 6+…he doesn’t look it but I guess camera angles can be deceptive.

If you enjoy video reviews, check out the ones posted by KBB, Consumer Reports and SavageGeese.