I wouldn’t pay you to do anything but for the purposes of anyone else reading this thread, much of this reasoning is flawed. Like the notion that sitting higher allows you to navigate traffic better. When this is your view out the windshield, what does it matter whether you’re sitting 3 inches higher or 2 inches lower? Plan your trip better and/or use your knowledge of the roads or an app to reroute on the go.
One can get AWD in sedans …actually if one wanted real confidence, they would get winter tires for winter. The demise of sedans is for the same reason AWD handily outsells winter tires: marketing and advertising. How many ads does one see for winter tires vs ads for AWD-equipped vehicles?
If one wanted to lay seats flat and haul stuff, minivans are much better. But again, people buy what they’ve been told is “cool” …even without folding seats, the ‘trunk’ capacity of a minivan is magnitudes better than a SUV. The lower load floor makes loading strollers and stuff much easier too.
That picture you posted is false represenation of a drivers view traffic… its as though you sat a camera on top of a car and took a picture. Instead of the view a driver actually has from the seat. A ton of things are missing from that perspective, which is why you purposely chose that picture to validate your opinion.
The difference in driver height is more than a couple inches either way. A quick google search would reveal the difference in a seated drivers height on two different vehicles. Im not sure why anyone would attempt to debate this point as the exact difference can easily be determined.
I never said AWD was not available in sedans. And slippery conditions never refer to “winter” only conditions only where “winter” tires would apply. There are plenty of slippery conditions that occur on all sorts of roads, conditions and weather… to include warm weather, where the road isn’t always dry or clear of debris. No matter how you attempt to spin it, a vehicle with AWD will always have more traction available than a vehicle with either FWD or RWD. And for that reason alone, I prefer it.
Not everybody wants something because they were told. Or because it is supposed to be cool. And not everybody wants a minivan because its offers the maximum amount of space. You pretend like these objectives are the only reason people shop for a new vehicle. Driving is just as much an experience as it is a utility and the way one gets from point A to point B varies incredibly from person to person.
Regardless, everything I stated is from my own personal experience driving all sorts of vehicles over several decades. I know what vehicles work best for my driving style, comfort, utility, passenger, cargo, concerns and usage. And at the end of the day, Im the one who still has to pay for this vehicle… not the stranger from the internet who has a strange continuing, yet varying opinion of what vehicles I should be considering. Good luck with your future purchase, as I aim to do the same with my SUV/Crossover purchase.
Respect your preference. But when it comes to measurable quantities, i think if you compare ES350 to RX350, ES will definitely win in space, i.e. Leg room, cargo length. RX will win in cargo column, but that odd shape trunk isn’t the best for utilization.
Think about it, if my old 3 series can fot a few things better than some of the popular cross over, and it takes th class leading space utilization model, CRV to beat a compact seden, that doesn’t sound too too for crossover. And I bet an accord will win in leg room and cargo length over CRV, car at the same price range.
Now we are talking. CR-V vs Accord. The CR-V provides pretty much equal legroom, headroom and shoulder room as the Accord. However the Accord has 17cu/ft of trunk space compared to the 39cu/ft of cargo space the CR-V has with all seats upright. Furthermore the CR-V is a full one foot shorter (yes 12 inches shorter) than the Accord, which means you can park a CR-V parking spaces where an Accord wouldnt fit.
As far as price… the 2018 Accord starts at $23,570… the 2018 CR-V starts at $24,250… a price difference of $680. Gas milage the Accord does slightly better… 30/38 vs 28/34… certainly not the “gas milage sucks” difference that was stated above.
Sure. But in my test drive and fit. I order to have my stroller in, the 2nd row need to move forward a few inches. Then if carrier is in 2nd row, front passenger will not be in the most comfort position. Sure it is better than a 3 series, but I found it hard to believe a ES isn’t significant better. But I haven’t test fit one.
As a first-time parent to be in 2 months I wanted to chime in with my reasoning for shopping for an SUV. I am a car guy who has enjoyed his share of coupes, roadsters, and sport sedans. With the baby my priorities will change and this includes what I am looking for in my next vehicles:
Safety. Obviously IIHS and NHTSA scores are important and I check them all. I actually go one step further and check Euro NCAP and ANCAP scores as well. All these tests are done using barriers and poles, which obviously is helpful but when I am on the road my main concern is to have a collision with another vehicle. I live in Colorado and most vehicles I see on the road are SUVs and trucks. No matter how highly my sedan is crash-test rated if I have a collision with a taller and heavier vehicle I am at a huge disadvantage. Yes, the higher center of gravity means a higher rollover risk but with my baby in the car I am not going to take any corners as I am taking now in my Miata so I will take the collision safety over the rollover risk.
Easy entry/exit. I want a back seat that is about hip level when I am standing so I can easily put and take the baby out of her seat. I also want large doors that open wide.
Interior space. Car based SUVs (especially when based on fwd platforms) have better interior volume to exterior dimension ratio than sedans. They are essentially raised hatchbacks or station wagons with extra headroom/cargo space. You can stack cargo in a way that is simply not possible to do in a sedan. Another thing I want is to have a flat floor for the second row so I can have two adults sitting comfortably next to the car seat if I get a wide enough vehicle. An awd sedan has to have a driveshaft tunnel causing a sizable hump eating up precious foot space in the second row.
If you go by measurement, yes. But so as Q5 vs my old 3, in reality, the measurement doesn’t necessarily come out matching real life usage. I wish I had taken some picture or video in my test drives
My BOB stroller has fit in every car I have had with no trouble with the exception of the car I had that couldn’t fit one golf bag in the trunk.
But on the up side, child car seats today are getting more compact as designs get better. You should have seen the monstrosities we used to have to use.
Again, crossover/suvs are American and Chinese things. Other parts of the world don’t have as much of a strong preference. People who actually need a crossover/SUV are far and few in between. Most are driven by preference and driving culture. I think we can at least agree on this.
I’m gonna be the minivan guy here… have you considered a minivan? It will beat any 3 row SUV in all 3 of your bullet points. The only objective differentiator is ground clearance and towing (Toyota offers an AWD Sienna).
Regarding your second point, I am 6’3" with a severe spinal injury and have been loading and unloading kids comfortably for 9 years.
I think this is the 4th post I’ve made about minivans so I’m going to shut up now and return to browsing lease deals.
I think you guys are straying to far away from the point with the what does this person need conversation. In reality we dont NEED any of these cars. In reality you could outright purchase a 2003 Camry for the price of a few lease payments… and it will get you and your passengers from point A to point B. So if we are going to continue down the falsehood path of who really needs this vs who really needs that… the first question we NEED to ask is who NEEDS to lease a brand new car? Doesn’t matter if you are Chinese, American, Russian, whatever… you are leasing a new car because you want too… not because you need too… so lets drop the whole “need” soapbox thing.
That said the title of this thread is “Best Mid-Size or Compact Crossover’s under $350/month”. And while the conversation has swayed from “a car is better than a SUV” to “everybody should just get a minivan with winter tires”… the point remains people came here because the were interested in leasing a new Crossovers (again a CAR-based SUV) that is highest rated and under $350.
Its been pointed out that for $350/month the best deal you are going to get is a QX60. Its a $50,000 Crossover that can be leased for way below the 1% rule. The problem is apparently nobody wants one lol… because out of every vehicle recommended in this thread (including QX60) its by far the least discussed. I personally wouldnt recommend the QX60 (even a $350/month) because its an old outdated design, with a terrible infotainment system and poor execution of interior space for its size. It just feels old.
As for minivans (they are technically 3 row crossovers… car based frame and drivetrain) I’m not sure how well minivans even lease… so while they seem to be a strong recommendation… where are the deals? What didnt get discussed is that minivans are expensive! And I imagine most people visiting this thread though would be much more interested in what does something like a RAV4 or Highlander lease for? I would include Honda, Subaru & VW as their crossovers are popular… but from everything I’ve read they lease horribly.
The best deals in leasing seem to be luxury brands for the price of regular brand… which brings Acura, Infiniti, BMW, MB, Audi into the conversation… but because crossovers are the hottest selling segment in the market right now I imagine there are few lease deals to be found there. Infiniti has totally redone the QX50 crossover for 2019… variable compression turbo… but still no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto which makes it a pass for me. Volvo has the new XC40… but its brand new too so good luck leasing either the new QX50 or XC40 for under $350/month.
TL:DR… QX60 for $350/month… Chevy Traverse, Kia Sorento, Hyundai SanteFe or Ford Explorer (base models) for $299/month. Possibly Highlander (from certain dealers) for $300-350 month… but its pretty rare.
It also goes back to one’s definition of “best”. Is it highest MSRP for $350? Is it most prestigious luxury badge for $350? Is it most high tech features for $350? Is it model with the newest refresh for $350? Is 3rd row mandatory?
A minivan would offer the most space and on-road/parking lot utility with sliding doors, plenty of cabin height and relatively decent gas mileage. But it comes with a stigma that some people cannot overcome.
The QX60 fills a niche. The ingress/egress height is ideal for my wife who can just slide in and out, not having to climb up into an SUV or sink down in a sedan. It is by far the quietest vehicle we have ever owned and the space flexibility makes sense for us. The kids are older and starting to drive themselves so it is rare that the 5 of us journey to a destination all in the same vehicle, but we could if we needed to. [The 3rd row will be folded 90+% of the time]. So $350/mth for leather, around view cameras, 2nd row bench and AWD is a no brainer.
How widely have you looked? Even with a lot of dealers around me I have found only a fraction of dealers are willing to play ball (discount, stack rebates, buyrate MF, MSD, etc)
