I know, I know this has been a thing for a while. We already know the X3 M40i and SQ5 get a lot of love with countless threads on them here and nearly all the usual ‘luxe’ brands offering a performance version of their CUV. But it seems the ‘performance-ish’ CUV is finally trickling down?
- CX5 now finally has a turbo!
- Hyundai Tuscon N is coming! (maybe)
Do we reckon Honda will give us a CRV Type R? - The new Passport has a not-unimpressive 280HP. A Tiguan GTI would go down well.
So c’mon Subaru, give us the Crosstrek and Forester Turbo we want! (but probably won’t buy in enough numbers to justify)
Performance cuv is the perfect compromise for guys in the 30-40 age range that need to easily fit car seats & strollers and such but want a bit more pep and sportiness than what’s typically offered in the standard 4 banger cuv/suv.
My understanding from the few reviews done is that the CX-5’s additional power makes it feel more luxurious (in terms of effortless power) than sporty (similar to the changes of the Mazda 6).
Can’t imagine too many commodity SUVs getting a significant upgrade b/c I assume there’s little profit incentive for the brands to do so. They already sell boatloads of them, so why bother to upgrade (esp when a normal consumer would likely be totally uninterested, esp if the fuel economy drops significantly)?
FIFY. Those of us who are 40+ may still want the sportiness and practicality and a higher step-in height (::sigh::)…
As SUV sales keep growing it makes sense. You need to be able to recover development costs but even if Honda only got a 5%-10% take rate on the bigger engine that’s a lot or sales.
One benefit of doing it in an CUV is the four wheel drive. Even in my small engine Accord, the only times I sometimes feel like I really need more power (like when I merge into tight traffic and don’t realize the lifted f150 in my rear view mirror is going 20 miles over the limit), the issue is the tires not the power. All seasons just struggle to quickly put power down, a problem I never have in my MDX.
I don’t doubt that plenty of guys 40-50 dig the performance cuv as well, but I remember reading somewhere that the sq5, glc43, etc. specifically targets the 30-40 demographic as a compromise vehicle when the wife that wants a small suv/cuv.
In other words, getting the sq5 over the q5 helps us retain our manliness (and satisfies the inner child) just a little bit.
I test drove the CX-5 turbo, and it’s an utterly well-sorted vehicle with gobs of instant torque. Really a great drive, but you’re looking at $40k so it’s startifn to creep into a different zone than what the base CX-5 seems to be.
I def see the appeal of slightly boosted power in smallish crossovers. It’s just plain fun.
I’m 42 and I’m crazy for the SQ5 and X3 M40i. If they leased just a little better I’d be in one for sure. They just tend to be a little outside what I want to spend. I try to stay < $600 in my payment world with no CCR.
Overall I see this segment growing, rational or not.
I would be happy with a $300/mo 330i/A4/C300 fart car. I just need keyless entry, push button start, and carplay. I just hope that in 2 1/2 years, that there are still good deal on sedans. Those X2 loaners for ~$300 would be nice as well. Anything would be a performance upgrade from my 2018 Tiguan.
I still like sedans too, so much fun to drive. I stuck the wife in the tiguan, she thinks it’s great. Can’t beat the low center of gravity in sedans. I had my fart car in the mountains today and it’s a blast flying around the corners, those 18"s were glued to the pavement
when I got my sq5 I was going to take a minimally equipped unit that stickered at like $55.5k for $560/month including tax (no ccr but max security deposits). Unfortunately I wasn’t ready to buy at that moment and when I called the the next day the car had sold.
The ST trim on the Edge is the same sporty treatment as the previous generation Sport trim. It may have the TT V6, but it’s clocked at slower than the outgoing edge sport trim and there was no improvement in instrumented tests on lateral skid pad and handling.
They just removed “Sport” and replaced it with “ST” and now I hate Ford more than I did before.
