Best small suv for winter driving

[vtgal7thgen]

I went from a well-loved 2004 BMW X3 that I’d driven all of its 223,000 miles to a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek that is my daily driver in Vermont. I have the top package in it with EyeSight, heated seats, etc. But it’s not as many options as are available now. At just over 120,000 miles it’s been a great car and with black leather seats it reminds me of my BMW just enough to make me super happy that I spent less on a car and invested the difference. It’s a little more floaty feeling in deep snow but I’ve gotten used of it and I would recommend one.

 

[vtgal7thgen]

Newer Tiggys don't require premium any longer thankfully. I can get mine up to 32 or 33 MPG on a road trip. Sorry again about all your troubles. What a nightmare.

My crosstrek got anywhere from 35 to 39 mpg much of the time.

My 2016 Crosstrek reliably gets 35-36mpg

 

[santacruz skier]

Newer Tiggys don't require premium any longer thankfully. I can get mine up to 32 or 33 MPG on a road trip. Sorry again about all your troubles. What a nightmare.

My crosstrek got anywhere from 35 to 39 mpg much of the time.

Good luck with yours. I really do like VW's and have had 4 of them over of the years. But this one, nothing but problems...

 

[Trailside Trixie]

Good luck with yours. I really do like VW's and have had 4 of them over of the years. But this one, nothing but problems...

Thanks. I'm prepared to trade mine in once my last paid for service at 50,000. I don't want to deal with out of warranty repairs or when the turbo system starts to break down. Lots of luck with your new vehicle.

 

[santacruz skier]

Thanks. I'm prepared to trade mine in once my last paid for service at 50,000. I don't want to deal with out of warranty repairs or when the turbo system starts to break down. Lots of luck with your new vehicle.

You probably won't have any issues...

 

[Momof4]

We love our RAV4!

 

[vtgal7thgen]

That sucks! Totally sounds like a lemon. Reading about them online, I think Tiguans can be a little hit or miss. It’s been nothing short of an amazing snow car for me though.

I have a friend on her 2nd Atlas after the first one was turned in as a lemon-now this one is looking like a too. The thing is constantly in the shop and it’s less than a year old. I wouldn’t buy a VW after seeing what she’s dealt with.

 

[vtgal7thgen]

I think?? it's a Limited. It's got the all weather package and a moonroof.

Mine is a 2016 and just had its 8th birthday too!

 

[vtgal7thgen]

Our previous Subarus were manual transmissions so I'll be curious to see how my little smurf blue Crosstrek holds up as far as the CVT transmission, since it's the oldest of our current Subies. So far so good approaching 100k at 7.5 yrs old. Pandemic really helped keep the miles down on it. So far I've been really impressed with how smooth it still runs as old as it is.

mine is named “Smurfette” and the same color. Black leather interior. 120,000 miles as of it’s 8th birthday and no problems with it at all in all of those years full time living in Vermont and commuting over 60 miles per weekday.

 

[tinymoose]

@vtgal7thgen - Hyper blue 2016 Crosstrek club unite! I honestly love the bright color; makes it so much easier to find in a parking lot. I hope by the time I need a new car, they've got a fun, bright color I can select. Sounds like we basically have the same exact car, features and all.

My car's name is Dagoo, named after Scully's 2nd dog in X-Files. My last Impreza was named Queequeg after Scully's 1st dog, so I just kept the trend going. lol

 

[Trailside Trixie]

I had a bright orange crosstrek. Loved it. My Tiguan is black on black. Looks fabulous with the silver accents but I can't find the freaking thing in a parking lot. I've lost it 4 times so far ha ha. The other day I almost got into someone else's black VW alas cause apparently I just saw the black car and the VW emblem. Lol. I'm likely going to trade black magic in for a bright red VW SEL R line so that I can find my car once again in the lot.

 

[vtgal7thgen]

@vtgal7thgen - Hyper blue 2016 Crosstrek club unite! I honestly love the bright color; makes it so much easier to find in a parking lot. I hope by the time I need a new car, they've got a fun, bright color I can select. Sounds like we basically have the same exact car, features and all.

My car's name is Dagoo, named after Scully's 2nd dog in X-Files. My last Impreza was named Queequeg after Scully's 1st dog, so I just kept the trend going. lol

We’ve named our other Subaru “Kermit”, a green 2017 Outback Touring model. The kiddo has a Honda CR-V in “molten lava” and is named “Elmo”. Smurfette isn’t a Muppet but it seemed appropriate to stick with cartoon characters and Muppets, and the car naming all started with her because of the color.

 

[leia1979]

I honestly love the bright color; makes it so much easier to find in a parking lot.

I have a pure red Crosstrek for the same reason. It's almost an identical shade to my old bright red Civic, too.

But we also thought that when my husband bought a bright blue Mustang Mach-E, yet I almost tried to open the wrong one in the parking lot last night! I wasn't expecting a second one parked only 20 ft away.

 

[floatingyardsale]

We have a Honda CR-V -- 2013, I think. It's fine, not amazing, but it's reliable and it's an alternative that's often overlooked. With snow tires it does well in the canyons.

 

[NYSnowflake]

The Mazda CX-5 is a great little SUV and a ton of fun to drive (9/10 from Car and Driver). Unsure if you topped it out if it would be enough $, but worth a look.

Audi Q5 would be one that would be more in your target price range, but for an extra $15K you drop down to an 8/10 from Car and Driver, lol.

We just got a CX5 turbo (husband needed the turbo part) as our primary ski vehicle. We like it a lot! This allows me to backburner my 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and save it as a primarily horse trailer towing vehicle.

 

[tinymoose]

I have a pure red Crosstrek for the same reason. It's almost an identical shade to my old bright red Civic, too.

But we also thought that when my husband bought a bright blue Mustang Mach-E, yet I almost tried to open the wrong one in the parking lot last night! I wasn't expecting a second one parked only 20 ft away.

I had that happen recently with my blue Crosstrek. Who thought there'd be another one just like mine parked a couple spots away lol

 

[ESGCO]

I have a strange question perhaps.. but does your car do a very rough restart sort of thing after stopping at a stop sign or red light and want to get going again? I rented a Rav 4 hybrid in CA in November and found it quite annoying due to this. It felt rough and then would have a slight lag in getting going. Though once it is already going it was very peppy when stepping on the gas. I was excited to rent it because I have been thinking about the Rav 4 Prime as a potential new car and haven’t gotten to test drive anything except the regular Rav 4 yet. Figured the hybrid would be similar to the Prime in how it drives. I’m not sure if it is the way hybrids behave in general since I hadn’t driven one before.. perhaps there is also a setting to lessen the shut off, rough restart, and lag I was feeling? Or maybe there was something extra wrong with this car, it really didn’t feel right.

I have been driving my current car since 2012 and over 200k miles.. I was planning to get a new car right around when Covid hit, but since then I’ve worked from home and that slowed down my need for it.

Sorry for the delay! And...good question, I'll have to pay more attention next time I drive it. I believe I know what you're talking about though, when the car almost idles on the battery when stopped at a red light or sign, then the gas kicks in again when you accelerate?
I want to say the Prime does not do this because I have not noticed it, but also I feel like the only times I've driven it using gas are highway miles, so once I needed to stop, I was already using gas full time because the battery was tapped out. This is my husband's daily driver, not mine, but I'll ask him and think about it next time I'm behind the wheel
*my car is a Forester, unique choice for CO I know, it does everything it needs to!

 

[Amie H]

RE: start/stop systems:

This article from a professional car reviewer explains more about it and how it is becoming ubiquitous in new vehicles. Interesting that the author notes that on some GM models, it cannot be turned off. That is the case with my dad's 2023 Chevy Silverado. And that engine is large enough that you really feel it turning back on.

Understanding Vehicle Start/Stop Systems

CarPro Show host Jerry Reynolds shares his experience with vehicle Stop/Start systems.

www.carpro.com

 

[Tvan]

I had that happen recently with my blue Crosstrek. Who thought there'd be another one just like mine parked a couple spots away lol

This happens to me regularly. I’ve gotten in the habit of using the remote to find which grey Outback is mine amongst the bazillion of them in the grocery store parking lot.mIt seems to be the official car of Vermont.

 

[lisamamot]

This happens to me regularly. I’ve gotten in the habit of using the remote to find which grey Outback is mine amongst the bazillion of them in the grocery store parking lot.mIt seems to be the official car of Vermont.

Yup, I kinda wish I had chosen a different color for my Outback than Magnetite Gray because finding mine in the sea of New England Outbacks can be challenging. In the winter I often have my Thule box on top and the summer my kayak rack(s) so that helps with the search!