recommend an awd suv or crossover

Yes AWD and we paid just over $30k

 

Hell yeah nice. We bought ours so the wife and her girlfriends could pack up their gear and go on their hikes although it seems I'm using it more to get myself the mountain these days. I never considered a Rav4 but after the redesign I'm actually digging it.

 

My wife likes her RAV4.

One downside (for us, anyway) to the Subaru AWD is the requirement to replace all tires (or have a new one shaved) if one is damaged. Not so with the RAV4.

 

I had a Crosstrek. Terrible 3 axles and 4 wheel bearings in 70 k miles. Slow and loud as well. Shopped and drove all the small/ midsize SUV's. Bought a 2020 Mazda CX-5 Signature 9 months old and 16k miles. Wonderful vehicle, quiet , power , looks, handling. Do yourself a favor and go drive one!

 

Hear me out... hyundai santa fe

 

I drove the RAV4 and loved it. My folks have had two Highlanders. First a 2004, now a 2015. The first one was a beast and never gave them any trouble, and the new one is, as my mom put it, "just like the old one except better in every way." They love it, and whenever I'm visiting home I find an excuse to drive the car. It sounds like these suggestions are steering you in the right direction, but if you're needing something bigger than a RAV4 or an Outback, check out a Highlander.

 

Second car is a 15 XV. Perfect for all Utah weather even with all weather tires. The lack of any hp/torque comes handy in the snow and keeps it pretty steady. I used to drive it 100 miles round trip 3-5 times a week before I got a take home car at work and averaged about 28-31 mpg all the time. It's a great commuter but kinda small if you've got even 1 kiddo or pupper. Overall great little car and pretty comfy.

 

Ridgeline Best SUV with a bed. Don't drive a CRV if you want a RAV 4. I had three of both, Wife much prefers the CRV, More storage area, MUCH better seats, Excellent reliability and Carvana pays up for them when done.

 

My wife really likes her Honda CRV.

It has all the latest electronic gadgets and safety stuff.
Gets about 30 mpg out of a 4 cylinder Turbo charged power plant.
Its an AWD.

 

Wife has a Kia Sorento - same car with a few less bells and whistles. We like it, gets 25-30 mpg on the highway and 20 in town. A little big for what OP is looking for though. Just going to throw this out there .... Tesla Model Y. It's the r32 gtr of this generation (kidding! Mostly)

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g15380025/best-small-compact-suv-truck/

 

I just helped my pops buy a car. He had the same requirements as the OP. It came down to the Outback and RAV4 and he chose the Outback. His reasons? Outback looks better, felt like it drove nicer, and liked the nav screen better (lol). IMO, you can't go wrong with CRV, Outback, Forester or the RAV4.

 

My wife had a 2014 CRV, the first year Honda used a different type of TPMS. It counted wheel revolutions to detect tire pressure differences. That did not work well on that model. I understand the company has modified the system, but... The newer models use a continuous variable transmission, which, according to some, has some reliability problems. We replaced the car with a RAV4. No problems to date. The car came with a smaller diameter spare tire, which IMO is unsatisfactory in an AWD vehicle. I modified it to hold a full size spare.

 

Tiguan number 2. Thats gotta be a pay to win list by volkswagen

 

I'd likely buy another Impreza 5dr.

Compared to most crossovers:

The same if not more passenger volume. It fits 4 adults comfortably.
Better power to weight ratio and lower centre of gravity
Costs less all around, from initial purchase to fuel and insurance.
Visibility is excellent, no high belt line or chunky pillars.
Comfortable and easy to drive.
Can be had with manual transmission if that's your thing

It lacks the cargo volume of a crossover but.. it's still plenty. The automatic is a CVT, never my first choice but it's not a bad one and they are pretty standard amongst crossovers. I'd probably look at a Volkswagen Golf Alltrack and a Mazda 3 Sport AWD as well before I decided on another Impreza, but.. the value is tough to beat.

 

We had a Sportage, loaded, great car. It never gave us any troubles, never in the shop for anything but routine maintenance. Mileage was a bit lower than I thought it should have been though. Our daughter has it now.

 

I'd go Outback. I'm currently looking very hard at Outback XT's (specifically the new Onyx trim). Glad they re-introduced the turbo models and the new ones have some pep to them (MT clocked theirs at 5.9sec 0-60). I wish it didn't have a cvt but I hear it is one of the better cvt's on the market.

My second recommendation would be the CX5 turbo or the CX30 turbo if you want to go a little smaller. I've previously owned a 2017 N/A Cx5 and I can only imagine how much better it is with the more powerful 2.5L Turbo. Looks great and drives nice for a little CUV.

I don't care for the CRV or Rav4 outside of the prime model which is on the expensive side for its segment imo.