Little crossover for the missus - learn me

As our Jetta wagon approaches 200,000 the missus has decided she wants to go back to a crossovery type vehicle as she is getting older and prefers the taller ingress/egress.  After browsing a bit at the local new car dealer show, she's preferring the Honda HR-V.  We have yet to drive one, though, and the CVT and somewhat 'meh' acceleration may put her off. So I want to have a plan B ready in case it doesn't work out.  The criteria:

2015 or newer

Around 100,000 miles

$15,000 or less

Reliable, reliable, reliable

No Nissans, GM products, Mitsubishis or Fiat Jeeps

Aside from the HR-V we like the Toureg, but the 2.0 turbo and it's sludge/timing chain problems really put me off. RAV4 seems overpriced for what it is. Don't know much about the Hyundai Tucson or whatever the KIA version is. Ford Escape could figure in there but multiple engine choices I know nothing about. Sadly, neither of us cared for the Mazda offerings.

What say you, particularly if you own one of the choices?

Mom just traded in her CR-V for a Corolla Cross, which she preferred over the HR-V. The reason? The HR-V in Sport trim only comes with a black interior and black wheels, way too gloomy for her. The CC can be had with a light grey interior which she preferred. We all have our reasons for buying a car I suppose. The Honda was also overpriced for what you get, the CRV was too big, and the RAV4 was too big and too ugly. 

I know GM is not on your list, but you really should give Buick a shot. Our 2014 Encore has been very reliable and offers a lot of stuff for the money. 

FYI I'm pretty sure you mean Tiguan, not Touareg. I have the newer bigger version (newer and lower mileage and a recent purchase so can't comment on long term reliability) and it's pretty nice and honestly more fun to drive than I expected. It's not fast but can definitely get out of its own way as long as you're willing to use full throttle. I have a friend that has an older one, I've never really heard them talk about it (not a car person), but I've also never heard them complain about it either.

Since you said reliable three times, Honda, Toyota, Kia/Hyundai.

The Tiguan/Toureg will nickel and dime you to death, but it's possible that you're numb to that since you already have a Jetta.  We all get accustomed to the foibles of a brand.  

One [insert brand] owner might say "this thing is crap, it needed timing chain guides and a catalyst, and the shift knob falls off."  Another [insert same brand] owner might say "this thing is really reliable.  All I had to do was change the chain guides and the catalyst, and glue the shift knob."

The Escape is fantastic, but I would only recommend it if you said reliable only twice.

When I'm due for a new car I've got the Kia Soul and the Hyundai Kona on my short list. Ingress/egress has become an issue for me in the last year, but I still want a smallish hatch when it comes time to replace my MINI. A MINI Countryman is a pretty nice place to be, but costly when stuff goes wrong.

Ford made the CMax hybrid and CMax Energi PHEV through 2018. They're about the size of a Focus hatchback, but with a more upright seating position. The hybrid CVT is stupid reliable.

My wife has had a 2019 HRV  since new.  We just crossed 30K miles and it has been reliable and solid car.  It is slow, but gets the DD duties done without much drama.  It has a remarkable amount of space with the magic seats.  My wife has been reluctant to move on to a nicer car since she likes it so much.  I offer her a new car before I start chasing my next one :)  

IF you could find a used Seltos I'd recommend. But they are hens teeth used and about $25k new. But low to mid 30's economy, room for 5 and compact to fit wherever. Drives and rides nice as well. 

we have a 2018 Escape SEL which has the 1.5L 4-cylinder ecoboost and AWD.  it has been flawless so far but only has 47k on it.

Anything hybrid isn't on the list. Additional technology and complication we aren't interested in for eeking out a few mpg's.

Yeah, I meant Tiguan. VW's stupid naming lately (WTF is an EOS anyway?). 

I went into the 2010 Jetta Sportwagen ownership experience with eyes wide open. It has been shockingly trouble free. I've had less to fix on it than I did with our Subarus, which were pretty reliable once you installed new head gaskets. 

The reason that Toyotas and Hondas are more expensive is that people are consistently satisfied with the ownership experience and they become loyal fans of the brands. You may pay more to buy it initially, but then you have a great ownership experience, and when you're ready, you can sell it down the road for more than other brands.

Signed Cousin Eddie, fanboi

May put the Crosstrek or Forester on your list. My partner has a 2016 forester, and while not super inspiring, it drives small, and has fantastic sight lines. You can get the sporty version with the turbo if you want, but the plain Jane version seems fine to me. I've gotten over the slowness and cvt noise.  We are at about 65K, have just done normal maintaince and the only outstanding item has been that I just replaced a rear wheel bearing (which if you are doing rear brakes and rotors, is just 4 more bolts away from replacement). It's beyond the era of bad headgaskets for the most part, most issues were fixed 2012 and after on the NA engines, can't speak for the turbo ones.

Tuscon owner here (Hydrid, full disclosure)... We test-drove the usual suspects on your list, and chose the Tuscon for a couple reasons you sort of touched upon- 

- 10/100k warranty was a huge plus for us, knowing we wouldn't be borked if anything severe let go. 

- A real, actual, geared transmission.  Coming from a cvt pathfinder that we loathed with the force of 1000 suns, this was a very important bonus. 

- A decent level of fit and finish for value.  We actually preferred the Tuscon ergos to everything except the rav4, which was a close second in terms of preference... but the toyota tax and 3/36k warranty put us off of it a bit. 

After a full year into ownership, we only have one minor complaint-  with stock Michelins, it was absolute trash in any snow or winter conditions.  A set of Blizzaks transformed the car though, and we are now totally satisfied.  Not sure where you are located, but it was an unforseen expense that I feel buyers should know about.  Otherwise, it's been excellent in every way. 

If I had my choice of a small SUV, I'd look for a 2012 V6 AWD RAV-4.  Close to 300HP, it was the fastest vehicle Toyota made at the time.  The one I linked above has a spotty accident record, but if you're patient I'll be you can find one with reasonable mileage in your budget.   

If you're thinking about Hyundai/Kia, research the reliability of the engine.  Certain engines are prone to catastrophic failure (pretty well known if you search the internet).

I had a newer VW FWD Tiguan as a loaner ~2 years ago.  It was nice, got +30mpg on the highway...although it did feel a little "tinny".  VW standard comprehensive warranty increased to 6 years 72k miles in 2018.  I think they went back to 4/40k miles for 2020 model year.I don't think the newer Tiguans have a reputation for timing chain issues like the 2012ish era engines.    

golfduke said:

Tuscon owner here (Hydrid, full disclosure)... We test-drove the usual suspects on your list, and chose the Tuscon for a couple reasons you sort of touched upon- 

- 10/100k warranty was a huge plus for us, knowing we wouldn't be borked if anything severe let go. 

- A real, actual, geared transmission.  Coming from a cvt pathfinder that we loathed with the force of 1000 suns, this was a very important bonus. 

- A decent level of fit and finish for value.  We actually preferred the Tuscon ergos to everything except the rav4, which was a close second in terms of preference... but the toyota tax and 3/36k warranty put us off of it a bit. 

 

After a full year into ownership, we only have one minor complaint-  with stock Michelins, it was absolute trash in any snow or winter conditions.  A set of Blizzaks transformed the car though, and we are now totally satisfied.  Not sure where you are located, but it was an unforseen expense that I feel buyers should know about.  Otherwise, it's been excellent in every way. 

 

I've read that the 100k powertrain warranty only applies ot the original owner & doesn't transfer to the new owner (just an FYI).

I own a 2018 tiguan, going on 2.5 years and 20k miles (44-67K). No issues, drives fine. The throttle lag can be annoying at times, but nothing to cause concern. Engine tune would fix that, waiting for the warranty to be over first.

Pretty much anything we buy will be out of factory warranty. Only way to be under the $15k price ceiling.

Hoondavan said:

golfduke said:

Tuscon owner here (Hydrid, full disclosure)... We test-drove the usual suspects on your list, and chose the Tuscon for a couple reasons you sort of touched upon- 

- 10/100k warranty was a huge plus for us, knowing we wouldn't be borked if anything severe let go. 

- A real, actual, geared transmission.  Coming from a cvt pathfinder that we loathed with the force of 1000 suns, this was a very important bonus. 

- A decent level of fit and finish for value.  We actually preferred the Tuscon ergos to everything except the rav4, which was a close second in terms of preference... but the toyota tax and 3/36k warranty put us off of it a bit. 

 

After a full year into ownership, we only have one minor complaint-  with stock Michelins, it was absolute trash in any snow or winter conditions.  A set of Blizzaks transformed the car though, and we are now totally satisfied.  Not sure where you are located, but it was an unforseen expense that I feel buyers should know about.  Otherwise, it's been excellent in every way. 

 

I've read that the 100k powertrain warranty only applies ot the original owner & doesn't transfer to the new owner (just an FYI).

You still get 5/60 B2B for all owners from the original purchase date.

LifeIsStout said:

May put the Crosstrek or Forester on your list. My partner has a 2016 forester, and while not super inspiring, it drives small, and has fantastic sight lines. You can get the sporty version with the turbo if you want, but the plain Jane version seems fine to me. I've gotten over the slowness and cvt noise.  We are at about 65K, have just done normal maintaince and the only outstanding item has been that I just replaced a rear wheel bearing (which if you are doing rear brakes and rotors, is just 4 more bolts away from replacement). It's beyond the era of bad headgaskets for the most part, most issues were fixed 2012 and after on the NA engines, can't speak for the turbo ones.

My 2018 Crosstrek has been completely solid. 70k and no issues. Just fluid changes. 
I held off commenting because the buy-in is high, at least around here. High mileage cars are still over $20k which is absurd. During the covid price spike I could have sold it for what I paid for 3 years prior. 
The fan base is as loyal as Honda or Toyota but more rabid so good deals are rare. 
but the car itself is great. Slow but willing and the mileage makes up for. I can crawl though sand all day and camp in the back and then hustle a canyon road and still get 30mpg. 

What about Mazda CX3? Reliable, probably more fun to drive then some of those others.

93EXCivic said:

What about Mazda CX3? Reliable, probably more fun to drive then some of those others.

I think OP mentioned Mazda is off the table for... Reasons.

Yeah, we sat in a Mazda or two and were just...meh. Styling is kinda yuck too. I like the brand, but the crossover offerings just don't trip our triggers.

My only suggestion would be to get the lowest age as possible. Not just because of the age, but many oems have put some great fuel economy stuff in more recent vehicles. Our current 2.0l turbo gets better mileage than the previous 1.5 T ever  did- which is pretty remarkable. 

After researching Hyundai's engine failures, I've crossed those off the list. 

ddavidv said:

After researching Hyundai's engine failures, I've crossed those off the list. 

Then cross off turbo charged Tiguans. The turbos seem to last 60k miles. My Son had one, first turbo replaced at 62k as "goodwill" since it was dealer serviced. When that one went at 119k, wasn't worth fixing. I agree with the 2012ish RAV4 from above. They pop up in your budget with 80k or so miles. It's tough spending the budget on a 12 year old car, but they're rock solid.