2018 Compact Crossover Shootout! Dealer sponsored ride and drive event

[regfootball]

Local dealer had a sponsored event for a comparison drive opportunities for 9 2018 compact crossovers in one place.  Free food and coffee as well!  Wanting to sample some of these without spending time at the dealer (which is why you go, right?) I decided to spend part of a saturday checking out these contestants / soul sucking, testosterone elimination devices.  I also want to make note of the really nice biffy's that were provided for the event.  My impressions will get up a bit later but the contestants were.

 

Chevy Equinox 1LT 1.5 AWD

Ford Escape SE 1.5 w appearance pkg

Nissan Rogue

Subaru Forester

Toyota RAV4

Honda CRv

Volkswagen Tiguan

Mazda CX5

Hyundai Tucson

(Jeep Compass and Cherokee were missing, as were Mitsubishis)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2018 by regfootball

[ocnblu]

What option package is that on the Escape, with the onboard bathroom?

[Suaviloquent]

4 hours ago, ocnblu said:

What option package is that on the Escape, with the onboard bathroom?

f@#ken A I haven’t snickered on this forum for a while.

 

really jives with how @regfootball describes them as soul sucking/testosterone elimination devices

[regfootball]

4 hours ago, Suaviloquent said:

f@#ken A I haven’t snickered on this forum for a while.

 

really jives with how @regfootball describes them as soul sucking/testosterone elimination devices

you got that right.  i felt any semblance of masculinity, and every ounce of auto enthusiasm get sucked out of my spirit for each step closer i got to this bunch.  In particular the Subaru, Honda, and Toyota.  Soul sucking machines!

But this is what is being forced on the market and its being lapped out of the bowl like a dog drinks water on a hot summer day!

Edited September 24, 2018 by regfootball

[regfootball]

9th place - Toyota RAV4

I didn't drive it, but it still takes 9th place regardless.  The epitome of soul sucking, this practically offensive transport appliance with the nasty dashboard was going to take 9th regardless of whether I drove it or not.  I hear some improvements are on the way for 2019, but who cares.

8th place - Subaru Forester

What a dismal little pile of sht.  I am sure it is manna for the true Subaru fans.  But i didn't get it.  I wanted to get out of that thing so badly.  Felt heavy, numb steering, the suspension bounced and swayed unacceptably, almost to an unsafe level.  Power was ok but you can tell its a boxer and not a straight four.  It's like being held down on a table and given an Estrogen injection into the bloodstream.  What a terrible pile.  Felt like driving a school bus.  The only positive to this vehicle is the large glass areas.  You can see a lot out of the vehicle.  The cargo area sucks so it is good with the new redesign coming that they are increasing the hatchback opening width 5 inches.

7th place - Chevy Equinox 1LT 1.5 AWD

If you get the Equinox with the 2.0 and a better trim level, it will not be 7th place.  That Chevy trots out this weak ass powertrain, cheap looking interior (in 1LT cloth trim) and touchscreen, narrow cabin, and tinny sounding doors when you close them.  It even looked cheap and dorky on the outside.  You can't really get past any of this in a setting with other competition around.  And i don't get it.  The 1.5t FWD 9 speed Terrain I drove actually did not feel so weak and grainy.  The Equinox has the 6 speed and in this version the power sucking AWD.  The Equinox still scores points for a spacious rear row, and not much else.  The Terrain and Envision are good rides, and a correctly equipped Terrain may likely win this competition.  A nicer Envision bests every one of these here also.  Too bad this version of the Equinox made this poor showing here.  Side note, no one was requesting to drive the Equinox.  The 1.5 AWD Equinox really makes a terrible showing here.

5th place tie - Ford Escape SE 1.5 w appearance pkg

Age is not the Escape's friend.  It's feeling dated.  The 1.5 is not super smooth and the ride and handling need an update.  The interior still is interesting but this particular one was trimmed cheaper and so it dulled the overall feel.  Although the special sport appearance package livened up the seat cloth a bit.  Ford does need a new Escape.  They need to improve cabin width and the rear seat area.  Escapes do have nice cargo space with the rear seat up though.  Even with all of that, Escapes are likable, and that's why they sell so many.

5th place tie - Honda CRV

I didn't drive this either!  But the estrogen vibe is extremely strong in the CRv.  A large cargo hold and convenience of well laid out ergonomics I think give it some points.  If i were to have driven it I may have moved it up, but all my Honda test drives the last few years have been loud interiors, CVT's, noise, uncomfortable seats, and weirdness.

 

Edited September 24, 2018 by regfootball

[regfootball]

4th place - Hyundai Tucson

The Hyundai surprised me the most.  Ride and drive and powertrain were decent, and better than some others (but not top of class).  There are also many powertrains to choose from.  The typical Hyundai feel and interior cheapness were the most notable negatives.  And most Hyundai buyers accept that as part of the deal.  Perhaps a little quieter cabin would be nice.  The room and space were on the larger side of the group here.  The front row is much more comfortable in the Tucson than the Equinox, for example.  Hyundai is doing a good job keeping their cheaper cars of a real bread and butter vibe and this does not stray from that.  I don't believe many would regret making this purchase.

3rd place - Nissan Rogue

If i were spending my own dough, I might actually get the Tucson here before the Rogue, but the Rogue does a few things here that really provide tremendous value in this group (and one fatal flaw).  The Rogue gives a feeling of spaciousness, solidity and quiet ride and drive all the others lack.  This feels the closest to a larger SUV / CUV than any other.  It has a quiet and comfortably numb ride and handling that almost feels like old Detroit sedans.  The big tall shape yields a third row space, tall second row, and lavish first row plus good cargo.  Despite the old design, it still feels much more coddling than say the Subaru and Toyota.  The bad part of the Rogue is the old and tired normally aspirated four cylinder, which when teamed with the CVT, really needs a heavy throttle foot to get moving.  And it moans, and doesn't do anything quickly.  Stay off the throttle and you may think this thing is the schiz.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2018 by regfootball

[regfootball]

2nd place - Mazda CX5

Until the recently announced 2.5 turbo lands in this thing, it is all hype.  And even then I am not sure this still takes the prize.  Every Mazda is so overrated.  The ones I have driven the last few years all have lack of go, are a bit noisy inside, and really don't handle that quickly.  I would say the CX-5 is less noisy than say the Mazda6 and Mazda3, but the buff books really overstate how good this really is.  Steering is slow, but the ride is good.  It's not a sporty thing or anything.  I think people get hung up on the interior, which is very good (except for the nothing part of the center stack where there literally is nothing where you think the climate control should be, then you realize the climate control is at your knees, oh yeah that's handy).  The Mazda basically 'does a good job' on many things and where the competition all has a few glaring weaknesses, the Mazda just holds it own and has a nice interior.  And Mazda has been slow to embrace the screens and CarPlay.  It's not that good people, and i don't think the 2.5t will make a transformation on it either.  I actually wouldn't mind a Tucson over the Mazda, really.

1st place - Volkswagen Tiguan

This was the one I wanted to try the most, and I am glad i did.  I hated the last Tiguan and there is no comparison between the old one and this new one.  The biggest flaws of the new Tiguan are cheap interior plastics, dull design, and slightly insubstantial seating.  I liked the wraparound dash (refreshing in this segment) and the leather wrap wheel was a real joy to grab and steer with.  The ride and handling were the most carlike and the best quality.  It was noticeably different from all the others.  Not 'sporty' but for sure more responsive and carlike.  The engine was smooth and quiet and the trans responded appropriately.  It's not a speed demon but I could tell the turbo torque was a nice difference moving from a stop.  The cargo hold is nice and good space for seating front and rear.  Third row is even an option.  Those who want a posh interior may lean to the Mazda, but the Tiguan is a better drive over the Mazda, to me, no question.

I think if I were shopping this above list, be sure to also look at the Terrain and Envision, and Jeep Compass and Cherokee.

 

 

Edited September 24, 2018 by regfootball

[ykX]

It could have been very nice review, but you made up your mind on all of the cars even before you even sat in them, so it is pretty much worthless.  

Not that I don't disagree on some of the points.

[frogger]

Pretty bad when you rate a car you didn't even drive 5th...

 

 

[G. David Felt]

12 hours ago, regfootball said:

 In particular the Subaru, Honda, and Toyota.  Soul sucking machines!

But this is what is being forced on the market and its being lapped out of the bowl like a dog drinks water on a hot summer day!

I agree with Soul Sucking, but I have to totally DISAGREE with Forced on the Market. This is what the public is asking for and buying, not being forced. Forced is all the low selling convertibles, blah cars like the Camry, Malibu, etc that are just as soul sucking. Yet some still like to buy a car and drive it.

Public is demanding the CUVs, not the cars and Forced is wrong as people would not buy them if they did not want them. Proof is how many cars sit around now on the dealer lots.

Sounds like you went in biased against all things CUV. They are not cars so they suck no matter what. You seem to be missing the point of why the public likes the CUV's.

• High seating position.
• Perceived off road ruggedness even when only a FWD
• Perceived interior space like a van, even when not.
• Life style approach to how they live or how they want people to perceive they live.
• etc. etc. etc.

It would have been great to go into this with a set of comparisons for the type of Use Case these auto's tend to be bought for.

Appreciate your time in going to this and your personal feedback on them. It was enjoyable to read.

[regfootball]

4 hours ago, ykX said:

It could have been very nice review, but you made up your mind on all of the cars even before you even sat in them, so it is pretty much worthless.  

Not that I don't disagree on some of the points.

to each their own.  I generally dislike Toyotas so that was a natural.  I had a recent CRv review from a year or two back too so Honda stuff is fairly predictable.

the test drives of each of them that i did drive did weigh into and change some of my notions.  For example, i would not have expected the Tucson and Tiguan to be so pleasant.

1 hour ago, frogger said:

Pretty bad when you rate a car you didn't even drive 5th...

 

 

refer to my reply to YKX

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

I agree with Soul Sucking, but I have to totally DISAGREE with Forced on the Market. This is what the public is asking for and buying, not being forced. Forced is all the low selling convertibles, blah cars like the Camry, Malibu, etc that are just as soul sucking. Yet some still like to buy a car and drive it.

Public is demanding the CUVs, not the cars and Forced is wrong as people would not buy them if they did not want them. Proof is how many cars sit around now on the dealer lots.

Sounds like you went in biased against all things CUV. They are not cars so they suck no matter what. You seem to be missing the point of why the public likes the CUV's.

• High seating position.
• Perceived off road ruggedness even when only a FWD
• Perceived interior space like a van, even when not.
• Life style approach to how they live or how they want people to perceive they live.
• etc. etc. etc.

It would have been great to go into this with a set of comparisons for the type of Use Case these auto's tend to be bought for.

Appreciate your time in going to this and your personal feedback on them. It was enjoyable to read.

"perceived interior space"

 

perceived this, that etc.  "ruggedness"  LOL.  these class of vehicle are tall hatchbacks, not rugged SUV's.

in many cases mid sized sedans have more passenger space and wider and longer trunks.  so the word perceived is certainly apropos.

even though these test drives are short usually within the first mile you have most of the book on how much it sucks or doesn't suck to drive a particular one.

Edited September 24, 2018 by regfootball