Which Small SUV Would You Get?

DH's lease is up soon and we decided it was time to upgrade to a bigger vehicle. We're looking for something that will still work once we have a 2nd child. I'm kind of picky about cars and I like to have all of the nice extras so this is what I've come up with. What do you recommend?

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

I voted CRV, I believe that is the roomiest of those cars.

I had the ford escape.
for 1 child it was fine, 2nd it was too tight. Double strollers are BIG, it ate up the entire trunk area. Then if I went food shopping, I would be trying to get those bags in the passenger/back seat.


Toyota Rav4 i believe is even smaller in the back.

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

I had the CRV first.....its rides a little more like a car than a truck! Its nice inside!

I have to say, now that I have the Ford Escape I like it a little better.
It drives more like a truck
(both have the same fuel milage)
The escape has more room in the back bc it is made to be a little more rugged-and the back seats are a little larger than the CRV.


I would def say that the Ford is more roomier than the CRV. Just look at the cars from the back and you can see the way they are built.

I would say that both cars are really nice!!

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

its not on your list, but i have the Toyota Venza and LOVE it!!

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I have the CRV and LOVE it!!

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I have a 2010 Honda CR-V and love it!! I only have one child right now and I have plenty of room

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

I looked at the CVR and the Rav4 and I ended up buying a Subaru Forester. I love it, but I only have one child. For us, I think it is perfect. For more than one child, I think I would get something a little bigger than any of the ones I looked at.

One suggestion I have it to take the infant seat with you when you look. The infant seat took up so much room in my Forester that it was very uncomfortable, if not impossible for someone to sit in the front passenger seat if the seat was installed correctly. Before buying again, I would put the infant seat in the back to see how much room you are going to have with the 2 car seats in the car.

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

I'd look at the Hyundai Tuscon- we started off looking at the RAV4 and then fell in love with it- it has a great warranty 5 years (10 years on powertrain) and love the design!

good luck!

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

From your list...Ford Edge

I LOVE Hyundai Sante Fe. Best warranty out there.

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

Lexus are perfection, even used woth it in value. We only didn't get it because we fell in love with the huge sunroof on murano and it suite us in every way. Love the Murano, but every now and then we do kick ourselves.

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

The Toyota Rav 4 is tiny when you have two seats in the back. You can't fit a third person in there at all. SIL has that. From what I recall the Honda CRV is almost exactly the same.

I know it's not on your list, but we have a Mazda 5 and it's fabulous. You can easily fit extra people in the third row and there's still room for the snap n go behind it even with the seats out.

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

I was in a similar situation last year when looking at SUVs. I wanted something if and when we had DC#2. The CRV and the RAV were nearly identical, however the RAV wound up having more cargo room and you got more for your money. The CRV I felt just looked nicer...i guess more luxury like. When all was said and done, I wound up with the Sante Fe. It was bigger and roomier and wound up being nearly the same price as the Rav-4 which is what I was nearly about to purchase.

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

love my escape - definitely more of an SUV ride than the others listed. Small SUVS have just as much space as larger sedans, just more open and higher up. My sister has 2 DCs and has the Pilot - that's my next car - fits a ton and doesnt drive too heavy.

Message edited 8/8/2011 12:36:57 PM.

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

Thanks for all of the great advice. I hadn't looked into a Hyndais or Subarus, but I'll definitely check them out now. The CRV was at the top of my list, I was just worried that it would be too small once #2 came along. I suppose I would have that problem with all of these though. My next step is to find some time to test drive them. I just hate dealing with car sales people!

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

Had a CRV before I got my pilot and I really like that car. I still sometimes now wish I had it instead of the pilot.

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

Re: Which Small SUV Would You Get?

We have a 2011 Ford Escape and love it! It handles really well and their is plenty of room. We're expecting DS#2 and both will fit comfortably in the back. We are thinking of upgrading later to a 7 seater...like an Expedition because while there is room with two I think we'll need more room...LOL.

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We were going to get a new crv but than I was concerned it would be too tight once we had dc2. We ended up getting a 2 year old honda pilot for the same price as a crv and its much more roomy and I don't have to worry about trading up if and when dc2 comes along.

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I had the Lexus RX 350 and just traded it in.
My Mom has the CRV and I felt it was roomier.

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I love my CR-V and can fit 2 kids just fine in the back (one is RF and the other is FF). However, if I buy another SUV I'm going to upsize so we can carry more passengers

Message edited 8/8/2011 4:47:02 PM.