Finally starting to narrow it down

[Herr Kutz]

It's suggested, not required. I have run nothing but 87 and I've never heard even a hint of a knock.

Is there a discernible loss in power?

 

[boomerang]

Is there a discernible loss in power?

How would I know? I've never run higher octane. When you put your foot in it, the thing takes off like a rocket. Passing is effortless.

 

[agent00f]

And as long as young people have the income to afford and the desire to drive a domestic luxury car with uncomfortable seats and a stiff ride, Cadillac will do very well.

They've lost the old men as well as the old women. Losing a demographic is fairly easy. Gaining them back if the need arises is a long and arduous process with no guarantee of positive results.

I've had four Corvettes in my lifetime. I loved every one of them but the one thing I found out about them all was that there was no way to truly have fun driving them legally on public roads. Sport suspension on a $60K to $100K+ car? Where do you take advantage of that without being a danger to yourself and more importantly, others?

There's literally no future in selling to the death's door demo. Research suggests people will buy product intended for a younger crowd but not the other way around.

 

[Herr Kutz]

The first drive reviews of the 2017 CRV came out today. Just about every review sounds positive, and I've noticed most mentioned something about it being quieter than the previous generation which sounds promising.

 

[PricklyPete]

The first drive reviews of the 2017 CRV came out today. Just about every review sounds positive, and I've noticed most mentioned something about it being quieter than the previous generation which sounds promising.

Yeah...new CRV looks like a great package.

 

[Herr Kutz]

So I test drove a 2017 CRV a few weeks ago and really liked all the features available in the EX trim. The downsides were road noise, engine noise (the small engine runs at a pretty high RPM), and of course no dealer that I have contacted has any substantial savings. So far the best price has been about $500 below MSRP with all dealer fees but before government fees/taxes. I can't say I blame the dealers though since they likely aren't having any issues moving them at this point, especially since the EX trim which seems to be in short supply.

Last Friday I test drove a few more vehicles.

• 2017 Nissan Rogue SV with the Premium Package - Loads of features for the price and you can buy these heavily discounted. I made sure to test drive one with the Premium Package since it includes the around view monitor which turned out to be fricking awesome. The navigation that comes with the premium package sucks but that's not a big deal. The engine and CVT combination felt a bit weak compared to other vehicles in it's class with similar power numbers and was probably exacerbated by the drone when accelerating. I'm still going to add this to the list based on cost and features.
• 2017 Tucson Sport - This felt very solid compared to other small SUVs. I really like the simple and straightforward instrument cluster, climate controls, and radio. Not a fan of having to step up to a limited to get a screen big enough to make the backup camera worthwhile. Other than the jerky feeling at low speeds I think the engine and powertrain was well tuned and it never felt underpowered.
  
• 2017 Santa Fe Sport - I had no plans to take this on a test drive until the salesman pointed out I could get a 7" screen that makes the backup camera usable and has carplay+AA without having to step up to a high level trim. After seeing how large this was and the power numbers of the 2.4l engine I went into the test drive expected the worse but came away surprised since it did not seem underpowered at all. Of course, there are no mountains or hills in the area so it may not fare as well in other areas. Anyway, the Sport with the Popular Package had just about everything I wanted for about $27.5k MSRP. Since it's a Hyundai I could see real world pricing being in the very low 20s.
  
• 2017 Escape SE 2.0 - I love the revised exterior and was happy to see they had the 2.0t in a lower trim. Unfortunately just about everything in this interior felt cheap and out of date so I can definitely cross this off the list.
• 2017 Kia Sorento 2.0t i4 and 3.3 V6 EX Trim - I test drove both a 2.0t and 3.3l V6 Kia Sorento and to be honest they both felt good. The turbo felt a bit smoother but there was already a couple thousand miles on it so it may have been broken in already. Based on reviews and real world mileage reports I would probably go with the V6 even though I don't need the 3rd row. Since the Sorento is on a mid size platform, like the Santa Fe Sport and Ford Edge, it felt very substantial and smooth. Road and wind noise was pretty low and, like the Hyundais, the Kias seem to have a really well laid out instrument cluster, climate controls, and infotainment system. I really don't need the space these mid size crossovers offer and I'm not a fan of the mpg penalty I'd have to take, but I'm beginning to think I'll need to step up to one to get the NVH characteristics that I expect. A 1 year old used model would be mandatory though since these things have massive depreciation. I took a look at the smaller Kia Sportage interior and it looks really well done but I can't get over the froggy looking front end.

The downside to those 5 vehicles above are that none would come with the auto cruise control without stepping up to higher trim levels or adding another package which I'm not willing to do.

I stopped by to test drive another 2017 CR-V but everyone was too busy to help me so I left.

 

[Kaido]

So I test drove a 2017 CRV a few weeks ago and really liked all the features available in the EX trim. The downsides were road noise, engine noise (the small engine runs at a pretty high RPM), and of course no dealer that I have contacted has any substantial savings. So far the best price has been about $500 below MSRP with all dealer fees but before government fees/taxes. I can't say I blame the dealers though since they likely aren't having any issues moving them at this point, especially since the EX trim which seems to be in short supply.

Last Friday I test drove a few more vehicles.

• 2017 Nissan Rogue SV with the Premium Package - Loads of features for the price and you can buy these heavily discounted. I made sure to test drive one with the Premium Package since it includes the around view monitor which turned out to be fricking awesome. The navigation that comes with the premium package sucks but that's not a big deal. The engine and CVT combination felt a bit weak compared to other vehicles in it's class with similar power numbers and was probably exacerbated by the drone when accelerating. I'm still going to add this to the list based on cost and features.
• 2017 Tucson Sport - This felt very solid compared to other small SUVs. I really like the simple and straightforward instrument cluster, climate controls, and radio. Not a fan of having to step up to a limited to get a screen big enough to make the backup camera worthwhile. Other than the jerky feeling at low speeds I think the engine and powertrain was well tuned and it never felt underpowered.
  
• 2017 Santa Fe Sport - I had no plans to take this on a test drive until the salesman pointed out I could get a 7" screen that makes the backup camera usable and has carplay+AA without having to step up to a high level trim. After seeing how large this was and the power numbers of the 2.4l engine I went into the test drive expected the worse but came away surprised since it did not seem underpowered at all. Of course, there are no mountains or hills in the area so it may not fare as well in other areas. Anyway, the Sport with the Popular Package had just about everything I wanted for about $27.5k MSRP. Since it's a Hyundai I could see real world pricing being in the very low 20s.
  
• 2017 Escape SE 2.0 - I love the revised exterior and was happy to see they had the 2.0t in a lower trim. Unfortunately just about everything in this interior felt cheap and out of date so I can definitely cross this off the list.
• 2017 Kia Sorento 2.0t i4 and 3.3 V6 EX Trim - I test drove both a 2.0t and 3.3l V6 Kia Sorento and to be honest they both felt good. The turbo felt a bit smoother but there was already a couple thousand miles on it so it may have been broken in already. Based on reviews and real world mileage reports I would probably go with the V6 even though I don't need the 3rd row. Since the Sorento is on a mid size platform, like the Santa Fe Sport and Ford Edge, it felt very substantial and smooth. Road and wind noise was pretty low and, like the Hyundais, the Kias seem to have a really well laid out instrument cluster, climate controls, and infotainment system. I really don't need the space these mid size crossovers offer and I'm not a fan of the mpg penalty I'd have to take, but I'm beginning to think I'll need to step up to one to get the NVH characteristics that I expect. A 1 year old used model would be mandatory though since these things have massive depreciation. I took a look at the smaller Kia Sportage interior and it looks really well done but I can't get over the froggy looking front end.

The downside to those 5 vehicles above are that none would come with the auto cruise control without stepping up to higher trim levels or adding another package which I'm not willing to do.

I stopped by to test drive another 2017 CR-V but everyone was too busy to help me so I left.

The '17 CRV looks pretty good tbh. I like that they have auto cruise with low-speed follow. I've had both a Fit & Civic and both were excellent, reliable machines. I'm leaning towards trading in my buggy Jeep for an '18 Ridgeline later this year.

And yeah, Nissan's around-view monitor is really awesome, more cars need that tech!

 

[Herr Kutz]

The '17 CRV looks pretty good tbh. I like that they have auto cruise with low-speed follow. I've had both a Fit & Civic and both were excellent, reliable machines. I'm leaning towards trading in my buggy Jeep for an '18 Ridgeline later this year.

And yeah, Nissan's around-view monitor is really awesome, more cars need that tech!

Agreed!!! The Sorento and Rav4 offer it but you need to get into a much higher trim before they even give you the option to add it which is a huge turn off.

 

[Kaido]

Agreed!!! The Sorento and Rav4 offer it but you need to get into a much higher trim before they even give you the option to add it which is a huge turn off.

I also felt like the CR-V was built better & felt better than the Rogue. Plus, Honda's cars last forever.

The Honda sideview mirror cam is pretty cool too!

 

[RockinZ28]

Bought the wife a 2017 CR-V AWD Touring 3 weeks ago. Seems like a solid vehicle, and the ACC is definitely nice. Only driven it a few times, but it's so relaxing just following a vehicle without having to constantly adjust speed with your foot/cruise control buttons because most drivers are morons. Regret not getting it on my '17 Fusion Sport. Hope my next car can pretty much drive itself when I just want to get from A to B.

 

[Herr Kutz]

I also felt like the CR-V was built better & felt better than the Rogue. Plus, Honda's cars last forever.

The Honda sideview mirror cam is pretty cool too!

I can agree if you mean it felt more solid. But the interior of the Rogue "felt" soooo much better with soft touch material everywhere. My Versa is still kicking with no major issues at 9 years, 185k miles.

Unfortunately they dropped the sideview camera from the CR-V this year, but I feel the added blind spot monitoring is more useful overall. Offering both would have been even nicer.

 

[Kaido]

I can agree if you mean it felt more solid. But the interior of the Rogue "felt" soooo much better with soft touch material everywhere. My Versa is still kicking with no major issues at 9 years, 185k miles.

Unfortunately they dropped the sideview camera from the CR-V this year, but I feel the added blind spot monitoring is more useful overall. Offering both would have been even nicer.

Solid, yes. Yeah, we have 2 Versa's in the family, they are tanks!

Oh bummer about the sideview, that was a really cool feature when I test-drove it.

 

[Kaido]

Bought the wife a 2017 CR-V AWD Touring 3 weeks ago. Seems like a solid vehicle, and the ACC is definitely nice. Only driven it a few times, but it's so relaxing just following a vehicle without having to constantly adjust speed with your foot/cruise control buttons because most drivers are morons. Regret not getting it on my '17 Fusion Sport. Hope my next car can pretty much drive itself when I just want to get from A to B.

ACC on my wife's Forester is really what convinced me that not only could self-driving cars be done, but would actually be nice to have. Sure, with ACC you still steer, but it just makes long-distance highway driving so dang easy haha.

 

[Herr Kutz]

Some nice, but minor, revisions are coming to the 2018 Legacy. Hopefully the outback will also be getting them for the 2018 MY instead of waiting for 2019 a la impreza -> crosstrek. Now if they could refresh the Forster I'm pretty sure it would be game over. It's pretty high on the list as it is...

 

[NutBucket]

Technically the Fozzy was refreshed for '17. Haven't seen any new rumors.

Outback got some minor updates for '17 but who knows what is coming.

 

[Herr Kutz]

Technically the Fozzy was refreshed for '17. Haven't seen any new rumors.

Outback got some minor updates for '17 but who knows what is coming.

Yes but I'm not talking about a minor facelift.

 

[NutBucket]

I wouldn't expect a new model until '19 at least.