Best new-ish crossover/ compact SUV

[RyanD]

Accord Crosstour and Ford Freestyle

[ghowell6]

I remember my Dad having a similar remark about the Outback we rented. He just had this grimace every time he would get on the freeway.
She shook her head on the SRX, even the first gen one! I think the RWD and good engine would make it a fun car
As for the Lincoln, my parents have sworn off Ford products after owning the Winstar and a Taurus that had a near-impossible to repair oil leak. It was an ugly gray and the paint was totally oxidized. He was going to save it for my sister and I . He (thankfully) ended up trading it in for his Grand Prix, so it saved us from having to deal with that mess. So happy I have my Accord opposed to the Taurus. Most of them are in the junkyards from what I’ve seen around here in OR. I actually haven’t spent much time in the domestic section of the junkyard. My Dad’s various GM vehicles have stayed in good shape and needed no major mechanical repairs. Just don’t get me started on how poorly sealed their exterior lights are.

After school gets out I’ll take her by a few dealers and just have her look at some of the models up close. I think a lightly used 2nd gen Equiniox or CR-V is going to be the best bet for her. We’d have to get the bargain-bin CX-5 for our price range, and she’s used to a car w/ leather and heated seats. I’ll probably have her look at a Rogue and a Santa Fe too, just for kicks.

[deevergote]

The 1st gen SRX was based on the CTS. The 2nd gen was based on other GM SUVs. The 2nd gen looks better, but the 1st gen is more appealing to me. Of course, I'm buying a 1st gen CTS soon... so I like that model!

I had a Grand Prix... it was a piece of crap. I maintained it well, and it blew up in a year anyway! Traded it in for my Fit, and couldn't be happier!
I do agree about Ford, though... although, the newer models are MUCH MUCH MUCH better than the ones 7-8 years ago. I would actually own a Ford product now.

My friend's mom just got a Rogue, and she loves it. It's Sentra-based, which I don't really care for... but she's happy with it.

What about a Juke? Turbo Frog!

[Deme_cb7]

is the honda element out of the question???? i know its not what your are looking for but its nice! bought mine about 3 weeks ago and im loving it , plus i love that k24 lol

[ghowell6]

My Dad’s Grand Prix has about 90k miles, still running strong. It’s just a GT, 3.8 V6 without the supercharger. He’ll probably replace it with a CTS in a couple years. Our neighbor has a beautiful ’05 that he really likes.
Apparently the Rogue drives a lot better then the Sentra. I’ll mention that to her, she might like the Rogue. I was looking up some reviews on it, they were all pretty favorable.
The Fit is a sweet car. I hear that they handle quite nicely too.
She can’t get past the Juke’s styling--and honestly, neither can I. I don’t think the rear end is that bad (in all honesty, I like it), but the split-lights are . And the fact that you can see them from the passenger cabin is even more odd. I like the overall profile, and it’s a nice driver, but honestly, she cares about looks more than performance.
The Element would be cool, but she thinks that they’re “too boxy.”

[crazymikey]

honestly, she cares about looks more than performance.

So really, an Outlander Sport would be ideal.

[Soufkackicustom]

I have a 08 cr-v ex 2wd. The k24 has plenty of pep and the ricers wanna stare at it. It's fully loaded minus leather and navi. But metra makes a oem style navigation unit for it for about $600. 24 miles to the gallon, it's got decent room. Comfortable to drive. Bought it brand new and what I payed for it I can't complain. The trade in value is stupid high

[ghowell6]

Hate to bump an old thread, but my parents finally found a car they liked. We went to the Honda dealer to look at a few CR-V's. I test drove one and liked it well enough, but my mom saw an Accord Coupe in the showroom that she really liked. They settled on a new 2012 EX-L sedan w/ Nav, Polished metal metallic/ black leather. Really nice car, kinda made me jealous. The iPhone connectivity in these is really nice.

[crazymikey]

Nice buy.

[Deme_cb7]

Nice buy! Currently have a 2012 sitting in my drive way (sedan) along with our fit and I'm loving it! And I love that iphone conectivity also, both the fit n accord have it, and I been looking into trying to put it into my cb7 as well lol

[ghowell6]

Pioneer has some nice double DIN units that might have some of the features Honda is building in to their cars. Certainly expensive though.
The new navigation system in the Accord is a lot nicer than the one on our Odyssey. No more touch screen, which is really nice. It was always a pain to use, and the A/C controls were in it as well. Made it fun when the touchscreen didn't want to work. The Bluetooth integration is really nice too. Pity it is too soon to add a Siri button for the newer iPhones.