Toyota vs. Subaru vs. Hyundai, I am buying two new cars and so many choice!

Talonrazor

Hey all.

So I have come into some money and I am looking at buying new cars for my wife and I. Here's a quick synopsis on what I want to do and where I need advice. Skip to bottom for TL;DR:

I love Toyota. My family has a garage and a fleet of cars that are all Toyota. '98 Toyota Truck, '94 Toyota Truck, '96 Camry and '03 Sequoia. The Sequoia and Camry I am driving now and I love the Sequoia. Toyota engines are simple and clean to work on. However, I want to buy two new, either a '13 or '12, cars for around $50,000. I can get them knocked down pretty good due to paying in cash. We want something safe, good to drive in winter (live in Alaska), plenty of room for future kids and good fuel economy.

Right now I am liking the idea of a Highlander or FourRunner but it would leave little money for second car. We looked at RX350 but same problem, plus it is pretty small. We could afford getting like a Forester and a base model of a Tacoma, as I would like a truck, but I am concerned about room size in those vehicles. My wife likes the Forester when it comes to size but isn't a fan of driving the Outback, she likes more of an SUV when it comes to handling. I would love just to get a new Sequoia but our fuel costs are killing me. I'd like something at least 20 MPG. What do you recommend? We are also looking at some Hyundai vehicles since my buddy sells them and my mother-in-law is also looking at getting one, so picking up three cars from a dealership in one go will land us some serious wiggle room.

TL:DR

Looking at a Highlander or Forester or possibly a Santa Fe / Veracruz. What do you think in terms of room size, handling, safety, fuel economy and winter driving?

JohnnyCache

Make sure she spends some time w a LATE MODEL outback. They were redesigned in 10 and are bigger.

Who LIKES the way suvs handle?

MrTLicious

My girlfriend drives a Forester and has never had any problems driving in winter (in upstate New York) despite being a... mediocre driver. Fuel economy is meh for a car of its size, but definitely much better than the SUVs you are comparing it to.

In terms of size, you really have to think of it as a sedan with a big open trunk (it also handles like a Sedan because it basically is one). In terms of carrying capacity if you don't have more than 2 people in the car, you can fit much more than a sedan because of the layout and the way the seats go down but it's probably the same as another similarly sized hatchback.

Overall I'd say I recommend it but if you're looking for something that handles like an SUV, this is not it, though I'm honestly not sure why you would want that.

Talonrazor

My wife likes big cars and trucks. Something with some meat behind it and height for visibility. Don't ask me, she is an Alaskan woman who likes her big trucks.

We are also looking at some Hyundai's, like the Santa Fe or Veracruz. Seem pretty good fuel economy for the money and I know the later models are getting better in reliability. I tried getting in the Forester and the damn thing is pretty small. I feel like if I am going to get a sedan, I would rather get a luxury RX350 or something. We tried the 2012 Outback and I like the longer size but headroom was an issue. She doesn't like the way the Outback drives, she does not like the sedan feeling very much.

Noquar

Talonrazor wrote: »

My wife likes big cars and trucks. Something with some meat behind it and height for visibility. Don't ask me, she is an Alaskan woman who likes her big trucks.

We are also looking at some Hyundai's, like the Santa Fe or Veracruz. Seem pretty good fuel economy for the money and I know the later models are getting better in reliability. I tried getting in the Forester and the damn thing is pretty small. I feel like if I am going to get a sedan, I would rather get a luxury RX350 or something. We tried the 2012 Outback and I like the longer size but headroom was an issue. She doesn't like the way the Outback drives, she does not like the sedan feeling very much.

As someone who spent 27 years in Alaska, let me admonish your wife. You both should know by now that having a big truck means nothing up there. You can do just about anything you want with a Subaru or smaller SUV unless you're going to be hauling a boat or trying to cross Jims Creek and the like. The big truck will provide you no advantage in the winter unless you intend to do snowplowing, and even then you should be buying used for that. One of the more annoying parts of winter was seeing the big 4x4's off the road or sliding around like crazy because they felt invincibe. Subaru's are reliable, and very widespread up there. I'm also unsure how headroom is an issue with the Outback. I am 6' 4" with plenty of headroom in our new Outback. Maybe you're much taller. The Forester has better approach and departure angles on it than the Outback, but that's it. We run around with two kids in our Outback with plenty of room left over. The Hyundais I cannot speak on, but our friends who have them seem to enjoy them and they seem roomy enough, and as for a Lexus why take the chances with all the gravel they throw down up there?

Michelanvalo

Do you have 50 grand to spend on each car or total?

Wezoin

Total, from what I understand.

badpoet

As far as safety and all-wheel drive go, it's hard to beat Subaru. I have a 2011 Impreza hatchback, and I can't really think of a time I've wanted for room (no kids, but have a dog, go camping in it, etc.). I've always found people think they need more room than they really do. The Impreza's pretty spacious inside and if not then you can step up to the the Outback. I'd have either before the Forester, simply on looks alone, and price.

I find it hard to believe that headroom was a big issue in the Outback unless you're Andre the Giant. If nothing else, the seats do move up and down (or at least mine do).

Other possible options that you aren't considering are the Chevy Equinox (GMC Terrain) and Nissan Rogue. GM's quality is dramatically improved from just a few years ago, and Nissan makes a pretty good SUV too.

jefe414

badpoet wrote: »

As far as safety and all-wheel drive go, it's hard to beat Subaru. I have a 2011 Impreza hatchback, and I can't really think of a time I've wanted for room (no kids, but have a dog, go camping in it, etc.). I've always found people think they need more room than they really do. The Impreza's pretty spacious inside and if not then you can step up to the the Outback. I'd have either before the Forester, simply on looks alone, and price.

I find it hard to believe that headroom was a big issue in the Outback unless you're Andre the Giant. If nothing else, the seats do move up and down (or at least mine do).

Other possible options that you aren't considering are the Chevy Equinox (GMC Terrain) and Nissan Rogue. GM's quality is dramatically improved from just a few years ago, and Nissan makes a pretty good SUV too.

I have a 2010 Xterra off-road (I think that model is the pro-x4 now or something stupid). I love it. I do a bit of camping (which really requires the off-road to get to the site) and it has some excellent storage capacity without being overly massive. Still gets 20-22 MPG when fully loaded.

illig

Do you need an suv? Like do you live on a country lane thats never plowed?

If not, i'd recommend a fwd toyota minivan (base Sienna) for family transport, size, comfort, and fuel economy, and then a small toyota truck for you for whatever reasons you like trucks.

And dont be afraid to get financing. APR on new vehicles can be ridiculously low (0-1%) and you can do something elese with your windfall in the meantime. I can guarantee that you wont get much or any leverage buying with cash. That was the case in the olden times - now dealers make money on financing as well as the cars.

Talonrazor

AWD is a necessity in Alaska. We just had the worst winter yet with huge snow drifts that take days to clear.

I totally agree with the truck sentiment. They are hard to drive in the winter, which is why I want a good AWD with some studded Blizzaks. We are actually looking at now a Limited '12 Veracruz AWD or the new Santa Fe '13 AWD or a 4WD Toyota FourRunner. I am leaning to just get the Limited Veracruz because I am debating buying one good, luxury car for family purposes and buying another used Toyota Tacoma as a back-up later on.

I just don't fit into Subaru all that well. I know they are great cars but my wife and I so far have been impressed with the Hyundai and they seem like a great bang for the buck. Fully loaded Veracruz for $35,000 is pretty nice. Fuel economy isn't exactly what I want...

mts

i prefer the look of the new foresters to the new outbacks myself, the most recent outback change was for the worse if you ask me. i have a 2010 forester, and for the most part really like it. it just gets pretty crappy mileage if you do any sort of trafficy driving. it is our main car and we average around 18-20 mpg driving in and out of the city, though pure highway we get anyway from 24 to 30mpg depending on how much crap we have in it or if we have our roofbox on

schuss

If you don't care that much about power, the Impreza CVT is stupid efficient. I've seen people getting 35-37 MPG on it.

Dr. Frenchenstein

Subaru's last forever and hold their value really well, imho

kaliyama

You're better off not indicating that you're paying with cash - dealers make $ on financing so they will probably go lower with you if they are assuming you'll finance.

Talonrazor

Yea, I learned that but I think it is too late since someone already mentioned we were looking for cash walkout. Right now I am leaning towards a Limited Veracruz, fully loaded, for my wife to drive as a good family car and picking up a Tuscon for my mother-in-law. Thinking about just keeping my '03 Sequoia and simply grabbing a smaller coupe like a Genesis for cheap commuter or a 2000 model Toyota Tacoma used.

Heir

mts wrote: »

i prefer the look of the new foresters to the new outbacks myself, the most recent outback change was for the worse if you ask me. i have a 2010 forester, and for the most part really like it. it just gets pretty crappy mileage if you do any sort of trafficy driving. it is our main car and we average around 18-20 mpg driving in and out of the city, though pure highway we get anyway from 24 to 30mpg depending on how much crap we have in it or if we have our roofbox on

Same, word for word here. I've got the 2010 model as well, and I love it. I wish the gas mileage was slightly better...it's not bad on the highway, but yeah...in traffic it sucks.

I drove it from Austin to Denver during a very bad snow storm last year. I never felt any kind of slippage or the wheels spinning out. I'd see big trucks and SUVs all over the sides of the highway (especially in southern Colorado), but never had issues with the Forrester.

I used it this summer when I was up in the mountains for a week. It did a great job on the 4x4 trails. I'm sold on Subarus for live now.