[ChefBorOzzy]

Go with the Honda..

[motorhead]

Kia Sorrento is better than all three. First foreign car Ive ever purchased and quite possibly the highest quality out of any I ever purchased in its price range. We drove the Equinox and while I liked the redesign a lot, it just felt underpowered even with the 2.0l. The toyotas and hondas we drove were all just borning and drab.

[RLHMARINES]

Originally Posted by Royal Tiger

With the snow, AWD is a must as there will be times my daughter will be taking it to work as her Malibu isn’t the greatest. The older Equinox’s were ugly as hell and have terrible reliability ratings. The 2018 is much better looking and I’m willing to test drive one. Chevy could only dream they’d ever have the reliability and re-sale value a Honda or Toyota has.

I’m not going back to a German car as again, reliability and cost are important.

We have a '13 Equinox LTZ 3.6 that we ordered from BeckyD and this thing has been rock solid reliable for my wife as her daily so I'm not sure what info you have that paints them as unreliable. I would buy another without reservation.

[ChefBorOzzy]

My sister has a Santa fe sport.. No way that or the Sorento is better than a new CRV.

[Royal Tiger]

Originally Posted by ChefBorOzzy

Go with the Honda..

She wants the Honda so I told her we’ll just get that and be done with it, but she wants to test drive all three. The Toyota is still my pick. No turbo and a real transmission.

Hyundai and Kia have come along way, but fit and finish was easily the lowest of the 7 or 8 we gave cursory looks to before getting down to our final 3.

As for reliability, I’m mainly going from Consumer Reports published data which even with Chevy getting better, still has it listed much lower than the Japanese vehicles. I’m a German car guy, and they are even worse. I wouldn’t buy a new BMW, Audi, or Mercedes these days.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by Royal Tiger

She wants the Honda so I told her we’ll just get that and be done with it, but she wants to test drive all three. The Toyota is still my pick. No turbo and a real transmission.

Hyundai and Kia have come along way, but fit and finish was easily the lowest of the 7 or 8 we gave cursory looks to before getting down to our final 3.

As for reliability, I’m mainly going from Consumer Reports published data which even with Chevy getting better, still has it listed much lower than the Japanese vehicles. I’m a German car guy, and they are even worse. I wouldn’t buy a new BMW, Audi, or Mercedes these days.

Just saying, the Japanese makes could glue wheels and tires on a dog turd and Consumer Reports would still rank it higher than anything built by a domestic automaker.

You're way better off going with the auto mags for 3rd party advice. They might sell ad space to manufacturers but at least they know what they're talking about when it comes to cars (for the most part).

[xc_SS/RS]

Originally Posted by ChibiBlackSheep

Get her a set of steelies and blizzaks. I DD my Camaro through the snow, my Monte Carlo was awesome in the snow, our family car is an Impala and does great in the snow.

AWD won't fix her issues if she can't control a FWD Malibu in the snow. The Equinox is pretty much FWD with an on-demand AWD system, so it will be FWD until the tires are slipping and then it will cut some power down and send about 20-30% to the rear.

The new Equinox is a nice car, and it has my vote. But I also recommend a proper set of tires for this car too. Dedicated summer and winter sets are 100% the way to go on every car, regardless of the drivetrain.

I'll second this as I also drive my Camaro year-round. winter tires make a huge difference and will give her a TON of confidence behind the wheel if she has to drive in snow. it might be a little expensive to have two sets of wheels, and there might be space concerns for storage, but they have such a huge impact on grip when it gets slippery out that i will always have a second set of wheels for winter driving.

i vote for the Chevy! honda and toyota are great choices but just a little too vanilla for me.

[Royal Tiger]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Just saying, the Japanese makes could glue wheels and tires on a dog turd and Consumer Reports would still rank it higher than anything built by a domestic automaker.

You're way better off going with the auto mags for 3rd party advice. They might sell ad space to manufacturers but at least they know what they're talking about when it comes to cars (for the most part).

And they all love the Honda.

I think that’s the front runner just because she leans towards Honda in general. I have so little faith in Chevy dealers lately, that might absolutely come into play as a tie breaker. After my sister got taken advantage of at one my daughter took her Malibu to the one I actually mostly trust two weeks ago and I was unhappy with the way it ended. I’m all for paying for good service and parts, but don’t try to make up for sales with ripping people off in service.

[motorhead]

Originally Posted by ChefBorOzzy

My sister has a Santa fe sport.. No way that or the Sorento is better than a new CRV.

Kia has really upped their game. The Sorento is top notch and even compared to Lexus these days. They have engineers for BMW and Audi. These vehicles are lightyears ahead of
The Kia of old. I know quality when I see it, and the Sorento SXL is tops. CRV is reliable. That cant be argued, but they are bland, dull and boring in every way. The new Sorento is just as reliable, but a much nicer vehicle in every way.

Plus they are built in Georgia.

[lbls1]

All of the choices are solid pics. I would go with the one that I like the best.

[DRKS1D3]

Originally Posted by Royal Tiger

Thank you for the reply. The Mazda was one of the last ones eliminated.

I picked up the Consumer Reports 2018 new car guide at CVS last week. Only the Honda and Toyota are highly rated (80+). The Chevy & Mazda are at 65 with the Chevy rated as “worse than average reliability”.

I’m still not sold on a small turbo 4 as a daily driver. It’s just more to break down the road. I don’t see these engines lasting 200k miles like the 2.0-2.5L normally aspirated ones before them.

Every 3 years, I lease a new work car. I have had a '13 Cruze RS and now I have a '17 Cruze RS. Both have been great! Great MPGs, great in the snow and plenty of room too. These turbo I4's are pretty stout and reliable.

AWD doesn't cure everything. ~75% of adverse weather driving is based on a driver's skill. Good luck!

[Royal Tiger]

I can drive anything. I used to get the police car with chains places people would just stand in awe. Growing up in the pine barrens we used to see who could get stuck in the more interesting locations.

I’m going to push her to drive the Toyota first so I can feel her out if that’s a possibility at all. I still think I’d rather have a non-turbo with a real transmission.

[The camaro show]

how about a Cadillac srx its a great car my mom has a 2014 performance trim fully optioned out 53k sticker new but prices are coming way down she loves it its her 3rd caddy and her best and favorite

[shaffe]

I voted Honda, because that is what it seems like she really wants. I'd try and go Equinox just to buy american but don't think you could go wrong with either of the 3 you listed.