Mid sized SUV recommendations?

[dodge man]

We are renting a Toyota RAV4 now and I’m hard to impress but I like it. It’s a Hybrid, 2.5 liter engine. I wouldn’t be that thrilled with it except for the fuel mileage. It’s getting 39mpg mixed driving. It’s maybe a little small but maybe not. They make a Highlander which looks like it gets 35mpg. It looks like Honda makes the CRV in a hybrid but that’s it for them. The CRV looks similar to the RAV4 in size. I think I’d prefer Honda or Toyota but I’m not brand loyal. Any other ones we should look at?

 

[EddieWalker]

The mechanic that I take our vehicles to weighs well over 400 pounds and he drives a Four Runner and It's a tight fit, but he loves it and highly recommends Toyota over all other brands.

 

[Carl_NH]

Check out the Toyota Crown Signia Hybrid 2026 Toyota Crown Signia | Toyota.com

Or the Lexus RX350 Hybrid is a nice car too - we have the RX350 gas V6 and it gets 22 MPG average. Looked at the Highlander but didn't need 3 rows of seats.

 

[oldnslo]

For work I had a Ford Escape and Chevy Equinox and own a Rav 4. Ford was by far the noisiest and roughest ride of the 3 and also seemed underpowered with 1.4? Liter ego boost. Equinox and Rav 4 are similar in ride comfort and mileage but neither was hybrid.

I believe rear seating is also a little better on Equinox and Rav but neither are super spacious on leg roomX

Double check door opening height for getting in and out since the Ford Escape I constantly hit my head getting in and out. Equinox and Rav are less of a problem.

 

[deserteagle71]

Try the Toyota 4Runner...plenty of room. And probably the most dependable, longest lasting vehicle you can buy - all of them are made in the Lexus factory in Japan. But not the most fuel-efficient - expect about 20 mpg overall.

(Above applies to 5th generation and older. Jury is still out on the 6th generation (2025 and 2026) as there's not enough data to tell yet - and they went from the old rock-solid V6 to a turbocharged 4 banger.)

 

[bmaverick]

We are renting a Toyota RAV4 now and I’m hard to impress but I like it. It’s a Hybrid, 2.5 liter engine. I wouldn’t be that thrilled with it except for the fuel mileage. It’s getting 39mpg mixed driving. It’s maybe a little small but maybe not. They make a Highlander which looks like it gets 35mpg. It looks like Honda makes the CRV in a hybrid but that’s it for them. The CRV looks similar to the RAV4 in size. I think I’d prefer Honda or Toyota but I’m not brand loyal. Any other ones we should look at?

VW Tiguan with the Audi 2.0L turbo.
2WD or AWD models.
It shows 35mpg hwy, yet my son does interstate driving and has done 46mpg hwy.
This is a true automatic, not a dumb CVT.
Comes in multiple colors other than most that are plain black, white, silver these days.

For reliability, in 2025, VW nudged out Toyota for the #1 spot as the two are neck and neck for the past 3 years at the top.

Ford has had so many recalls since 2020, my family has finally tossed in the towel and said no more.

 

[DarkBlack]

For reliability, in 2025, VW nudged out Toyota for the #1 spot as the two are neck and neck for the past 3 years at the top.

Say what? Says who? What standards and timeframe were used to come up with that claim?
“JD initial quality “ is not a long term reliability metric..
I just got the most recent consumer reports. Volkswagen, ranked as usual down low , at # 16. Individual models and years up to 2025 shows average to below average