Mid sized SUV recommendations?

[99k1500]

We have a 2021 Rav4 Hybrid... About 95k miles now. Absolutely zero issues. I commute daily 30 miles one way. The wife drives it on bad weather days vs her Camaro, at which point I pony up and put fuel in the 3/4 ton Chevy 6.0. We have taken the Rav to Florida 3 times ( maybe 4.). Wife and I both Scuba Dive and have taken it on many a diving trip. I did add a trailer hitch so that we can do a hitch carrier, for those trips to Florida. We have 2 kids (older) and we max out with luggage.
I later added some cheap airbags inside the rear springs, to help with rear end weight. Obviously as a hybrid the in town milage is better than highway. I too have looked for something else in this category that fits the bill better. I have yet to find something with the fuel economy this thing gets.

 

[WinterDeere]

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?

Your name's "dodge man", and you're shedding love on a RAV4?

I bought my wife a new Durango R/T in 2020, and it's been a great car, despite her constant abuse of every auto to which she's ever handed a set of keys. I don't know what sort of mileage she gets out of it, probably not the same as a 2.5L RAV4, but if I worried about gas mileage I wouldn't own a fleet of 6 liter vehicles.

I'm not brand-loyal, but I do own 3 Dodges right now, because I'm somewhat dealer-loyal. Our closest reliable car dealer carries Dodge, Ram, Jeep, Buick, and GMC... and she accused me of calling her an old lady, when I suggest she look at a Buick sport wagon.

Two of the several selling points, convincing me to go with a Durango, were the towing capacity and seating capacity. We didn't max the seating, preferring 6 with more comfortable captains chairs over 7 with bench seats, but that's plenty of space for our family of 4 plus a friend for each kid. The vehicle still feels relatively small and nimble, after driving my pickup truck, in fact the wheelbase is probably similar to my Dodge Charger sedan.

 

[bsekf]

Buy a used Lexus and never look back. We are driving a RX350 and would look at a NX. I wouldn't waste my money on a Hybrid. You can buy a lot of gas for the difference in price. We get a 3 year old RX350 with <40K for the same price as a new Subaru. Lexus is twice the car and good for 100K.

 

[dodge man]

To throw something else in the mix is a Jeep Cherokee hybrid new for this year. I think they look ok but my wife doesn’t like the look even though she has never seen one.

 

[pwhite42]

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?

We bought the Hybrid Rav4 in 2023. It's averaged 39.4 mpg. It's a great car. I've had 2 previous Toyota's, one a 1995 Corolla (branded as a Geo Prism) for 9 years which I replace with an 2004 Tundra. The only reason I'm still not owning that is it got totaled in 2019. I replaced it with a Honda Ridgeline. I would have liked a full size 4wd Tundra but didn't want to spend that much.

 

[paulsharvey]

To throw something else in the mix is a Jeep Cherokee hybrid new for this year. I think they look ok but my wife doesn’t like the look even though she has never seen one.

I drove a 2025 (i think) PHEV Grand Cherokee, for 3 days, rental. Like 48 miles pure battery range, smooth, and pretty nice. Just not any long term experience, but what it saw i liked. It does "feel" odd, like its actively braking when you take foot of gas, with the charging system

 

[dodge man]

The Durangos are nice but a little larger than we want. We have three vehicles now, all with V8’s. Two hemi 5.7 V8’s and a 5.0 in a F150. I think the surprise with the RAV4 was the fuel mileage from a decent sized vehicle.

My wife has brought up a couple of Lincoln hybrid SUV’s. I’m a little Luke warm on them, more of a luxury vehicle and more then I’d want to spend.

 

[WinterDeere]

The Durangos are nice but a little larger than we want. We have three vehicles now, all with V8’s. Two hemi 5.7 V8’s and a 5.0 in a F150. I think the surprise with the RAV4 was the fuel mileage from a decent sized vehicle.

My wife has brought up a couple of Lincoln hybrid SUV’s. I’m a little Luke warm on them, more of a luxury vehicle and more then I’d want to spend.

You're definitely not going to beat the RAV4 on price, for similar capability with any American or European brand. I was going to suggest looking at Volvo, we really liked each one we owned and they have several smaller SUV/crossover options, but that's a whole different pricing tier.

I drove a RAV4 once, my wife got one as a loaner while her prior Volvo was being repaired from hitting a deer. I wasn't a fan, but had to admit it was simple, cheap, and reliable. That certainly fills certain needs.

 

[Duds13]

As someone else pointed out, take a hard look at the Mazdas. They are known to be very reliable and the quality of the interior finish is on par with the luxury brands.

 

[DarkBlack]

To throw something else in the mix is a Jeep Cherokee hybrid new for this year. I think they look ok but my wife doesn’t like the look even though she has never seen one.

If you’re looking at mid size SUV’ like the Cherokee, you should definitely not overlook the Honda Passport. Better reliability. Better resale value

 

[1948B]

The Mazda CX-50 Hybrid has a Toyota RAV4 hybrid powertrain and drives and handles like a Mazda (a fun driver's car!) with a much better interior for less money. Would highly recommend. I have had two and they have been flawless.

 

[dodge man]

Mazda is an issue the nearest dealer is a two hour drive.

 

[tomplum]

Tucson HEVs are more refined and certainly quieter than a RAV , have a standard automatic instead of the CVT. The infotainment looks like it belongs there instead of someone gluing an I Pad on the dash. KIA and Hyundai have done real well over the last several years. Certain models have DCT transmissions to which I am not a fan off. People love their Ravs though and they did some nice redesigns aesthetic wise anyways.

 

[Gord Baker]

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?

There is more to life than MPG! Stay away from Turbo equipped anything. They used to have 6 cyl engines. Very Very Good.

 

[Gord Baker]

There is more to life than MPG! Stay away from Turbo equipped anything. They used to have 6 cyl engines. Very Very Good.

 

[Jim Schlueter]

We bought a Mazda CX5 and it has never been back to the dealer except for oil changes. Absolutely trouble free. The dealer never tried any of the usual add-on crap and we got it below the sticker price. Honest dealer. Highly reliable engine, a real 6 speed auto trans. Basic non turbo was fast enough for us.

 

[walnutman]

Mazda is an issue the nearest dealer is a two hour drive.

Doesn't matter if you rarely, if ever need to go.

 

[walnutman]

I'm more in the safety camp. I would much rather pay the fuel cost to drive a full size SUV because that one accident, you will never get your health or life back at any cost.

 

[Duds13]

I'm more in the safety camp. I would much rather pay the fuel cost to drive a full size SUV because that one accident, you will never get your health or life back at any cost.

If you want safety, Volvo

 

[t1kilo]

Between my daughter and I, there have been 5 Mazdas in our family. Two 6s, two CX5s, and a MX5. With the exception of my daughter’s current CX5, none of them have ever had to go back to the dealership for problems. Yes, we would buy another.

As for Volvo, we had a 2022 XC60. It was totaled at 18 months old, and the depreciation on that vehicle was appalling. Also, Volvo did an “upgrade” to the infotainment system that removed android auto and replaced it with google assistant. Android auto was a selling point for us. Volvo’s choice to remove it was a major turn off for us. We replaced it with a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Platinum. That turned out to be a pretty big disappointment too. Electronics out the wazoo, but problems with the infotainment system. The other thing we didn’t like was all the black plastic body trim. Looks like garbage living on a gravel road.

We replaced the GH with a 2024 4Runner Limited this past November and couldn’t be happier. Fuel economy is not its strong suit though.