Dan and his wife are looking to replace their 2015 Forester with something similar, but more interesting. She is on the shorter side and has a 300-mile weekly commute so they are looking for something with good fuel economy but also comfortable. With a budget of around $40,000, what car should they buy?
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Here is the scenario.
Quick Facts:
My wife has a 2015 Subaru Forester that currently has 106,000 miles. We originally bought it as a family car. Since then we’ve bought and F-150 that is the primary family car. We’d like to preserve Forester for our soon to be high school kids to drive. My wife is short, particularly in the legs and the fit of the seats and visibility have been excellent. However she really wants a car that is more fun to look at. She’d like to go even smaller, but still wants something with some height and we still need 4 doors. I’d like it to have more driving personality that the Subaru. We drive both our cars about 300 miles a week so fuel economy is important. The wife really likes the look Ford Bronco Sport but we don’t need a third 4wd vehicle. I’ve also read the fuel economy and on-road driving experience is just adequate. What other cars should we be looking at? Our budget is up to $40,000 but we can stretch a bit for the right car.
Budget: about $40,000
Location: Annapolis, Maryland
Daily Driver: Yes
Wants: Comfortable, nice to drive, good mpg
Doesn’t want: Something too big
Expert 1: Tom McParland – A Little Bit Of Everything
You are looking for a small-ish, compact crossover that gets great gas mileage and doesn’t look like everything else. While I try to avoid going back to the same recommendations over and over again, it seems that the answer once more is the Kia Niro. The Niro is a funky-looking hatchback/wagon/crossover though only available in front-wheel drive. You have your choice of power plants; the standard hybrid will get up to 53 mpg, or you can go with a PHEV that will net up to 34 miles of pure electric range, or a full EV with 253 miles of range.
The Niro is smaller than your Forester but offers an impressive ability to hold almost anything and comes packed with all the tech features to make the commute bearable. Price points on new Niros start around $27,000 for a base hybrid, the PHEV has an MSRP of around $35,000 with the EV starting at $40,000 before you add on the fancy stuff. The pre-owned market has some really excellent values, especially in the EV space, but if charging is not in the cards, you can score lightly used and fully loaded SX Touring hybrid for right around $30,000
Expert 2: Andy Kalmowitz – Get On The Right Trax
So, Dan and Wife, you’ve got $40,000 to play with? Well, what if I told you that I could save you between $10,000 and $15,000 and still get you all the things you want out of a new car? You’d probably say I was a kook, but you’d be wrong. What you need, Dan and Dan’s Wife, is a Chevy Trax or Buick Envista Avenir.
Both of these little crossovers will give you everything you’re looking for, and they’ll leave you with enough cash to take the nicest vacation anyone has ever been on.
I’ve spent a lot of time with the Trax Activ, the fully-loaded model. For just $26,685 (including destination) you get all of your requirements plus heated seats and a heated steering wheel, a really good driver assistance suite, plenty of rear legroom, a small package that is great for your Small Wife, a generous trunk and great fuel economy. You can thank its tiny, yet characterful, 1.2-liter three-cylinder turbocharged engine for that. Plus, it’s front-wheel drive only, so you won’t need to worry about wasting gas on all-wheel drive you don’t need. On top of all that, it’s just a handsome little thing, isn’t it?
If you are yearning for a bit more, you could always upgrade to the Buick Envista Avenir. It’s basically the same car as the Trax, but with some nicer materials and cooler styling. A top-end version of that little crossover will still only set you back at most something like $32,000. These are great little cars, and they’ll do exactly what you need and then some!
Expert 3: Collin Woodard – Think Smaller
I appreciate what Andy and Tom tried to do here, Dan, but I will also argue that their suggestions are both wrong. I mean, yes, they suggested cars that sound like they would do a fine job of meeting your wife’s needs. So in that sense they’re correct, but are the Niro and Trax actually that interesting to look at? They might be ever so slightly less anonymous than her Forester but not by much.
In the interest of mixing things up, I say it’s time to think outside the box. It’s going to require a little bit of work, but I promise it’ll be worth it. And in the end, she’ll have a car that everyone is going to notice. Losing her car in the parking lot will be a thing of the past, and she’s going to love it.
Yes, I’m talking about lifting a Smart ForTwo. It doesn’t have four doors, which might be slightly inconvenient, but ultimately, the pros are going to outweigh the cons. She wants something smaller than her Forester? The Smart ForTwo is so much smaller than a Forester. And by lifting it, she’ll still have the same ride height and ease of access that she’s used to.
Sadly, Smart no longer sells the ForTwo in the U.S., so you’ll have to go used, but that just means you’ll be able to save a little money. First, you could keep an eye out for an auction like this one of a ForTwo that’s already been lifted. Alternatively, you could buy one and take it to a shop to be modified. I’d be willing to bet that all-in, you could build this thing for $25,000 or less, leaving room in the budget for a sweet trailer to haul anything that won’t fit in the cabin.
Sure, she’ll only be able to drive one kid at a time, but I promise it’ll be worth it. Who wouldn’t love driving a lifted Smart car? Every moment behind the wheel will be filled with pure joy, and, surely, joy is more important than so-called “practicality,” right?
Expert 4: Logan Carter – It’s Mini Time.
Trust me on this one, Dan, I’m a car gay so I love driving and I probably have a good idea of what your wife wants. She wants the perfect car, and that is a Mini Cooper Countryman. Depending on your wants, it comes in front wheel drive with a turbocharged three cylinder engine for the most bang for your buck, or you could go for the turbo four that has available all wheel drive, still gets great fuel economy, and is more powerful, or you could go for the PHEV version that will offer the best gas mileage if you’re willing to plug in.
I drive a Mini Cooper S and not only has Mini been topping reliability rankings as of late, they’re surprisingly roomy inside, they’re stylish and cheeky, super fun to drive, are available with premium features, and they’re impressively efficient. The Countryman is Mini’s crossover vehicle that’s still pretty petite, but will likely offer a similar driving position to the Forester. I’m 6’8″ tall so I appreciate the front legroom in my Mini, but I know shorter Mini owners who fit in their cars comfortably too, so your wife should be able to find her ideal driving position.
On the used market, you can find low mileage examples of all Mini Cooper Countryman powertrains within your price range. You and your wife can choose if you want to save money upfront and buy the turbo three cylinder, go for power with the turbo four, or if you want it all with the PHEV model. I think it’ll be the perfect upgrade that balances fun, style, luxury, size, efficiency and price.