#the interior is smaller but nicer in the cx-5

[madegeeky]

So, I'm looking on the Toyoto RAV4 subreddit to get opinions on it vs the Mazda CX-5 and the majority of them are just so helpful and honest. Like, they'll talk about pros and cons and if you want this sort of thing buy RAV4 and that sort of thing buy CX-5. It's just so wonderfully refreshing and enjoyable to read. If you want to compare a car to the RAV4 check out the rav4club subreddit. They give out really stellar and thoughtful opinions and I wish more people approached things like they do.

[dipulb3]

2021 Nissan Kicks makes value a virtue

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2021-nissan-kicks-makes-value-a-virtue/

2021 Nissan Kicks makes value a virtue

The 2021 Kicks looks sharper than its predecessor.

Steven Ewing/Roadshow

As far as affordable small cars go, you could definitely do worse than the Nissan Kicks. It’s an efficient, feature-rich little thing, and for new car shoppers on a budget, the Kicks is one of the best overall values available today.

Like

Excellent fuel economy

Lots of driver-assistance features

Excellent overall value

Don’t Like

All trims need LED headlights

Interior could use more personality

No all-wheel drive option

The Kicks gets a much-needed glow-up for 2021, with styling that’s way less frumpy than before. It’s a good look, and while I personally prefer the more extroverted designs of competitors like the Kia Soul or Hyundai Venue, I think the Kicks is altogether more refined than the wacky Hyundai Kona or Toyota C-HR. You get 16-inch wheels on the base Kicks S, but SV and SR trims upgrade to larger 17s. My SV test car has the optional black-painted alloys, which cost $495 and would probably look better alongside one of the available two-tone paint schemes — one with a black roof, for example.

The Kicks’ interior plays it down the middle with a no-nonsense design. The controls are exactly where you expect them to be and none of the buttons or stalks feel flimsy. Sure, the doors are lined with hard plastic and the piano black trim around the gear shifter will never, ever look clean, but the stuff you’ll touch most often — the steering wheel, window switches, infotainment controls, etc. — are all nice. I do wish the cup holders weren’t one big rectangle with a partition in the middle, though. Smaller drinks like, oh, I don’t know, a grande vanilla nonfat latte from Starbucks can easily tip over while making a turn. Ask me how I know.

2021 Nissan Kicks packs a lot of features in a small footprint

See all photos

Nissan’s awesome Zero Gravity seats aren’t available in the Kicks, but the cloth chairs in my SV tester are nevertheless comfortable, and they even have an interesting diamond pattern for a little visual flair. You sit high up in the Kicks, too, and the seating position is nice and comfortable for a 5-foot, 8-inch average dude like myself. Plus, this higher seat height gives you a nice, commanding view out the front and side windows — and it’s better for your posture, too.

The back seats are serviceable, but better suited to smaller adults or children, and there’s enough room behind them to schlep a couple of carry-on bags or a shopping cart’s worth of groceries. The Kicks offers 25.3 cubic feet of space with the rear seats upright, which bests the Ford EcoSport, Hyundai Kona and Kia Soul. However, fold the bench flat and you only get 32.3 cubic feet, which is almost half the max capacity of the Soul and worse than the aforementioned Ford and Hyundai. If you need to haul on the regular, the Kicks might not be for you. But since most people will use the hatch without folding the back bench, I’m glad Nissan chose to err on the side of seat-up spaciousness.

The interior looks plain, but it’s quiet and the seats are comfortable.

Steven Ewing/Roadshow

Every Kicks uses the NissanConnect multimedia system, with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard. The base Kicks S has a 7-inch touchscreen but the SV and SR use a slightly larger, 8-inch head unit; these upper trims get an additional 7-inch display inside the gauge cluster, too. NissanConnect’s graphics are dated and the menu structure is kind of weird, but it’s easy enough to plug your phone into one of the USB ports and let the Apple or Android software do the heavy lifting. SV and SR trims come with both USB-A and USB-C outlets, by the way.

A huge selling point for the 2021 Kicks is the sheer amount of standard driver-assistance tech. Automatic emergency braking (front and rear), blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert are standard across the board, even on the base, $20,000 model, and SV and SR trims add adaptive cruise control. No, you can’t get Nissan’s cool ProPilot Assist highway driving assistant, but that’s not a total deal-breaker. You can, however, get a 360-degree camera on this little guy, though it’s only available on the top-level SR.

There isn’t much to get excited about under the hood, but the Kicks’ powertrain is nevertheless adequate and efficient. The 1.6-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine produces 122 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque, which sound pretty dismal on paper, but on the road, it’s totally fine. Remember, the Kicks only weighs 2,744 pounds in its heaviest spec, so that engine doesn’t have a ton of car to lug around. The Kicks only comes with front-wheel drive, however, so if you’re looking for a tiny CUV with AWD capabilities, try the Honda HR-V or Mazda CX-3.

SV and SR models get an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Steven Ewing/Roadshow

You can only get the Kicks with a continuously variable transmission. And before you balk at the idea of CVT, don’t forget that Nissan’s been offering this transmission type for years, meaning the company’s had a lot of time to fine-tune its so-called Xtronic setup. Seriously, the Kicks has one of the best CVTs around, quietly operating in the background without the high-revving drone that people tend to associate with these transmissions.

Plus, that CVT helps the Kicks return bangin’ fuel economy. Official EPA ratings aren’t available just yet, but Nissan estimates you’ll see 31 miles per gallon in the city, 36 mpg highway and 33 mpg combined — numbers right in line with what I saw in the real world. That makes the Kicks more efficient than a lot of other small crossovers, beating the Ford EcoSport, Hyundai Venue, Kia Soul and more.

The Kicks handles daily driving duties admirably, and it’s actually pretty fun to drive. The suspension is nicely tuned for both city and highway driving and the brakes are strong with solid pedal feel. The steering is light, just like every other small crossover, but it quickly responds to inputs, and more importantly, the Kicks is easy to maneuver and park. No one is expecting the Kicks to be a thrill, but it’s a perfectly pleasant little runabout. Yeah, it’s pokey, but it might surprise you on a winding road.

These black-painted 17-inch wheels are a $495 option.

Steven Ewing/Roadshow

You can get into a Kicks for as little as $20,595, including $1,095 for destination. The midgrade SV adds a lot of the niceties you’ll actually want, and it starts at a still-affordable $22,395. The loaded SR comes in at $23,035, and its only big-ticket option is the $1,200 Premium Package, which brings the price to $24,235 delivered.

The SV grade should make up the bulk of Kicks sales, but I actually think a loaded SR is the best value. The SR gets you all the best driver-assistance tech and it also comes standard with LED headlights (and foglights). That last bit is especially important — the halogen lamps on my SV test car are so dull that, at one point, I actually pulled over to make sure I had the low-beams on and wasn’t just relying on the running lights (like so many other oblivious Los Angeles drivers). LED headlights are brighter and therefore safer. Why they aren’t standard on every car at this point is kind of beyond me.

It’s hard to beat the Kicks’ overall value.

Steven Ewing/Roadshow

But the loaded SR’s virtues extend beyond illumination. Add the Premium Package and you get heated seats, a heated steering wheel and that premium Bose audio system you’ve probably heard — you know, the one with speakers in the driver’s headrest. Nothing makes an inexpensive car feel premium quite like heated seats and a kickin’ (get it?) stereo. All that and more for less than $25K? I know it’s not always easy to swing a couple thousand extra when you’re on a tight budget, but you’ll also be hard pressed to find this many amenities for this little cash.

The Kicks plays in a super-crowded class, alongside everything from the dumpy Chevrolet Trax to the dumpier Ford EcoSport to attractive and compelling hatchbacks from Korea like the Hyundai Kona, Venue and Kia Soul. Personally, I’d probably go with the Soul if it were my money; the Kia has a better interior and it’s nicer to drive, as well. Even so, the Nissan still offers more features, and it’s more efficient than anything else in its segment. Any way you slice it, the Kicks offers great value and it’s hard to argue with that.

[smoothshift]

Time to haul some family -- 3 Row SUVs review. via /r/cars

Time to haul some family -- 3 Row SUVs review.

Hi Cars,

Wanted a bigger car for my growing family and learned a lot on the way. This is a super competitive segment because every make is wanting to play. Hopefully my experience can help some others out because there really isn't a clear winner here. Even though I'm going to be critical, you really can't go wrong with any new 3 row SUV. Really just about which flavor you want.

Must have:

3Row/Spacious

AWD

Leather

Rear Cam

No maintenance / Reliable / Safe

Reasoning:

Need space for 2 rear facing car seats in the back(with ability for me 6' to sit comfortably upfront) the double stroller(thing just eats space) in the trunk. Road trips, luggage, gear, maybe more people as well, space is good.

AWD - better in weather, resale, camping? etc

Leather would be easier for cleaning up any random spills or boogers or puke or mud or ..kids are messy :)

Rear cam - besides the obvious reasons, I live in a younger community with tons of kids near by so I always want to know who/what is behind me.

With little kids, I definitely never want to be stranded. I don't really want to spend time taking my car to the shop. This would make me lean toward new. And most SUVs are safe just based on their size alone.

Wanted:

Power/Speed

Off road prowess

Tech/features

Panoramic sun roof

Comfort

LED accent lights (I don't think it looks like a NEW car without it)

Cool factor

To get everything I MUST HAVE new, MSRP would be close to 40k for a lot of the big players. So I kinda set that as my price tag. However, one of the main points I wanted to talk about in this post was that MSRP isn't too relevant in this segment. As far as MSRP are concerned, brand new, the Pilot and the Highlander should be your only choices, maybe the Santa fe.

Pilot

pros: This thing is a beast. It's the fastest one out there, 0-60 in 6ish seconds in an family hauler, hell ya now we're talking. It FEELS more spacious than all of the others. I sat comfortably in the 3rd row. They have a little area you can pull up behind the 3rd row to make it deeper and give you even more space back there. EX-L will get you leather and an 8 inch screen. You can save 1k off of getting Nav because it has android/apple. So you can decide for another 1k for their collision system or 1500 for entertainment set up...or you can just give your kid a tablet and call it a day. LED accent lights on all trims. Elite trim has some cool stuff but eh not much difference between the 9 speed and 6 speed MPG wise. One of the better AWD systems from some reviews I've seen. Seemed to out preform the highlander on a tame off road course.

cons: Looks like a mini van. Like seriously, I hate how it looks. This is what initially threw me off. NOW, after looking at how boring most of these SUVs are... If I got a black pilot with roof rails and running boards ...maybe blacked out the grill, blacked out the rims, blacked out my eyes so I didn't have to look at it.. It would be acceptable. They weren't giving me as much for my trade and these fly off the lot, especially the black ones. So they weren't going to give me much off MSRP either, maybe 3k if I ping pong between dealers. Bland interior, but functional at least.

Highlander

pros: All trims come with their collision system. Looks pretty nice actually, but it looked pretty good before their minor refresh too. New more powerful engine for 2017. Good amount of space. Toyota so you know its going to be reliable and it will hold its value better than any other SUV. Stepping up to the SE trim will get you some cooler looking ones and a sportier suspension, however I didn't really notice much. Pretty standard, safe choice overall. 2nd row Captain seats or Bench option is no extra cost.

cons: Won't get much off MSRP 2-3k again / Won't give much for my trade. They know they have high resale value so they get to be a bit stingy. SE trim and up have the accent LEDs but XLE would cover my Must Haves. Not fast, but not slow for the segment. No Android / apple. Even though new engine, performance was better on previous one.

4Runner

Still running a 5 speed? This thing is dated in many ways and doesn't give much except for basic features. You do get a big reliable vehicle with awesome off road ability. I love how they look but interior a lot smaller than the Highlander. Couldn't justify putting this in the running...4running.

Santa Fe

Seemed like a great value for what it was. Looks decent too. Interior seemed okay, I just didn't like the design personally. Overall, just wasn't feeling it. Didn't drive one. I think the other two edged it out, however I'm betting I could have gotten a better deal on this. And they have the better standard warranty than the others.

Arcadia

Redesigned for 2017 - v6 camaro engine in a caddy. This thing breaks the GMC formula a bit. There are deals to be had on this. I could get my must haves and more for maybe 34-35k(Because they had big discounts 9k+ off MSRP). On paper seemed decently quick, but didn't actually test drive. So that's where it would come back into the picture vs the pilot/highlander, since you would get a lot for less money. I really like how it looks too, but in the end I decided I'm don't want to be a guinea pig for basically a brand new SUV right now. But I wouldn't knock anyone who gets one. Seems like a great SUV.

Atlas

I actually know some early adapters for the Atlas and have seen it. It looks great in person, interior is nice and crisp, drives well. Didn't want to wait though and again a new vehicle so they may need to work out some kinks.

CX-9

4banger in a 3row SUV? Stop it. Mazda, Subaru, Ford, Volvo pls. You can't tell me you can load up your SUV, which is like their main purpose, and then preform adequately at highway speeds. Maybe you can and I'm just used to some power, but nope not for me. I really wanted to give the CX-9 a chance anyways since it got such a glorious review from car and driver and sits at their #1. But it really is a dumb car. I love mazda, I like what they do. Sure it has a nice interior and all that, and it drives like a smaller SUV and has a sporty feel to it...uhh nope. It drives like a smaller SUV because it is one. The thing has 71 sqft cargo volume. You can't win the sporty drive in 3rowSUVs when you're really smaller than a ford EDGE but you crammed a 3rd row back there. They may as well throw the Nissan rogue in the picture, I think it actually comes with a 3rd row option and has about the same cargo volume, but you can get it for way cheaper. As a side note, Nissan killed it with the Rogue! I'm a sucker for their star wars edition too. Anyways, I think the Mazda looks the awesome interior and exterior, but if you're missing 12ish sq feet, it's like cheating to be in the segment.

Explorer

Almost almost pulled the trigger. But the Explorer's bones are OLD. Due for a full redesign in a few years. They gave it a brand new look in 2016 but its still heavy and feels cramped inside but drives big. It's still based on the Taurus / Flex I think. The 4banger and even the 6 banger? Hard pass, they are damn slow cause the thing is so heavy. Now the sport...365hp, now we're talking. Now I got about 8k+ off MSRP and they were doing me good on my trade too. So that made it closer to the Pilot/Highlander price range. Sync 3 is great too, it has android/apple integrated. But, even with 365hp, its only barely faster than the Pilot. Still...faster is faster. Well, what really made me step back is for NEARLY the same price, I could just get a F150 with the new version of the engine. It has tons of interior room and great off road and can tow 10k+. POWER: 375 hp @ 5000 rpm TORQUE: 470 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm 10 speed auto 0-60 in 5.7sec SHHWAANGGG! Yes please! Just couldn't convince the wife to make this our family hauler haha.

MDX

Okay you're going to hate me if you're still with me here. I went USED with a 2014 MDX with advance package. So it literally has every feature known to man. Drives great, fast, sporty, looks sexy af. Got it in silver. I got it at bout 8k less than a new Pilot which basically has the same engine. Literally love this car, it has everything I want, the space and a ton more features than any of the new cars except the andriod/apple. I know a must have was reliability and no maintenance for me, however I'm lucky enough to live a few houses down from a honda tech. He's awesome and has a lift . So when I factor my unique situation I decided to roll the dice with used. As far as Acura goes, I'll take their reliability and cheap repair costs.

So Used is a different ball game. Looking for a 2014 specifically was tough because that's right when they did their redesign BUT it's also right at the mark that people turn in leases. And from what I've seen, people don't really give a crap about their lease. They do the bare minimum, treat em rough, and then turn in their keys in 3 years. So there were a lot of poorly loved MDXs for sale. The trick here was to drive a new one, then drive some used ones that fit your budget and keep an eye on their carfax. In my area, it seems like they were trying to sell a bunch that they probably got from auction, originally leased in NY/NJ. Crappy roads, crappy traffic, salted roads...Yeah definitely avoided those and didn't even bother looking at them.

So eventually one came up that hit all my checkboxes. My goal was to come out a little better than KBB dealer suggestion. But then feel like I got a "deal" with little extras that wasn't factored into the price. So the one I got had roof rails($400-500 + installation), all weather floor mats($100-200), and brand new tires. Local owner, and they definitely took care of it. Seems like they just traded it in for something nicer. Honestly, if this is actually as good of condition as I believe it to be, I feel I got a steal over all. I think MDXs are great, and the only reason their used value drops as much as it does is because so many people have them. So thanks to supply and demand, I can get away with a premium SUV for a great price.

All of these SUVs aren't the tough rugged ones from the past, but they will get you to the beach comfortably. Decent family SUVs, you really can't go wrong. If I had a larger budget, the current Tahoe's are pretty bad ass, also they're redesigning the Sequoia and the Expedition 2018, they both seem pretty ridiculous as well. Just more $.$ than I got and my MDX does get over 30mpg on the highway...so there's that too.

Thanks for sticking with me. Hope this helps someone, even though I know this is generally a younger crowd.