I'm thinking to buy CUV and desiding what to go with. Any suggestions?

 

I would start off by doing research online on each of the vehicles at either www.edmunds.com or www.kbb.com. You also could go to each manufacturer's website. That way you will be familiar with the vehicles, what models are available, options, and price before you go out and test drive each one.

 

I just bought an 09 Outlander this month. I read reviews from as many different places, Edmunds, Consumer Reports, Car and Driver and other places on the internet. It was helpful for me to read both professional and owner reviews. The biggest help in deciding was driving the different vehicles. I thought I was going to buy a Ford Escape/ Mercury Mariner, but after driving the Mariner I really didn't like it. I was suprised by the Outlander.

 

A big deal for us was fuel efficiency. We looked at the RAV4 and CRV. Since those two were in high demand, it was difficult to find them. We also almost went for a Vue...it was cheaper, but fuel efficiency wasn't quite there. Then we drove the Outlander, that's what made it for us. it had all the bells and whistles at a price we could afford. it just made sense.

 

Outlander is a good bang for the buck for its class, and fuel economy is great for a small SUV/CUV. It was just the right size for me, had the extras, and fit the budget. And after 2 1/2 yrs I still love it and have had no problems. The only thing had to do is change tires.

As a side note, the '07 people (including me) complained about how the interior had a "cheap" feel to it. It looks like Mitsu has been listening though, because every model year since they have upgraded the interior. I cant wait to do the '10 dash swap....

 

I looked at almost all small CUVs and the Outlander was by far the best value for what I was looking for: V6 power, cargo capacity, decent stereo, comfortable seats, reliability. Right away that list narrowed it down to only a few options. Before test driving I thought I was going to buy the toyota but after the test drive I felt it was lacking a little fun-to-drive factor so I tried out the mazda and then mitsubishi and ended up buying an 09 Outlander.

RAV4 Limited V6 AWD- Very similar to the Outlander design and many features are the same. Liked it and it's nice that toyota is bringing in some high end lexus features like push button start and the cabin noise is pretty low but it has a crappy sound system, the suspension was really soft, and I don't think the seats would be very comfortable for me on long drives. Big drawback is to get good gas mileage ratings on the V6 it feels like they don't let you use all the power. Also the back door swings the wrong direction for the US if you park at the curb and want to load anything.

CRV - only comes in 4 Cyl so I didn't even bother test driving.

Any Subaru - AWD is great, gas mileage is poor compared to similar vehicles. Didn't test drive either.

CX-7 - Really sporty, actually too sporty, suspension was really tight and I felt jarred around with every bump. Good power and nice interior but the shape of the rear hatch curves so hauling stuff isn't as easy.

Outlander XLS V6 - This one was the best compromise, comfortable seats, pretty good stereo, dog loves the tailgate, decent power and fairly sporty suspension but still absorbs the bumps, fuel efficiency is good. Has a little too much road noise but I just turn up the stereo. For the money there's not too much I can say that's bad about it. Would have been disappointed paying more for toyota and not having a good stereo and seat.

 

Well it seems like Outlander is pretty good at handling and is pretty fun to drive. The 2010 model looks very sporty for sure. How would Outlander stack up to sedans like accord and camry (01-06) in terms of sharpness ride quality. In my experience: older hondas do have more road noise than toyotas. Did anybody own one of these cars to compare?

 

Well, according to insideline.com track tests the new Outlander GT (GT is the only Outlander on US market with the SAWC) pretty much outhandles all the other SUV/CUVs that are currently available on the market: http://blogs.insideline.com/straight...lander-gt.html on the slalom test the only SUV/CUV that beat the Outlander GT is BMW X6M, Outlander pretty much beats Porsche Cayenne, Acura RDX, Toyota Rav4, and the so called car of the year Forester by 6 MPH.

In all honesty, Mitsubishi doesn't make bad cars, especially the Japanese made, they just don't have the brand recognition/marketing in North America but their product is just fine and in few aspects its top notch. Two things that Mitsubishi definitely knows how to do: AWD systems and turbos.

BMW X6 M: 68.6
2010 Outlander GT: 66.2
Mercedes C Class: 65.8 - (car)
RDX: 65.7
Cayenne Turbo X: 65.2
MB ML63 AMG 64.4
BMW X3: 64.4
07 Outlander XLS: 63.9
BMW X5 M 63.5
MDX: 62.6
LR2: 62
Audi Q5: 61.9
RAV4 LTD: 61.6
MB GLK: 61.3
Forester 2.5XT: 60.3
Murano LE: 59.2
MB ML350: 57.5
Lincoln MKX: 57.3

EDIT: And it looks like the high-end European 2010 Outlanders will also get the dual-clutch transmission similar to Evo X :S That revised V6 with a dual clutch tranny plus SAWC would definitely put Outlander over the top of this segment including higher priced cars such as Acura/Lexus.

 

I think the outlander drives a lot like a sedan, it's just a little taller and heavier but the suspension, brakes, AWD, etc. make up for the size difference and allow you to drive it like a car. It all depends on what kind of ride you like, a friend of mine has an 05 or 06 accord that I get to drive on occasion. The Honda handles great and is pretty responsive but it's hard to compare to an Outlander since they are a completely different class of vehicle. Plus there are a lot of things about the accord that I hate anyways so I'm biased. Haven't driven a camry but from other toyota models I noticed that they ride a little softer and cause it to feel less responsive. It's really all about personal preference if you like a softer ride or a more sporty responsive feel. Only way to know is to test drive, I thought I was going to buy a RAV4, until I drove it.

 

Just a hair short of 2.5 years of ownership and 20k miles later still the most fun car to drive... AWD, HID, Navi and higher ground clearance without loosing car-like handling and sprinkle some unique looks this is still a winner. My wish is only for a hybrid version or diesel maybe, I am not getting any more regular gas cars.

Yes, cheap looking interior with simplistic layout in 07 and it looks like it's carried over to 2010 model, but all other things it has make up for it.