[Harper55987]

Hey everyone! Shopping around for a winter/all around driver while I keep my 1 series looking pristine.

Budget is 40k but coming in under always looks good

I think I'd like to go newer with a certified or new vehicle...
I would really like AWD. Good cargo space.
Doesn't have to be an SUV but I am leaning towards them.

Some of the stuff I am looking at are:
4Runner Trail Edition
Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
Jeep Cherokee Nighthawk
Tacoma 4Dr with full off-road
Certified Audi A4 Sedan
Subaru WRX Wagon
Mazda-9 AWD
A 3 series xDrive. Some of the 328xDrive's come in reasonably priced.

Any ideas??

[IEDEI]

buy my A3 quattro. it's not that much smaller and it's for sale!

if you're looking for AWD, get an Audi. Everything else is....well just not as good when it comes to AWD. A pre-owned A4 avant/S4 avant OR Q5.

[EyeGuy]

I'm on the same boat looking for a smaller suv for the wife with awd. Coming from an sti, I'm seriously considering the 2014 forester xt. You gotta check out the videos on YouTube at the track and on some serious snow trails.

[F1Venom]

Mistubishi Evolution X MR are the best AWD vehicles on the market, IMO. Following them are STi's and then probably some other Subaru SUV/wagon.

[Arben72]

Toyota land cruiser, pretty much a unstoppable beast that's cushy enough for grandma.

[Harper55987]

Forrester XT I like the idea...total sleeper...but does the CVT really work well? I just never see good reviews about CVT transmissions...

A3 quattro is perfect but you are to far and those are to rare.

Land Cruiser is to overpriced I feel. 4Runner gives you the same functionality.
Mitsubishi I don't want to deal with the mechanical issues.

I find it very hard to find a professional, AWD sleeper without going to exotics. S4, RS4, well those are the 2 that come to mind actually.

WRX's are perfect functionality but I find them a bit non-professional looking.

[bjayfan]

Just above your price range is the VW Touareg.

Porsche Cayenne built on the same chassis, damn fine SUV.

[Harper55987]

Have you had much luck with the touareg? I sat in one or two of them and was actually impressed for a VW.
My concern was reliability... :/
Everywhere reported that thing fell apart like crazy. USNews gave below par. Same with JD.

Heard the same thing or did I just search the wrong places?

[bjayfan]

Originally Posted by Harper55987

Have you had much luck with the touareg? I sat in one or two of them and was actually impressed for a VW.
My concern was reliability... :/
Everywhere reported that thing fell apart like crazy. USNews gave below par. Same with JD.

Heard the same thing or did I just search the wrong places?

Never driven one, I do have a Cayenne though. Beater that takes a beating and keeps on ticking.

[Lucky1]

You can alwaya get a regular Impreza if you are worried about the WRX looking non-professional.

Personally I'd go with a Japanese offering to alleviate price and reliability concerns. You've already got an awesome European in your garage Impreza for price or Forrester for ride height (less likely to get stuck in the snow) and extra space.

[gonzo]

The no brainer for myself would be the Pathfinder.
Good discounts if you look around.
In DFW you can get an awd loaded to the gills for 40 or under.

gl

[MrRoboto]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

buy my A3 quattro. it's not that much smaller and it's for sale!

if you're looking for AWD, get an Audi. Everything else is....well just not as good when it comes to AWD. A pre-owned A4 avant/S4 avant OR Q5.

Not all Audi Quattro's are created equal. I agree that it's hard to beat the Torsen systems in A4, S4, etc but Haldex used in the A3, TT, etc is no better then any other viscus coupled AWD out these.

[TunedM2C]

We just picked up a '13 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. Nice SUV for the money.

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by Arben72

Toyota land cruiser, pretty much a unstoppable beast that's cushy enough for grandma.

And at only double his budget, it makes total financial sense as well!

[KingOfJericho]

We were also in the hunt for an SUV for my wife to replace her FX35 (to small for the rear-facing child seat). We looked at just about everything out there and we found that the Grand Cherokee had the nicest package for the money. We are getting the Overland, however I test drove a Limited and it was very nice as well.

Nothing out of Japan came close in any way. The 4Runner is an exceptional vehicle (my father's is still running great with 340k+ on the clock) but the new model is just plain ugly. The Honda Pilot is a shapeless bore. The Highlander is basically a car. Subarus are nice but they just feel cheap (because they literally are).

The Germans are too expensive for what you get and the Brits (Land Rover) don't offer anything substantial in that price range.

That left the Americans. Explorer Sport was also an option in our search but the SYNC system blows and is riddled with glitches. One stop at Jeep and we were sold. It's an extremely capable ride.

[dcgolfdr]

Tacoma, nothing beats a truck for functionality and if its a double cab you will have plenty of space inside and you can get one for low 30's.

[MrRoboto]

My wife has a 2013 Toyota Rav4. Decent little rig with a surprising amount of room inside. Loads of space for my 2 year old. Top of the range is ~$30k.

[Silver-Bolt]

The two Toyota's are 4WD not AWD. I have a 2014 Forester XT and so far love it. I was very leary of the CVT but have found it to be seamless. It works very well. Nice firm suspension and handles surprisingly well. Had to ditch the ugly factory wheels but other than that it is stock.

[gonzo]

As noted...
The Grand Cherokee, now that a good transmission is in it, would be on my short list.
Can get pricey and discounts are meager.

A down the street couple just bought the top trim Pathfinder in cayenne red.
Attractive in that color.

[JuRuKi]

Acura MDX?

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by MrRoboto

Not all Audi Quattro's are created equal. I agree that it's hard to beat the Torsen systems in A4, S4, etc but Haldex used in the A3, TT, etc is no better then any other viscus coupled AWD out these.

they are better...mainly because the car is engineered WITH the Haldex in mind from the very beginning. Most other companies, BMW included add AWD as an afterthought.....with Audi, AWD is a priority from the beginning. BIG difference.

Haldex works great in Audis...i've driven all types of Torsen and Haldex systems and they are definitely comparable now in the new generation systems. Torsen is now using an electronic differential just like Haldex to shift between power.

[paradoxical3]

It's not huge, but if you're looking for something WRX size, the BMW X1? JB4 works on them...just sayin! Not sure if you care about performance, but even the 4 cylinder is faster than all of the cars on your list and you still get that wonderful hydraulic steering feel.