My wife wants to get a mid size suv (yes I tried to convince her to get into the mini ). So question is, What are good small suv's out there around the 25k range.

I saw the Jeep Wrangler unlimited (4 door). I thought it looked really nice. A little hummerish but cool none-the-less. Its affordable at around 24k.

The new 07 Honda CRV at this point seems to be the front runner. Decent looking and price is right. Only problem is it lacks pizzaz (but w/ some modding ..... )

I dont like the Rav 4. She doesnt like the Honda Element and the FJ cruiser and Xtera's of the world are out as she thinks there to big.

What do you gals/guys suggest?

i think it would be a CR-V.

i would wait and push for the RDX or MDX from Acura.

Hmmmm...Never thought about the Acura RDX. A little bit out of the price range but very nice indeed. Whats your honest opinion on the crv ken?

We had a CRV for 5 years. I sold it because I wanted the MINI. Otherwise, I would have driven it for a LONG time. It's cheap (relatively), peppy enough (except on hills, this was a 2000 - they have more hp now), and completely trouble free. I can't recommend it highly enough.

As for lack of pizzaz, is your wife into that? Mini has plenty. Maybe she doesn't care. My wife loves her Toyota Sienna. Different strokes. Just let her decide. Give her plenty of support, do your homework, research, etc., but if she is going to drive it, don't try to sway her. When we bought the CRV, I convinced my wife that it was the one to get. Four years later, I found myself getting her a minivan (what she really wanted all along), and I inherit the CRV. When we got the minivan, I didn't even test-drive it. I told her it was entirely her decision and now she is happy.

ive been in one before and they felt like my civic... meaning, easy to
manuver, almost sedan-like. As with all honda's the windows are large
and easy to see, perfect for backing up in to tight places too, vs other
SUV's.

i think the newest one out (07?) is pretty nice looking. it looks more of
a SUV than it did before (looked more like a Forester kind of suv in
the past).

imho, the best looking SUV out there right now is the newest MDX. i
saw that thing the other week... wow!

i think Honda's going to be selling A LOT of these new CR-V's for sure.

Don't forget to check out the toyota Highlander , I have a '01 and it has been wonderful, trouble free, good size, has good pickup and it is "midsize", don't know about prices on the newer ones, may be a bit over what your looking to spend, but with the end of the year fast approaching, dealers should be making some good offers on any '06's left on the lot

Saturn Vue, and with the cash I would save over an import I could take the wife on a nice vacation. They're actually pretty sharp looking, especially the red ones. Perhaps a bit bigger than you were looking for, but it actually gets decent gas mileage.

Great suggestions.

Im going to throw another one into the mix. Saw the Mazda CX-7 commercial last night and I must say that it has some potential. Not bad at 26k the way we configured it.

If it was my choice I would get her the Audi A3 but she doesnt want another "small car". My wife could care less about pizzaz but she does want a safe, decent sized, nice looking mid size SUV. Im the one who wants to dress it up a little bit. (rims, tint, debadging, short antenna...viper stripes)

Have you looked at the Dodge Nitro (only the R/T version is a looker). Dodge is doing some cool stuff these days.

Has your wife seen the NEW Honda Element (all color matched no more ugly blck plastic everywhere)? Looks pretty good and seems to have some "mod" potential. I do also like the mazda CX-7...apparently pretty quick.

i guess if you're going to add a Saturn into the mix (cheap and decent
looking) i would toss in the Kia Sorento as well.

but for quality and reliability, it has to be the CR-V or one of the
toyota's imho. also remember the depreciation factor too.
you pay little now, you get nothing back later.

But your not driving it so what does your wife think?

Get V6 Sport, about $24K ... and smoke the MCS

we are looking for something similar to replace the Subaru that's being picked up by it's new owner later today

Chow ... wife is indifferent to the Rav4. At this point its a toss up between the Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-7. Now its just a matter of pros and cons between the 2.

Ive been burned w/ the resale value of american cars in the past. So im not to keen on the nitro although it does look pretty cool. Were not big fans of the Vue (dont mean to ruffle any feathers). I like the element a lot, she doesnt .

So with that being said. CRV vs CX-7. Whats it going to be?

Honda. Honda will always have higher resale than Mazda.

Mazda is more a station wagon, Check the specs. I bet there is WAY more space in the Honda to haul stuff

Although weve pretty much narrowed it to 2.

No one cares for the Jeep Wrangler unlimted? (yes I know its an american car)

We've traveled pretty extensively across the US many times.

Guess which car we saw the most broken down on the side of the road? Jeep Cherokees.

There is also the Liberty ... but a true 4 x 4.

Have you looked at the newest Rav4? They are a little bigger than the previous version AND gets better gas mileage. My wife has a 2004 Rav4 and there have been no issues to deal with.

There is a website but there doesn't seem to be alot of action on it.

http://rav4world.com/

I've heard good things about the new Suzuki Grand Vitara but i have no personal experience with it.

I think the Forester is great but I'm not sure its "mid sized" and my opinion is slightly biased

I have a Liberty and like it for a winter driver other than the gas mileage.

Hey, I was just there.

You got to realize that when you have a quality built car, there aint much to talk about

Its mostly people trying to get the best deals, and niggly complaints about cupholders.

Then there's the occasional people on the outside of the curve or those still living in the 1950s who want to jack up the suspension (on a softroader:impatient) or add undercoating

Yeah, they are a quiet group limited to complaining about options

CR-V! there's no question.

mazda's are japanese hundai's. remember that.

My wife and I have just been considering this for a second car. She has been back and forth whether she wants a convertible for fun, or an SUV for convenience, and this would fit both bills. Anyone heard much about the Unlimited 4-door, or have links to any good or bad reviews?

I personally think the new Rav4 looks much better than the new CR-V, which makes me want to stab my eyes out because the front of it is so disgusting looking (sorry, it felt good to get that out, haha).

If not that, the Ford Edge and Dodge Nitro are both cool looking. The new Hyundai Santa Fe has been getting really good reviews, and the all-new Mitsubishi Outlander looks REALLY nice.

Sorry, my last post was irrelevant, I saw that most of what I said...has already been covered.

But back to this question....To me, there is ZERO comparison here.

The new CR-V is HIDEOUS, the CX-7 is gorgeous.

Yes the Honda has the better rep, yes it may hold its value better...but the Mazda has so much more of a presence. I can guarantee its a much better drive too.

Buying a car on how it "looks", for his wife who may have utilitarian needs is probably not the right thing to do. For you as a college student ... whatever floats your boat. However, families have needs that maybe you can't relate to?

I can tell you, it aint fun hauling 2 x 4 x 10"s home in anything but a bigger SUV with lots of space.

Just a thought.