Subcompact SUV recommendations

I am considering replacing my more than 10 year old Toyota Corolla with a small SUV for a couple of reasons, though there is no rush as the Corolla is still mechanically sound.  The more I read, however, the more difficult it seems to be.  I am not at the test drive state just yet and the thought of putting up with dealer hard sells is not appealing until I at least narrow down my choices.  I'm considering a new car but a good two or three year old used car might appeal, as well.

Just some background: 

1) I live in the heart of a large city with easy access to freeways, when needed.
2) Most of my driving is within the city or suburbs.
3) I do not have off-street parking and parking can sometimes be tight in my neighborhood so a smaller car is advantageous.
4) I am looking for something a bit higher off the ground for easier entry and exit than a sedan would provide.
5) I am interested in both reliability and driver satisfaction, including interior comfort, from actual owners and not just what I can read about.

Here are the ones I am considering, so far (in no particular order):

a) Toyota Corolla Cross
b) Kia Soul
c) Honda HR-V
d) Subaru Crosstrek

Any help would be appreciated.

I have some experience with a related car - the Honda CR-V hybrid. It's a little larger than the HR-V, I think (but not by much). It has excellent road feel, and a comfy interior. Gas mileage is also excellent. The CR-V line has been around for a while, so they have had time to iron out most of the issues with it.

I'm not going to claim it's the best thing in the world; at the end of the day it's just a tool for getting around, but it has been a reliable, comfortable car for us so far.

Thanks for the reply, Yohann. The noted reliability of both Toyotas and Hondas is a big reason they're on my list. Even though I have also listed the Kia Soul, Kia's (and Hyundai's) reliability records are cause for concern for me, though I do like what the Soul would seem to offer me for a car that probably would be doing almost no driving of 100 miles or more on any given trip.

I have a Subaru Outback and my wife has a Honda CRV.  Both are reliable and comfortable.  My guess is the Cross Trek and HRV would suit you well.

I've never owned a Kia Soul, but I have a couple of friends who do. They seem to like them well enough (at least, I don't hear much complaining about them). I haven't been in them enough to comment.

When we were deciding what to get to replace my wife's compact SUV, the Soul came up for discussion, but it just wasn't in the right fuel-efficiency bracket for us, so we didn't test drive one.

We did try a Hyundai Tucson, and my wife liked it okay, but she preferred the CR-V.

Agreed..have a CRV Hybrid...nothing flashy but very well designed and good for its purpose.

I’m a big Honda fan. Both my wife and I love our 2012 Pilot but we gave it to our daughter to replace her 2003 Accord which was also a great car because my wife bought her mom’s 2010 Accura MDX. Her mom got a new CRV. I’m just setting the context. We like Hondas a lot. I sold our 2002 Odyssey last fall. It had just 370,000 kms on it. What a great vehicle. I drove it exclusively after my hip replacement and I also used it to take my 93 year old dad to appointments and outings. It’s hands down the most comfortable and easy to get in and out of vehicle I’ve ever experienced. I only sold it because it was our third vehicle and I met a family of Ukrainian refugees who needed it. I gave them a great deal. I recommend you test drive one and see what I mean.

Our Subaru Forester is great. It is easy to get in & out plus all around visibility is probably the best of the SUV’s in its class. I average about 25 mpg overall….got almost 35 mpg on long highway trips.

I had a '98 Forester when I first moved to Maine. Loved that car, and still regret trading it for a car I kept only 5 years. My wife was fairly devoted to Hondas, and when she moved to Maine, and we met and married, she wanted an all-wheel drive car, like the Subaru. This was in '08, and the Honda CR-V was hands down the winner for us! We kept it 11 years and traded it in for a Kai Sorento, which is bigger, and in 2018 a smoother ride than the CR-V. Unfortunately at that time, Honda used those "cradling" seats which really felt like sitting in an eggshell, and that broke the deal. When the Sorento needs replacing, we really hope that Honda goes back to comfy seats.

A buddy of mine has the Odessey van and his family, like Mark above, just love the thing. My friend tends to be a Toyota guy, but the Honda van, for them, beat out all the competition.



Freddy, I foresee many hours pleasantly spent test-driving cars and scaring salespeople! (I can usually get one to gasp or gulp, and that is without even trying!)

Honda, Toyota and Nissan all are excellent vehicles, (although I drive a Ford truck because the Japanese pickups are just a tad too small inside for me) - and like any vehicle only more so if you attend to regular maintenance they will reward you with years of generally trouble free service.  The Honda van drove our kids to and from school, drove the family on summer vacations  and drove my son and teammates to basketball tournaments all over.  It drove my daughter to her first day of Grade 1 and she drove it up to Edmonton for her first day of University (of Alberta).  I thought that was really cool, her, not so much.  Really great vehicle and if you're driving a family or a bunch of retired guys golfing, with the sliding doors  you will get a foursome in very comfortably without painful bending crouching squeezing etc. lots of room for golf clubs and if its just 2 people and you fold down all the rear seats you have a cavernous storage area.  They say it will move 7 people but if they're all adults that back row is a little tight.  If I ever decide to get rid of my truck I'll be getting another Odyssey for sure.  One drawback is that it only comes in front wheel drive but with traction/stability control, abs brakes and snow tires in winter it's a safe and secure ride in our experience.  I'm not sure thats a concern in San Diego Freddy!