I was looking for an SUV for about 3 months and in that time I test drove many many. Many of them I even was able to borrow overnight. I went to the new car lots in May 2014 and tried them out.
Here's my review:
Honda CRV: totally gutless. Cheap interior. Too light feeling. Weird ergonomics around the seating area, it felt like a van esp with those cheap armrests. Cloth part of leather seats had a mossy-lint surface to it that seemed like cheap felt. Hate the outside looks - seemed more for fat ladies.
Subaru Forester: great engine, transmission was good too. The interior materials were full of hard plastics that made it feel cheap. The interior had a dated look. Felt like I would be buying an old car.
VW Tiguan: I am very familiar with the VW Beetle and this felt exactly like a Beetle but higher. Spartan interior and features. It even drove like a Beetle (but higher). For that reason I wasn't interested, I knew for the money you could get a lot more car elsewhere.
Buick Encore: if I was going for a small SUV, this would be it. It frankly surprised me how luxurious, good handling, and spunky it was. It also surprised me how good quality the materials were. It was also one of the quietest SUV's I drove. For me, a quiet vehicle is essential because I do a lot of driving and I hate road and traffic noise. But it was too small and cramped for what I was ultimately looking for.
Toyota Venza: lots of power in the top model, love the stance. Ergonomically it was great - felt like I was sitting in the cockpit of a small jet - except one thing I absolutely hated and couldn't get over - the texture they used for the dash looked like (and felt like) hard cement. Too many hard plastics, actually. Rear seating was among the best in comfort and space. Noise level in the cabin was above average.
Toyota Rav4: this thing was bizarre looking on the inside. It tries too hard to look like sport-ute and seems to be aimed at the 20-somethings. Also, I found out that Toyota does not put real leather in even the top Rav4, and I hate the idea of sitting on vinyl. This came off the list right away.
Mitsubishi Outlander: great discounts and very aggressive pricing. Mitsu really wants to sell cars and if you're looking for a good deal, go there. This was among my top picks. It was loaded, had lots of power, relatively quiet, interior had good ergonomics and quality of materials was up there (but not the best). It was also a great handling vehicle.
BMW X1: fantastic power. Great quality materials inside and great ergonomics. But the engine noise was always there and the road noise was unbelievable.
Mazda CX5: lots of power, great handling. But the interior was almost as cheap as the Honda's. In fact, the center plastic part along the middle between the seats and leading up to the center console would vibrate and you could make it easily bend with your leg. The engine was buzzy and the road noise was the worst. Made for a cheap feeling car.
Kia Sportage: this was the ferrari of the SUV's, giving the X1 a run for its money. Great handling too. But was not as well appointed in the top model as some of the others. Too pricey in comparison too. Interior quality was good, ergonomically felt like a sports touring sedan. The huge C pillar makes it look sporty and attractive but also causes big blind spots, which may be an issue. Road noise was not bad. Engine noise was ok. Because of the price for the feature set, it didn't make the short list.
Hyundai Santa Fe: I chose the 5 passenger model (there is a 7 passenger one). Lots of power, pretty good albeit soft handling, and very quiet. Good ergonomics but rather generic feeling. Great quality materials. I wanted it decked out in leather with 2 tone bits, but then the price rose to that of the X1. I kept it near the top of my list.
Infiniti Qx50: lots of power, great quality, lots of features, very quiet, good ergonomics - except it felt very cramped. Very pricey.
Volvo XC60: like the Qx50 but roomy inside. I truly enjoyed driving it, it felt like a big tank with good handling though in terms of dimensions it really is only about as long and wide as the other ones. But it was waaaay too pricey.
Nissan Rogue: good power even though on paper it didn't seem like it would be, if you floored it would suddenly kick in and get you moving fast. The CV transmission was as good as the Subaru's. Great ergonomics, lots of rear passenger room, and as loaded with features as the Qx50. Very quiet in terms of road noise and engine noise was comfortably muted. It has one feature that I only saw in the Qx50 and my parents' Mercedes GLK suv, and that is the top down camera view which is fantastic to avoid running into small dogs and children. You literally can see 360 degrees around the car all at once. Has a nice modern look inside and out. Price wise, it was the middle of the pack.
Chevy Equinox: what can I say - it felt like it was going to fall apart after a few years.
Ford Escape: this was raved about in all the reviews. I got behind the wheel and this thing was powerful, but not as fast as the Kia. I also noticed how cheap the headliner was and many of the interior parts. I didn't like the glitzy dash either. What turned me right off, like the dash of the Venza, was the copious use of truck-styled handles and other bits, which made the interior feel like I was in a crass feeling pickup truck of some beer swilling blue collar yahoo. That turned me right off. Oh and road noise was a bit much and engine noise was buzzy.
In the end I chose the Nissan Rogue, the top model totally loaded with AWD for $37k. My second pick was going to be the Santa Fe, though the Toyota Venza had a deeply discounted price on it that made it hard to resist. I never forgot the Buick though, and went back to drive each and every one of their cars and I loved them all. Having owned the Rogue several months now I can still say I am very happy with my choice and the fuel economy has turned out to be very good especially for a vehicle this size and weight. It's still quiet, everything feels very tight, and it still feels like it has good power when I need it. I've taken a couple of long trips (8 hrs driving) and couldn't be more pleased with the feel of the vehicle.
