Member3078
Sometimes, you don't miss something until you don't have it!
I had a 2009 VW Jetta Sportwagen and loved it! I loved the handling, the panoramic sunroof, and (what I miss most now) the cargo space. I went overseas for 3 years, and when I returned, I thought I should be a bit greener and cheaper (and it's just me), so I went for a 2015 VW Golf. I love the handling, but I've come to see that the limited cargo space is not working for my lifestyle, at all.
I want/need to make a change.
My boss has a Subaru Forester, and maybe it's a function of age, but now, being a bit higher up is appealing, so I started investigating the VW Alltrack and also checked out the VW Tiguan and...the Subaru Forester. My key interests are good handling, cargo area that is at least the same as the VW wagon, and some height.
I test drove the VW Alltrack and Tiguan as well as the Subaru Forester.
I live in the Baltimore/DC area so while I love long drives, most of my work life is in urban stop-start traffic. I also have another constraint, a narrow driveway, so I don't want to go to a Honda CR-V. (The Alltrack & Forester width is the same as my current Golf, and the Tiguan is about an inch or so wider).
While the Alltrack feels familiar, it feels familiar! So if I'm moving up....well, maybe I should upgrade? If I'm going to break my rule of driving a car until it's dead (like my boring Honda Civic), I think I'm leaning more towards a Tig or the Forester. My concern about the Tig is the auto stop-start (which apparently is not going away and can be disabled) and the odd gear change at start up, and with the Forester that it has that CVT transmission and seems less responsive/worse handling.
The reliability factor does not seem to be a reliable measure for me as I'd had no major problems with my VW, but when I asked my "gear head" colleague about CVT, he said to stay away from it. To be fair, he is also against the turbo in the VW, but felt the CVT was a greater threat.
Any thoughts? I am not in a rush so I think I will keep doing test drives and seeing if, for example, I can actually turn off the VW auto stop...and/or checking whether its use really affects the air con. Or whether the "B pillar" noise issues with the Tiguan have been fixed. Or if I can move to the Forester.
I care about cargo space; handling; a pano sunroof (hey, it feels like I'm on Safari).
I've read owners reviews on the various sites, and now I'm watching youtube videos, but I wondered if any of you had any advice/experience.
Since I'm not really in a rush, I checked out the pix for the 2019 - only found Forester- and it looked awful!
Priorities: Interior styling / Handling / Ride smoothness
Need minimum of 2 seats
Will consider new cars only
Maximum price: US $ 30000
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