My friends and I are now in the stage of our lives where we talk about mortgage rates, Costco deals, and whether $2,000 baby strollers are an absolute rip-off. Naturally, we're looking for "something fancier and bigger but not too big" for the road as our Civics, CLAs, or Camaros are simply not cutting it anymore.
Having recently test-driven a number of luxury crossovers,
eccentricgalaxy's breakdown of
saloons/hatchbacks to buy inspired me to post my pros and cons of each vehicle here as well for everyone's benefit.
DISCLAIMER: I didn't look at price tags, safety ratings, fuel economy, or warranty/maintenance as these are not important factors to my group, plus I didn't get to test every vehicle in a comparable trim. I also ignored American brands and didn't get a chance to drive Acura, Infiniti, LR, or Jaguar, though I doubt I'm missing much.
TL;DR - My top three picks? GLA250, XC40, and X1; CX-30 is a very honourable runner-up.
Last place: Audi Q3 Speaking as a longtime Audi fan, this car is an absolute disgrace to Ingolstadt. I was so offended by it that I went straight to VW afterwards to test drive the Tiguan Highline - and liked it better. + Apparently it has the best cargo space among its class but the interior feel is small because of the sloped roof
+ I honestly can't think of one other positive about this car
— What the hell kind of shit plastics are they using in Audis nowadays?
— Seriously, how did Audi go from best-in-class interior to worst-in-class?
— Insufficient power, harsh transmission, just a terrible engine overall which is surprising considering how good VAG's 2.0T can be.
9th Place: Mercedes-Benz GLB250 Your #1 pick if cargo space is your #1 priority, but not even Top 3 if you value anything else. + Great outward visibility
+ Available third-row seating
— Shares a platform with the GLC but feels as small as the GLA
— Has none of the GLA's inspired driving feel, though it IS competent enough
8th Place: VW Tiguan Highline I know the Tiguan is not luxury but after driving this car, I wondered why anyone would get anything else if they didn't care about branding or driving dynamics. This is a contender for 1st place in its own class for sure. + VERY family-focused, almost as good as a CR-V in this regard
+ Feels bigger than even a Q5 or GLC and has available third-row seating
+ Build quality and materials felt really top notch - dare I say better than the Q3?
— Did they badly nerf the engine for this second-gen? Yes. Does APR exist, though? Also yes.
— I really, really wish they brought over the "short" wheelbase Tiguan to the NA market. All we get is the LWB, which I personally find too big. I'm sure the handling would improve, too.
7th Place: MINI Countryman S The Countryman S is the one you spend a night with while its cousin, the X1, is the one you marry. (Kill the Q3.) You may be glad that you don't have to deal with the MINI's baggage (or lack thereof, literally) but you'll never forget how it, er, performs. + Drives exactly as well as the X1 but throws in a throaty exhaust note and funner revs
+ There's something about the shifter column that makes it feel like a
real shifter (even if it is automatic), especially in the age where we're shifting back to steering column shifters
cough Mercedes
cough + It actually feels decently spacious as a passenger and has great headroom and outward visibility
— How are there no shift paddles on a Countryman S?? It should be standard on every trim
— Perhaps redundant to say, but the cargo capacity is truly horrendous. Not baby-friendly at all, which for my purposes is unfortunately an important factor
6th Place: Mazda CX-5 Everyone says that the CX-5 is a bona fide German competitor - it is, but it also isn't. But it's undoubtedly at the top of its own class. + The CX-5 one-punch KOs all the other non-luxury crossovers daring to step up when it comes to spirited driving
+ Mazda makes no attempt to deafen the roar of the engine, which I'm marking as a "pro" because you wouldn't buy this car if you wanted an appliance
— Terrible seats that actively discourage spirited driving. What the hell, Mazda?
— Old infotainment, but 2021 version has the updated one
— Pick the Tiguan if anything else is a priority over driving dynamics
— When I was in automatic Sport mode, the transmission was really panicky in 2nd and 3rd gear - it was pretty concerning
5th place: Lexus NX300 Toyota does luxury better than anyone else don't @ me. Lexus was also the only dealership where I was the only buyer under 40 there. + Leather so thicc and supple (plus pillow-soft suspension) it's no wonder elderly drivers constantly fall asleep behind the wheel
+ More assistive driving tech than I cared for
+ The perfect car for people who want to travel in spite of having to drive
— The only AWD crossover to feel like a FWD under heavy throttle, which is a really bad sign
— Surprisingly middling cargo space considering its exterior size
— Some parts are too evidently from the Toyota parts bin
4th place: Mazda CX-30 The salesperson convinced me to test drive this alongside the CX-5 and I gotta say that I was blown away by how good the CX-30 is. Forget the CX-5, THIS
is the true German competitor! + Feels more German than a Q3, with a nice, weighty steering and a premium interior design/build quality that definitely punches above its weight.
+ Modern infotainment system is pretty good and easy to adapt to
+ Could use a big more power but it's plenty fun around town
— Probably too small if you're looking for a compact and not a subcompact crossover
— Similar to other Mazdas, the leather and plastics feel cheap
3rd place: BMW X1 For the record, I drive an F48 X1 so I didn't bother testing the facelifted 2020 version. I admit that I never liked it much when I first got it - I had picked it up as an amazing deal on a lease takeover without test driving it first. But with more context in hand now, I can confidently say that the X1 is an excellent choice, even if it could learn a few things in terms of being fun and cool. + Weighty, tactile steering - BMW's the best
+ It's not a ZF but the Aisin transmission is still
very good, with lightning-quick yet buttery smooth up/down shifts
+ The base trim barstool seats are trash (like the CX-5's) but the upgraded ones bolster you like a proper driver's seat
+ Cargo space is my favourite part of this car - there's lots of it and even more underneath the trunk
— The exterior looks more forgettable than an extra on the set of an indie film
— Efficient power delivery somehow doesn't translate into "fun" power - sort of like Kawhi?
— iDrive infotainment is decent but the GPS can be maddening; the worst part is that it doesn't tell you whether your destination is on the right or left!
— I find this to be a plus but it could be a minus for many: the suspension is VERY stiff, even in comfort mode
2nd place: Volvo XC-40 The XC-40 is a looker that's also a doer. A homerun effort by Volvo. + I never, ever would've expected any 4-cyl crossover, let alone one from nanny-like Volvo, to have audible turbo blow-off valves. The engine feels much quicker than any of the other cars I drove, too
+ The boxy shape is handsome af and also provides for great cargo/interior space, plus you get subtle functionality perks
+ Really solid build quality with good materials - on par with BMW and Mercedes IMO
— Navigation system is really slow and clunky, plus I don't like that they got rid of almost all physical buttons and make you use the touchscreen
— Rear passenger access is VERY tight - good luck getting a car seat in and out of it multiple times a day
— As with all Volvos (and Lexus), I hate that the car actively fights you and thinks that it knows better than you when it comes to abnormal driving, like keeping your car in a lower gear at high RPMs or hitting the "apex" of a curve by crossing a lane when the road is empty
1st place: Mercedes-Benz GLA250 I always hated the previous gen GLA - it looked like a frog on wheels. The new gen isn't sexy like the Volvo but it's good looking enough to be seen in. And honestly, once you sit inside behind the wheel, all doubts about this car will quickly fade away. + Perhaps it's unfair to compare a brand new car to competitors that have been on the market for a couple years, but the GLA truly shines above all else and is no worse than top 3 in any category: driving, cargo space, infotainment (the wrap-around screens! And the AI-based "hey Mercedes" functionality!) comfort, build quality...you name it.
+ A very, very spacious feel given its compact exterior, with thoughtful functionality for all passengers including the rear (e.g. hidden compartments, USB charging, adjustable seats) that makes me think they poached a few Volvo engineers
— It drives really well and can be positively compared to the X1, but it's still not quite there; the transmission lags slightly on upshifts under hard acceleration and it doesn't handle as razor sharp as the Bimmer
— A shifter on the steering column?? I may be having kids but I don't want no damn minivan! (But I grudgingly admit that it does open up space in the centre console...)
Of course, it goes without saying that these are just my thoughts as a non-professional car enthusiast based on a 15-20min test drive. I'd be happy to hear your comments, especially if you came to a different conclusion about certain vehicles!