I have a Nissan Rogue and love it. I live in New England and it handles ice and snow just fine.

I LOVE my KIA Sportage. I bought it new in 2015 and I intend to drive this car until it literally falls apart. I live in Maine & we have horrible roads in the winter, very icy at times & I often "plow" snow with my front bumper to get to work. Never a problem with this beast. Although it is a smaller SUV, it is plenty roomy & the back cargo area is very spacious. It rides quite comfortably for being an AWD & I love that I can "force" it into 4wd when I feel nervous about the road conditions or need to "giver 'er some" to get up an icy hill, lol! I do have one complaint about it, the doors don't appear to be very well sealed. I often have road dust on the inside of the door frame & it is noisy by my standards. However, it's a minor detail for me & all the other great attributes of this vehicle out way that.

spelling correction : out-weigh

Do think about service availability and quality of customer service!

I found a nice independent shop for the Mustang through referrrals from the club. The guys there have multiple Mustangs including one similar to mine and they know exactly how my car should run. The Ford dealer is walking distance to my house, but they are horrible. And they sponsor the Mustang club, too.

Love my Subaru Forester. It handles nicely, is very highly rated in terms of how well it's AWD actually works, has higher clearance than just about anything on the market, has great visibility, has excellent cargo capacity for its size, gets decent gas mileage and was in my price range. We also like our Ford Flex if you are looking for something bigger.

We've had a lot of Hondas including a couple Acuras (luxury brand). I currently drive a 2011 CRV and I've been happy with it. DH doesn't like it because it's a 4 cylinder. The only thing I don't like about it is that the back cargo area is bi-level when you fold the back seats down. We do a lot of back and forth to our weekend lake place and use the entire back cargo space which works a lot better when it's all one big flat surface as was the case in our Honda Pilot and the 2006 Acura MDX that is currently our primary cargo vehicle.

We rented a Ford Edge this spring and really liked that. We haven't had a Ford or any "American" brand since the first car I bought out of college - five year old 1973 Ford Mustang. We are seriously considering the Edge for the next time we need a new vehicle thinking reliability of this brand may now be better than it was back in the day.

We have an impreza which we love and has great cargo space for a hatchback. My husband's top picks for next SUV are Subaru Forester and Honda CRV. I will say we get a lot of road noise with the Impreza and the tech is laughable compared to other car brands. I don't even bother with the nav, just use my phone.

I drive a larger Toyota SUV which isn't what you are looking for. The first SUV we bought, a Ford Explorer over 20 years ago, had a lot of issues so I swore I wouldn't buy another Ford. Since then, all our cars have been Toyota/Honda/Acura and been pleased with them. However, a few weeks ago, we rented a new Ford Explorer when we flew out to move our dd into college. It is so different than our old Explorer and drove more like a crossover compared to our big Toyota Sequoia. But it had a ton of space in the back, it had the third row of seating which we folded down to fill up with dd's college stuff and we were very pleased with the amount of storage space. Both dh and I drove it several times and were impressed with its handling, features, comfort, size, etc. I really liked the size of it compared to my huge SUV, which now that my kids are getting older and driving themselves, I will downsize when it's time for a new car. Obviously, I can't attest to how it is WRT to maintenance and repairs, but when I'm shopping for my next car, I would give it a look, whereas for 20 years dh and I said we'd never buy another Ford.

I love our Mazda cx9. We needed the third row seat option as we haul grands sometimes. I love the cargo space when the third row is down. It's a 2016 and has a 4 cylinder Turbo. It has plenty of power for all my highway driving. They also improved it with engine and floor quieting. We previously had a Buick Enclave for 6 years. It was super quiet for first few years and we drove it to 165k miles. We started to have some expensive repairs and since it was awd it only got 18-20 mpg. The Mazda gets 22-26 mpg. Fwd but handled our snow last winter just fine. We are tall and there is plenty of legroom and headroom for my 6'6" husband even with the sunroof. I'm 5'10" and it feels perfect for me. I love the Bose sound system and the command center for managing music, phone etc is awesome, plus I love having the road info like speed etc show on the windshield. It also has lane reminders and amazing rear cameras, plus radar on the front. Even my husband says this feels like this is the safest car he's ever driven.

I've heard great things about the cx5 too.

We bought a new 2017 Outback a year ago--on election day. We bought blue, thinking it'd be a good omen. LOL! We also test-drove the Forrester, the Honda CRV, and the comparable Mazda. The Outback was more comfortable than the Forrester because it's built on a station wagon platform. I think it also has more clearance at the base for driving off-road.

We wanted a very safe car as we are in our early 60s and 70s. It came down to the Outback and the CRV. I liked the front and rear windows in the Outback because they're spacious and you have a great view of traffic. The CRV has a smaller rear window. We both love the Eyesight safety features--the back-up cameras, etc. IIRC, Subaru's Eyesight system was supposed to be superior to the other car manufacturers'. It drives/rides great. DH went from a Porsche to the Outback and he loves how it drives too. We have leather seats and I don't find them uncomfortable at all.

The Outback and the CRV are the top-selling SUVs in America. I remember seeing a map online where it showed which one was tops for which state. Outback sold better in Colorado and other mountainous snowy states. Portland OR had a rare 9" snowfall last winter and we didn't hesitate to take the Outback out in it.

The dealership was also great to work with. That helped with the decision too. There are some good videos online that take you through every detail of the car, so we watched those before we shopped and after the test drives.

I won't likely buy anything other than a Toyota due to my great experience with the current one. I've driven it for more years than I care to admit and have had to put very little money into it over the years. I did replace the struts for 4k.. and that has been it other than the basic maintenance of tires/brakes etc. I am told that the engine is going to far outlast the body.. and that's proving to be true. I'd planned to drive it until the end.. but I am now shopping for a new one because the end is no where in sight and the exteriror is getting pretty ugly. There are other vehicles that tempt me.. including the luxury lexus SUVs but given my experience, I believe I am going to go with the Toyota. I have the 4runner now.. I'll size down to the Rav4 this time.

Three of my friends went from much more luxury vehicles to the Suburu Outback when the new style came out. They went from Volvos and Mercedes and all have raved about their outbacks. I like them but they're just a little bigger than I want.

My sister just bought a certified Lexus SUV for not much more than she'd have paid for a new standard SUV and she's in love. I have to say, it's one of the more comfortable rides I've been in. It is very tempting for me but given my short commute, I think the Toyota is best for me.

Prairemom, I was also thinking of mentioning the Mazda CX-9 and CX-5. Both great cars and well recommended by CR. MIL bought a Mazda 3 sedan last fall and I was checking them out in the showroom.

No window noise on our CRV. Good luck with your car search Bluebell!

Thank you so much, everyone! With the exception of the Mazda's, everything else had made my list of vehicles to check out so I'm glad to hear that you like them. I will also now add Mazda to my test drive list, too.

It's interesting about how people are so loyal to the Outback. I know four different people who drive them, and three of those have purchased them time and time again.

My parents are on their second outback. I'm on my second Forester--the outback is too big for my taste and I find the visibility better out of the Forester. We also drove the Crosstrek but I felt the backseat was too small for us with a fourteen year old who is already taller than me and I didn't think the visibility was as good. Outback and Forester have the same ground clearance.

Am I the only Jeep lover?? I have a Cherokee Latitude, which is one step down from the Grand Cherokee. Just a bit smaller and not quite so many features available. The perfect size for me - I'm a fairly small woman. I love it. Typically 29 mpg.

We used to have a Grand Cherokee when our boys were still at home. I drove it 10 years with no problems, then turned it over to youngest DS when he turned 16. A great car.

A family friend had 317,000 miles on his Hyundai Elantra (sedan, not SUV) when someone hit him and totaled it. Of course, it doesn't take much to total a 12 yo car with high mileage. I mention this only as a nod to Hyundai, if they're all built like his car they might be worth considering. I believe they have 2-3 SUV models.

We had a Subaru Crosstrek AWD as a rental on vacation in June and it was a sweet ride. It's the crossover vehicle Subaru makes that is a SUV type vehicle on a sedan chassis. Several friends have bought Subarus lately. They haven't been as popular in the south for some reason, probably because we don't need a vehicle for snow/ice very often. I think they are great and would consider one myself.

My DGD has a 2012 CRV that was bought used. A really great car that should be good for her through college at least.

I love my 2014 Honda CRV. It's my second CRV and I would highly recommend it. We have never had any problems with either CRV. I drive 36 miles RT to work each day, most of which is highway miles. Rides and maneuvers very well. I promised myself an upgrade to a luxury SUV, but I might just get a new CRV! That's how happy I am with this vehicle!

I have a 2007 CRV and won't buy another. Within the first 3 years we had to replace the air conditioning, the windshield wiper motor, the transmission and the rear differential. Fortunately they were covered by the warranty but Honda gave us grief over every single one of them. It's the only Honda product that we have owned and there won't be another.

A number of family and friends have bought Subaru's over the past 3-4 years and they are all really happy with them.

Daughter on second Subaru. This time Crosstrek. I needed a new car, I like small cars but like bells & whistles. I got a Honda HRV with navi & I love it. 4WD, good mpg. Sits higher than crosstrek, lower than CRV and plenty of room with the seats down 2 different way in case you need height.

I rented a Nissan Rogue for a lengthy (1800 mile) road trip a few years ago (I couldn't fit enough camping gear in my Honda Civic for an extended trip). Great car. I've never owned an SUV, or particularly wanted one, but if I were to go that direction, I'd definitely look at the Rogue.

Mercedes is starting to produce an electric suv in Tuscaloosa. Prices on the gassers will drop as they enter the market and the ladies (yes ladies) who make a large part of that market move into them. I drove by a fine home recently and there was obviously an event. There were more than 20 tahoes, suburbans and their GMC suv counterparts. There were no regular cars or trucks.

I just got a Ford Edge, sold my Lexus SUV with only 27,000 miles. I love my new FORD!!

Wow, more great recommendations, thank you!

Littlebug, I currently drive a Jeep and happened to go to a Jeep place today and really liked the Cherokee. I found a good deal there, but am going to look around a bit more before I make a decision.

I appreciate all the testimonials - good and bad. So helpful!

I have an '08 AWD Ford Edge. It's pretty good in snow (if you will require chains, be careful what model anything you buy--some wheel sizes won't accommodate chains) and decent in the dirt. If you put the rear seat down, it'll haul a lot. It's a good size and has easy entry for people with bad backs, hips, or knees.

Combo door lock FTW.

We bought a Mazda CX5 last December. A 2015 with very low miles. It has all wheel drive and did beautifully in the snow on our steep driveway and I like driving it. It gets good gas mileage, has good cargo space in the back for groceries, bluetooth, back up camera and so on. My adult daughter and her husband have riden in the back a few times and says the seating is comfortable and the space ample. I drive all day with work and for a smaller Crossover, it's a nice ride.

Then, this morning, we drove off the lot of our local Jeep Dealership with a slightly used low mileage Patriot for my DH. It replaced a Jeep Liberty with 250,000 miles on it. The Patriot has 4x4 and is fully loaded, leather seating, sun roof, heated seating and a few other bells and whistles along with a good cargo space and ample passenger seating

Both cars were in the price range you describe you're interested in.

Littlebug, we love Jeep too. I'm really smitten with the new Compass but it's really small inside. I also test drove the smaller Cherokee but the mirrors were right in my view and I couldn't see anything when turning, scared the bejeepers out of me.

We bought a CRV in 2012 after testing all the mid-size SUV's, even the luxury brands. We came close to getting the Volvo, but the CRV won out in the end. We liked it so much we bought another one in 2014 when DH needed a new car.

In the last year good friends and DB/SIL both bought the Outback. Both said the visibility was better than the CRV. Outback must have changed from 2012 because I remember not liking it at all when we looked at them in 2012, but I can't remember why.

Have been very happy with the CRV....not too big, not too small and no mechanical problems...just routine maintenance.

I have a Subaru Outback 2012. I wouldn't buy a new one. The seats are uncomfortable, it lacks power for getting on busy highways and lastly I have had transmission issues. Just received a letter extending the warranty on the transmission because of a class action law suit. I'm looking at the Chevy Equinox, or Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Considering all my family members experiences, Subaru would get highest ratings.

We've always had luxury cars (BMW, Mercedes, Lexus) until our last two recent car purchases. We test drove Acura, Lexus, BMW and Mercedes SUVs... and we ended up with a Nissan Rogue (for me) and a Mazda CX9 for DH... mainly because we wanted cars with 3rd row seats in both and those were the best ones we found with the nicest ride that were good-sized.

I like my Rogue. It's very nice, holds more than my old Lexus RX300 did (I'd had the Lexus for like 12 years). I love, love, love my DH's Mazda CX9. It is the most comfortable car I have ever been in and my favorite car we have ever owned.

I have a Highlander and love it. I would get another one. Personally, as a fast driver, I must have at least a v 6. I cook a lot for my church and the soup kitchen and it is great for hauling. I found the crv's too small for me.

SO loves his Toyota RAV. He also liked his CRV that he had before it got totaled. But he got a good deal on the RAV and says he likes it better. I happen to think that Honda has a way classier selection of colors for their cars, and I am sick of hunting down my silver Toyota Matrix or the grey RAV in a parking lot filled to the brim with silver or grey cars. This may be a factor for me when I replace my beloved Matrix, but value and price will always beat out color for me out of necessity, sigh.

Bluebell66, Take a long hard look at the Jeep Cherokee. I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee with all the bells and whistles, but the reliability was terrible. That one one reason I traded it for the CRV. It is currently rated #12 by US News: for what it's worth

Thanks, Bonnie_ann. I appreciate the link to the article. I haven't made a decision yet, but for what it's worth, the Cherokee I'm looking at is a 2015 Limited with V6, not the 2017 4 Cyl reviewed in the article. Edmunds actually gave the one I'm looking at a pretty good rating. My husband and I have both been driving Jeeps for 10 years and haven't had a reliability issue. I did end up test driving a couple of CRVs and it just wasn't comfortable for me - and the two I drove had window noise - even though on paper it was one of my top choices. I am bummed it's not going to work. Thanks for the help!

The questions to ask are: how long do you want to keep the car, and leasing vs. buying, how important is reliability and maintenance costs.

Some vehicles go 3-4 hundred thousand miles, is that what you want? Or do you want a newer car much sooner? Or squeeze every ounce of life out of the car without much repairs?

Hmorton, sorry for your Outback woes. I feel the 2.5 with the CVT transmission is woefully underpowered for that size of a car. I really wanted the 3.6L V6. I didn't know about the class action. I haven't been on the owner forums in quite awhile. The 2.5L is fine in the Forester, and I think the Crosstrek has a 2.0. My sister and friend both have Crosstreks, but I don't want anything that small. When sister and BIL visited a couple of weekends ago, they brought his Forester vs. her Crosstrek.

Subaru is coming out with a new 3-row SUV, the Ascent, but it will have a 4 cylinder turbo. I could have been interested until I heard that.

And on the 8th day, The Lord gave us Nitrous Oxide.

gsciencechick- I got a letter in the mail from Subaru explaining they were extending the power train warranty till 100,000 miles because of a class action law suit. At 25,000 miles I had my first transmission repair. Then at 50,000 my second. And now I'm having issues again. I plan to get rid of the car when the extended warranty is up. And it so underpowered that it is dangerous getting on the super busy parkways in NYC. I was rear ended recently (not in the Subaru) and got to use a Grand Jeep Cherokee for a week. I was in love. The seats were better than my V70 Volvo, I had power and every gadget known to man. I will never own one, the reliability is poor.

I am intrigued about the Ascent but will never buy a new to market car the first few years. I wonder how under powered it will be.

I can speak for the power of the 4 cyl Turbo in our Mazda CX-9. It is every bit as powerful as the 6cyl in our Enclave if not more. It doesn't hesitate like the Enclave did much of the time when I had to accelerate quickly. DH agrees, this Turbo power is far better!

I know the 4 cylinders are the wave of the future, I don't want emissions and fuel standards rolled back, and I'm concerned about climate, but it's so hard to get behind them, literally, LOL for certain cars. I drove the eco-boost 4 cylinder Mustang last year back to the dealer after our show, and it was not inspiring. But this is what Ford is promoting. They are discontinuing the V6 in the Mustang and only offering the 4-banger and the V8.

Now if you want fun, I'll take you for a ride in my 5.0 V8 Mustang.

im in the Jeep camp... i have JGC and its been great for 6 years. love it and will probably buy another when this one goes. everyone who rides in it says its so comfortable and quiet!

My confidence in the reviews and ratings has wained considerably over the years. Every make is going to have its share of "issues" but I strongly believe that a lot of headaches can be avoided if a car is regularly maintained with oil changes and so on.

When we bought our Jeep Liberty in 2006, it had horrible reviews but at the time, it fit all of our needs so we opted to give it a try anyways. It was a low mileage lease trade in and had 11,000 miles on it. In the 12 years we owned it, the only major problem it ever had was with the AC and it had over 250,000 miles. The dealership that we just traded it to was amazed at how well it drove.

I am looking also since we lost all of our vehicles in the flood. But we must have a vehicle that can be easily flat towed behind the motorhome and I had no idea how difficult this was going to be. I am looking at the Chevrolet Equinox so I was glad to have some positive reviews here. Jeep is another option we can tow.

We currently are driving a little Audi q5 Quattro that I absolutely love and we were going to just keep it but it can't be towed must be on a trailer.

I absolutely loved my little Hummer H3 it got great gas mileage and was in perfect condition. I was devastated to lose it. I would love to have another one just like it.

Along the lines of what Funky said, in 2015, I bought a used Lexus RX350, with low mileage that looked new. Its been great to haul dogs, compost, small trees, you-name-it. Brace yourself - I bought it after seeing it on Craigslist, and doing careful researching and having it checked out. It's incredible.

A friend has a Toyota 4Runner that he loves, but he says the Lexus has more zip. It's called a crossover, meaning "the difference between the two is simple: A crossover is based on a car's platform, while an SUV uses the chassis of a truck. The result is that crossovers use "unibody" architecture, meaning the body and frame are one piece, while SUVs use a "body on frame" design."

I also have a WONDERFUL place in Maine that services it for much less than the local dealership. They are all former dealership employees and do not try to up-sell anything like the dealer. I wish everyone had access to a place as nice as this one.

I have a 2004 Honda CRV with under 95K miles. I'm religious about routine maintenance and I will keep it until one of us dies. :) What I love about it is its cargo space--with the back seats down I can fit just about anything. Plus, it handles like a small car.

Now, I figure you aren't going to buy a 13-year-old car. The newer CRVs don't seem to have as much room in back, but that might be an illusion.

I just bought a Chevy trailblazer and really like it.

DD loves her Honda CRV. I'm on my 4th Audi Q5 - a really great car. Yes, price is high, but you can find used ones off of leases that are not bad. My last car was sold to my neighbor up the street. We laughed and said at least the car knew where to turn off the busy road!