I had a Ford Focus & hated it. It did not ride well & I cannot imagine traveling in it. I considered it a compact SUV, I am not sure what would be considered a sub compact. I understand about the cost, autos have become so expensive.

We recently bought a Subaru Forrester and like it quite a bit. My one complaint about it is the placement of the handle above the passenger door - it is awkward to use and not very helpful when getting in the car.

Here are some USN reviews for compact SUVs. They put the Mazda CX-5 as #1, which I believe you have already considered. The Forrester has more cargo capacity, if that is a main consideration.

And here is the same source reviews of subcompact SUVs.

I would look at Consumer Reports, and probably give their rankings more weight, since they pull reliability info from actual owners along with their own testing.

Lindsey, I was just telling my daughter I was thinking of doing this. We're going to visit my son at the end of the month. It's about an 11 hour drive one way. I do need to narrow it down, though, so more test drivng or at least looking at in person.

I actually have a Toyota Corolla that I joke is my "farm vehicle". It can fit two bales of straw in the trunk. I had a hitch added so that I could put on a small cargo carrier. Use that for more straw bales, bagged leaves in autumn, wood chip mulch, lawn mower, etc. Would be even more useful if I got a small open trailer, but I don't have a place to store one.

If you check among friends, and ask on local social media, matthias, maybe you can find someone with a small trailer who'd be willing to lend or rent it occasionally, especially if one had useful wisdom, services or other benefits to offer ...

... e.g. if he had small balances owing on credit card(s) month to month, lend him enough (at 5%?) to pay in full next billing period, and continuing to do so while paying down his debt to you monthly, thus no longer paying that dratted 21% annual rate (calculated each billing period, of course) on bank-issued cards ... or 31% by most stores who issue those so-called "credit", but more realistically "DEBT" cards.

Was all of that only one sentence?

Looks like this old male never learned how to find or use a period properly.

ole joyfuelled

The company car is a Toyota hybrid Rav4, and while we don't love it ... it is adequate. Some quirkiness, but I would return to my Subaru Forrester in a heartbeat.

A Forester isnt all that small. Subaru does make a smaller SUV. We passed two of them coming back from Seattle yesterday. A Crosstrek. Smaller than the Forester and not so boxy. Very cute. I personally like boxy myself and I dont much care what my car looks like. I am into safe, efficient, dependable, and that sort of thing. They have excellent ground clearance. Getting in and out is easy. Lots of cargo space with good overhead.

I already described how nice my Mazda CX-5 is, but I have to tell you, that my favorite car I ever owned was a Subaru Crosstrek. Not fancy, not powerful, not luxurious, but I loved that car. I still miss it.

The size of a CRV or Rav4 or Forrester is perfect for driving,parking, getting in and out of, for cargo space, for seeing ahead and for groceries. I'm 70 and currently drive a CRV and will get a similar sized car when it dies. I will not get a sedan.

Before we got the Subaru Outback , we had a Crosstrek. It's a nice comfortable car.

I am on my 3rd Crosstrek. I love that car. However I live in snow country and it is the sure-footed handling in snow that keeps bringing me back. The back seats do fold flat for hauling things though. If you get the rubber seat back protectors it cleans up nicely when you do.

We love our Subaru Crosstrek. It's great on mileage...33/city...in the 40's on the thruway. Back seats fold down for added space when packing/lugging items. Comfortable and love all the safety features.

I was also going to suggest looking at a Crosstrek. Very popular vehicle. My sister's boyfriend has one, coming from two Outbacks and then a small C-Class MB which he totaled, now in the Crosstrek for two years and very happy.

Sounds like you'd better get a Crosstrek, Kath!

We have a Crosstrek. DH drives it; I have a Subaru Legacy (sedan). The Crosstrek is a 2019 and he drives it a lot.

He likes it, but does not love it. Part of it I think is because at the time, he decided NOT to go with the highest level which included leather seats (we really didn't want that- I know for most people it would be desried). He says if he would get another Crosstrek he would likely go for the premium version as I think there are some handling features that he would prefer with it. Prior to the Crosstrek he was driving a larger sedan ( toyota avalon ) that was a lot smoother ride and way more powerful than Crosstrek. He is a large guy and he is comfortable in the Crosstrek.

I had a Subaru Legacy back in the 90's. It was inexpensive, because at 1.5 years old it already had 80k miles on it. I drove it for another 80+k miles. Very reliable and comfortable - and I brought bales of straw home in the back seat! Since then I've opted for the least expensive with best gas mileage, which had ruled out another Subaru and pretty much all of the cars that you are considering. I love my Honda Fit, but it is no longer made :(

I drove a Honda CRV today and I hated the teeny back window. All are small but this one is particularly tiny. Sat in a used, smelly HRV that someone had just sold to the dealership and that window wasn't as small even though the vehicle is smaller.

I also drove another Subaru Outback and I loved it. So, far it is my favorite vehicle now. I just don't want to spend that much on one. lol. The Honda dealer literally had two CRVs on the lot to test drive. More coming in and they're going to let me know when some new HRVs come in so I can drive one.

The Subaru dealer has some used Subarus coming in next week and is also going to let me know so I can go look at them. I'm still considering the Subaru Crosstrek but the backseat is small. Also haven't ruled out the Forester.

I'm wore out. Honda, Subaru and Carmax all in one day.

My neighbor has the Subaru Impreza hatchback that she LOVES. We live where it snows so she likes that it handles well in the snow. It looks very similar to the Ford Focus hatchback but the Subaru is a better make in my opinion.

I happen to like Fords, but would never buy a small one. Detroit simply does not make good small cars - never has and never will. I currently own the mid-size Ford Edge Sport SUV with the twin-turbo V6 and love it, but it is a far better vehicle than the compact Ford Escape.

If you plan on driving trips with others + luggage, I would not suggest going down to a subcompact. "Subcompact" is actually a rather elastic category, so I'd suggest aiming for the larger-size end of the subcompact models, or staying with the compact category. Be sure to purchase a cargo cover; theft is a real problem with out-of-state license plates in certain areas.

- Subaru is beloved for its proprietary AWD technology, so if you need AWD it's the best option (well, the best affordable one - the best is the Audi Quattro, but it's $$$$$$$).

- Toyotas are bulletproof, but the compact SUV RAV4 is their most popular model, and can be very hard to find - especially the hybrid and AWD models.

- Kia has become a very "hot" badge lately, but the Hyundai models are identical (Hyundai bought Kia decades ago) and can often be found at bigger discounts. Our BFFs were in the market for a new 2nd car and after driving the Mazda 3 and 5, plus the RAV4, our friends and I were wowed by the subcompact Hyundai Kona. Much quieter, more responsive (with the turbo option), handles very well, and was more comfortable both front and back seats. They weren't concerned with storage space as their other car is a full-size SUV, however.

- BE SURE to adequately test the infotainment systems on ALL the cars you like, while you are on the road during the test drive. Kia/Hyundai have a superb voice-activated infotainment system; fast and accurate. My Edge Sport has the 2nd generation of that system, and it's good (Ford leased it from BMW who developed it), but it's now two generations old and the newer 2022> Kia/Hyundai voice systems leave it in the dust, speed-wise. I mention this because Mercedes, Honda, and Toyota have been dinged by pro reviewers for having less-than-ideal systems compared to other mfgs. You really do NOT want to have to work your way through 4 layers of menus just to change the temps inside your car, LOL.

- Make certain you know the details for updating the GPS maps on the infotainment system. Some mfgs are a rip-off, charging hundreds of $$$ for upgrading the maps when it's just a software reload (on a single CD, no less). On the Ford it's $70 and in fact you can buy the CD from Amazon and load it yourself.

HTH! How exciting it will be for you to have a new car as you start retirement travel!

I used to have a Kia Soul, and I loved it. It sat good, & had enough room. I also had a Honda CRV but it got to where it was kind of difficult to get out of. I did like it though. I wish I had stayed with the SUV rather than the compact corolla I have now.

Well, I bought a 2019 Nissan Rogue. Decided to get something I was familiar with, has a CD player, sunglass holder and heated seats. The important stuff lol. It doesn't have leather seats, though, but you can't have everything when you don't want to spend $30,000 plus.

I didn't realize how much crap I had in my car, though. I had to ask for a bag from the sales guy after telling him I didn't need one. I do think I'm going to convert to using spotify so I don't have 50 Cds in my car.

Good for you, hope you enjoy your new car! CD players are apparently on their way out as standard eqpt since so many people have switched to using their cellphones and Spotify for music, LOL. I remember having a 3-CD changer in one of our cars and loved it!

Kath - Congrats on making your big decision. I have a couple of friends with Rogues and they are nice! I'm envious of the CD player. I didn't think you could get one in a car anymore.

What color, by the way?

Kathy t, it's bright sparkly orange!