Used SUV/Crossover in the 6 to 8 million range?

[JayCee]

Hello everyone. Looking for some direction regarding buying a used SUV. I have shortlisted the following and would appreciate it if anyone who owns one or has any experience can give me some feedback to make a decision. Or any other potential vehicle I have missed?

Honda CRV (2014/15), Honda Vezel (2016/17/18), Nissan X-Trail (2015/16), Audi Q2, Suzuki Vitara Boosterjet (2019), MG ZS.

My priorities are reliability, practicality, resale value and driving pleasure (in that order). Not very fussed on fuel economy.

Concerns about the Vezel DCT and X-Trail transmission issues.

 

Edited June 5, 2019 by JayCee

[kush]

CRV hands down for space, comfort, bulletproof reliability. Get a 2012-2013 they are made in Japan.

Had one for 5 years, 50,000 km only pump petrol, filters and oil.

 

[iRage]

From your list the CR-V would offer the most luxurious and refined ride and features. You are looking at the RM series....until 2014 the RM was assembled in Japan for the Japanese market and those had a bit more refinement in available trim levels. So getting a JDM import would give you a better bang for the buck. There is nothing wrong with the rest of the range...after 2014 the Japanese assembled ones were available only for the export market and that was slowly phased out with production being exclusively outside of Japan. Vehicles assembled outside of Japan have nothing wrong with them and are on par with Japanese assembled vehicles in terms of quality. Only difference is that these were for developing and other export markets, thus, the trim levels were different and the type of materials used for upholstery, accessories/features, etc were more suited for local conditions than the JDM variants.

If you do not mind something slightly older....you can look in to something like a Harrier or the JDM RAV4 (the A30 series was available in Japan till 2015 and there are quite a few permit imports in SL). Out of these three the RAV4 would probably be the most SUV feeling with a more utilitarian interior and feel. That also means the RAV4 has a less luxurious feel. However, the RAV4 feels more nimble and lighter and peppier than the CR-V and Harrier (granted we have owned only the CR-V and the RAV4 and the Harrier use has been limited to short term loaned vehicles).

The Zezel gasoline will not have the DCT issue as the gasoline variant did not come with it. Not sure if you find any of those in SL though. and even if you did it probably might not be worth it. The Vezel and the Vitara feel more like a cross over coupe. The X-Trail....well I have the suspension..the gear box sucks...the gasoline variant is under powered and the hybrid is barely sufficient to pull itself around.

No comments about the MG.

[matroska]

I'd go with the CRV too - It ticks most of the boxes and is quite a comfy ride - not to mention it has decent power and overall a good Crossover SUV. 

[JayCee]

Thanks for taking the time to respond in detail @iRage, @kush and @matroska.

The CRV seems to be the favourite. Should I be worried that the vehicle will be almost 6 years old and that there might be added maintenance issues/costs that I'll have to face? 

As opposed to a 2 year old vehicle in the list like a Vezel or Q2?

The Harrier also looks like a good option, bt again the age worries me a little. 

[kush]

2 hours ago, JayCee said:

The CRV seems to be the favourite. Should I be worried that the vehicle will be almost 6 years old and that there might be added maintenance issues/costs that I'll have to face?

CRV is known for reliability even the older versions do not have known issues. You should be able to get a sub 100K km car with proper records which will be good for another 100K of trouble free motoring

Edited June 6, 2019 by kush

[iRage]

The CR-V, RAV4, Harrier....they are all pretty reliable vehicles with time proven tech (in the case of a Hybrid Harrier then there is the issue of depleted batteries which you will have to consider..but there are petrol ones around). The issue is you need to make sure you find a properly looked after vehicle. If properly looked after and will scheduled/pre-emmptive maintenance these thing will run for much longer without any difficulties. So make sure you find one with a decent service history. The CR-V has an advantage in this regard because there were a lot that were imported and subsequently maintained by the agent. Then get it properly inspected by a 3rd party Car Check place or the agents (if possible both as the two have strengths in different areas). Nevertheless...save some money to do some repairs as soon as you buy it plus a bit more for some running niggles that might turn up over the next few months). 

[iRage]

On a side note....there is nothing called a perfect car...every car on the face of the planet has some niggle. With the CR-Vs we had...the notorious diff whine came up abnormally (1st gen)....steering fluid started bubbling out because a seal in one of clips for the hoses wore out (2nd gen)...the interior rubber started chopping off at the edges like a dog had bitten it (2nd gen)...the AC compressor started getting a a very low whine (still kept working with no issue),etc..but they were all just simple issues easily fixed and even then the car kept running...even the RAV4...little things like that..so...it all depends on what you expectations of reliability it....and these were all cars that were taken care of like babies. 

[wolseley]

I use 2009  Rav4 for 2 years.  80k on the ODO, No issues so far, Good power, easy handling

No more luxury taxes  

[Kim]

You can go for a brand-new Vitara 1.0 for 6.5M around.

[Devinda_Z]

If fuel economy isn't a massive concern, how about Subaru Forester?

Very capable and quite reliable

Best in class AWD and safety ratings with all the driver aids one can expect in 2019

http://www.autolanka.com/view/subaru/forester/61483.html

[RWD]

since you are considering used, a Mazda CX-5 2014-2015 (pre-facelift) can be had for around 7-8 mil