What kind of transportation would you recommend when I need the back seat to fold down, the length to be shorter than 180" and the width no more than 72". Reliabillity good, safety good. I am just talking about transportation. Want to get rid of a Mercedes ML430. Didn’t like the Prius and the Honda and Toyota seem tinny but they seem like good in the safety department. Any suggestions at all greatly appreciated.
You won’t like this, but 2008 Mustang V6.
Shop around. There are a few cars that have back seats that fold. What is keeping you from shopping US brands? Their quality has improved a lot. Any brand with front and side air bags should be safe.
Hyundai Sonata, or if that’s too big, the Hyundai Elantra. All models come with very good safety and crash tests, are as reliable as Toyota or Honda, get great gas mileage, and the Elantra can be had as a wagon. They also cost less than a comparable Honda or Toyota. Also, if you really don’t mind a small car, look at the Hyundai Accent. It’s quite small, but in hatchback form has lots of cargo space, and, again, the rear seats fold. And, it’s reliability is also excellent. It can be bought brand new for under $12,000, however, since Hyundai vehicles depreciate quickly, I’d look for a one to three year old copy.
Thanks so much for the responses. I am not a car person at all so don’t know cars and think I am on the right track and then do the research and the car is rated poorly. We are trying to downsize and yet haul paintings. We were hoping for better gas mileage. I do have a thing that American cars are not that reliable stuck in my brain and Consumer reports always gives accolades to Honda and Toyota but they feel so lightweight compared to what I was driving. It just has to fit in my garage and parking spaces and be safe and not give me trouble and We would survive a crash with a SUV! I had not considered the Hyundai at all thinking it was in the yikes category but will check it out at a lot.
Hyundai, admittedly, used to be in the ‘yikes’ category. But any of their cars made after 1999 are on par with the leaders.
If you want to take paintings with you, one of those little hearses that Honda and Toyota (Scion) make will do well.
After a Mercedes almost any small call is going to seem lightweight and “tinny.” What you should do is compare a Honda to a Ford or Chevy of the same size. Then decide which ones seem tinny. Those dimensions you give, are those exterior dimensions for the car itself?
I guess I’ll suggest the Mazda 3 and Mazda 5 again. Not sure if the 5 will be small enough, but would certainly hold any paintings. I would definitely consider the Hyundais if they meet your other requirements, but again compare to the Honda and Toyota in the same class to see which seem more substantial to you.