“I thought about the Equinox, but didn’t think the mileage was great.”
Of all the SUVs you mentioned, it has the best, if you get the 4-cyl. FWD version. If you haven’t discovered
click on it and see all SUV fuel mileage.
The CX-5 beats the Equinox by 3 mpg if you get it in stick shift, gets the same if you get automatic and 1 less mpg if you get AWD. ALL trims beat the Equinox in city mileage by 4 or 5mpg.
Equinox 22/32 and 20/29 for FWD and AWD respectively
CX-5 26/35, 26/32, and 25/31 with FWD stick, auto, and AWD respectively
The Mazda CX-5 could be a good compromise between fun & reliable.
If better power is what you want, the V6 RAV is good, not much worse in the gas mileage dept.
Also, every forum I looked at, states that with better tires, the CRV gets quieter. On mine the noise doesn’t bother me much-but I usually don’t listen to other people talking when I drive.
Thanks again, all! I have read and appreciated all this input. Thanks, bscar2 for the solidarity on taking a long time to decide!
Test-drove a Prius V tonight and am excited to report that I liked it. MarkM, I did notice what you referred to about the engine working at high RPM’s to accelerate. But the road noise was acceptable to me - better than the CR-V, not quite as good as the Jetta wagon, (but I don’t love the loud idling sound of the diesel, so that kind of balances out). My husband and I both liked a lot of things about it - Toyota reliability (similar to Honda’s, so we hear), cloth seats (don’t love leatherette), the ride, seat comfort, cargo space, decent rear visibility (with a back-up camera), interior quality, keyless entry, good mileage. I like the look of the car and LOVE the silence when the car is not moving. Would enjoy a bit more oomph with less engine growl when accelerating quickly, but it does have that power button, so you have the option to move quickly when you need it. I have to do more research on this vehicle, but I’m feeling hopeful. Stay tuned!
P.S. I tried the Rav4 and liked it, but I think our needs are more suited to the Prius V.
The hybrid systems make a lot of sense to me,you would be amazed what they are showing up on now.I saw a early" Insight "yesterday,that had “72 MPG” on the license tag-Kevin
That’s great! I really like the Prius V, too. It sounds like it may hit the sweet spot for you between an SUV and a wagon. Gobs of room in that thing. It’s not very quick, but if you live in a flattish place, it will be fine. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone living in the mountains, as hybrids can feel pretty gutless climbing steep grades. It doesn’t get any advantage from the electric motors on long grades and the engine is small and low powered for a car of that size and weight. OK for vacations and such, just not so good for mountain commuting.
Well, of course, the plot thickens. 
Two points that have come up with my internet research:
JSP: HPFP (fuel pump) failure reports - is this much ado about nothing or corroboration that VW may be problematic repairs-wise?
Prius V: Unintended acceleration issues - real? Plot from Detroit car makers? If real, has the issue been fixed?
I’ve pretty much decided the environmental benefits/concerns and fuel efficiency are close enough for me to be non-deciders. Now it’s about performance (just how bad is the Prius V’s acceleration on hills, for merging/passing, and is it quiet enough inside) and reliability (is the reported lack of it with VW a deal-breaker).
MarkM, I live in Maine, which is relatively unflat. I work at home a lot, so have no regular commute, but do a fair amount of around-town driving, and then highway driving on many weekends, probably averaging 2-3hours, rt. Believe me, I looked at smaller cars and would love to get one, but have ruled them out as too small for what we need to haul around.
Monday, we’re going for an extensive test drive in the Prius V, dragging the kids along (partially for their weight!)y (4 of us). Any suggestions on what to include? I’m thinking a route with a bumpy and/or twisty road, highway (65 speed limit), and a steep hill or two.
Wish me luck!
Ah, Maine is hilly, for sure, but I was thinking of places in the western US with long steep grades (thousands of feet.) A Prius should do fine in Maine. The VW diesels aren’t exactly powerful cars, either, so the performance difference will be slight. Either one will be as quick as a typical small car of a generation ago.
Unintended acceleration has been a popular accusation since the eighties. Other than misplaced floormats in some Toyotas a few years ago, it has never been proved to be a real mechanical or electronic issue. Not even on Audis years ago though the claims nearly killed the brand in the US. It is very easy for people to hit the wrong pedal, but no one ever thinks they do so they blame the car. There is no evidence this is a problem with any current Toyota model.
This is a little off topic,but remember a few years back when a woman called up her husband or someone when the accelrator stuck on her Toyota and was saying good bye?This affair went on for several minutes and she couldnt figure out how to get a little car stopped-believe we need driver training in the US-Kevin
Update on car buying…yep, still haven’t bought one yet, but am trying to do it by the end of July. Testdrove the VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI and the Toyota Prius V and have to admit that the ride and quietness (priorities) of the cabin or superior on the VW. I can’t seem to get past the reported unreliability of the VW, but clearly like it better, in many ways. Maintenance-wise, the oil changes don’t come out to much more (we came up with $300 or so difference in 100,000 miles), but we keep hearing that if anything breaks down, it costs a ton. We do hope to own the vehicle for a long time. Seems like the decision is coming down to: buy one we like a lot and hope for the best or buy one we like not quite as much and feel more secure in the reliability.
I just got my Honda Odyssey re-stickered - am tempted to keep the thing another year, at this point! ARRGGH!
Have you seen the USA Today comparison? CR-V was first:
And have you adjusted the TDI for fuel cost? Around here diesel is 15% more than regular, and much less common in gas stations.
Even though I’m a Honda fan, I say get the car you really want…which is the VW. Yeah, it may be somewhat more expensive to maintain, but it’s not going to kill you, and the difference in reliability may not be as great as you think.
Get the car you really want, or you’ll spend the next 10 years saying “I wished we’d gotten the Jetta” every time you climb into your non-Jetta…
Thanks to both responders…I read the article on the CRV ratings, but the roadnoise and rough ride make it a no-go for me. Jesmed, every time I think, “yes, Jetta,” I get stuck on the many who said “DON’T get the VW!” But your point is well taken, so maybe we just need to roll the dice.
Cindylou, I think you’re overanalyzing this one. The only one who’s going to be driving the car every day is you, not the naysayers. Forget about what everyone else says and listen to your heart 
And the Jetta is fine on reliability, enough to be ‘recommended’ by CR. My issue is my personal lack on interest in a diesel. But the car’s fine.
Expect to spend $8900 for fuel on the Jetta over 5 years and $10,500 on the CR-V. While diesel cost more per gallon, the TDI Jetta will get considerably better mileage than the CR-V.
Thanks, everyone…yes, for sure I have been over-analyzing this. The big thing right now for me are the reports of catastrophic HPFP failure in the TDI’s. http://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php
If it worries you that much, you could try leasing the car. That way when the warranty runs out, you don’t have to worry about it. You take the good with the bad and hope you made the right choice.
Earlier versions of my car(Mazda Cx-7) where notorious for AC compressor failures and turbo seal leaks. Mine is a newer car and they’ve worked those kinks out for the most part. I’ve had a couple oddities pop up, but nothing major. Like when I was driving home last night my blind spot monitoring system went out and the BSM light was flashing. I stopped for something, shut the car off, got back in the car and it was ok again when I started it back up. Another thing was my radio sounded like a skipping CD player on the AUX(ipod) and it wasn’t limited to that; it was on the normal radio stations as well. Shut the car off, turned it back on and everything was ok. I’ve actually had more problems with the ipod itself than my vehicle.
I thought I would update everyone with how it all turned out. I waited a few days because I’m (honestly) embarassed to admit I am suffering from buyer’s remorse.
I bought the VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI six days ago and since then I’ve been SO stressed out! I had such a hard time with the decision (which turned out to be between the Prius v and the JSW and thought that once I’d actually bought the car, I would feel relief and start enjoying it, but suddenly, the “cons” I thought I could live with became exaggerated in my mind, to the point where I had feelings of panic about having bought it. I actually called the salesperson the next morning (after a sleepless night) and asked what their policy was on returning the vehicle. (He said it wasn’t possible.) My family thought I was over-thinking the decision in the first place and now they think I’m really off the deep end on this. They think I’d be going through the same thing if I’d gone with the Prius v. I have a hard time with big money decisions, but have never had this experience before and have bought 3 new cars and 2 houses without dealing with these emotions. If anyone feels like commenting that I should have thought it through more, or asks why I bought it when I wasn’t sure, I did think it through (ad nauseum), and maybe I pressured myself to make a decision when I (clearly) wasn’t ready due to wanting to be DONE with the whole thing.
Maybe I should post this as a new thread. Perhaps there are others who have gone through something like this and can be helped my my experience.
Be kind; I am so miserable.
Maybe if you started focusing on the things you liked about it before you bought it you might calm down