Who would you say makes the most well rounded cars right now? By well rounded, i mean a consistent combination of style, reliability, features, and bang for your buck.
I’ll throw in a vote for Mazda. I’ve had a 6 and a 3 and enjoyed both. Very, very few real problems. They’re a little zippier than average Toyotas/Hondas with a little cooler styling, in my opinion, while not being extravagantly expensive.
I’ve got a Mazda3 hatch (2022, carbon edition) and it’s one of my favorite things. The interior and exterior both are stylish and feel very upscale; imo more so than comparable Toyotas and Hondas (my girlfriend bought a Camry the same year I bought my car so I’ve got a good point of comparison).
Nice, I used to not really like hatchbacks, but I’m driving the sedan and catch myself eyeing the hatchback version every time I see one. It’s got great curves.
It’s got a large booty, whether you think that looks good or not isn’t on me. I personally think it flows really nicely! And it fits a surprising amount of stuff in it
I do enjoy a nice large booty, guilty.
100% agree on the Mazda 3. I have a 2016 3 sport and I’m still in love with it. My next car will probably be the 2023 or 2024 Mazda 3 turbo depending on the type of deal I can get with a used one. In the entire time I’ve owned this car it has given me less problems than even the 2008 Toyota Yaris I had before it did, and I still thought that little guy was reliable. I’ll stan Mazda all day now. If I didn’t live in the north east, I’d get a MX-5 today… and hell I’m still tempted even though it would not be a “great” idea.
I was a dealer tech for Hyundai, Dodge/Jeep/Chrysler, and Jaguar/Land Rover over the years.
Of all the places I worked, the cars that I saw the most only for service and not for major repairs ironically were Hyundais. Don’t get me wrong, cars still came in that needed major repairs, and I was the guy doing them. But looking back at my time there, most of my day was spent doing routine maintenance - oil changes, brake services, transmission fluid exchanges, etc, and minor TSBs like computer updates and the MDPS coupler on old Sonatas. 2.4L engines from the big recall were common, of course, but those were free for the customer and they usually got a free rental car for the duration of their service.
I don’t know how you like Hyundai styling, but I was with Hyundai from 2015-2018, and I liked the styling then. The lease terms were pretty good and the cost of the car was quite low. The quality didn’t feel like a Land Rover, but the reliability impressed me for the time I was there. As long as you take care of it, it should take care of you. The ones that I seemed to see the absolute least were V6 equipped Santa Fes and Cadenzas, those seemed to be the most reliable in my experience. 2.4Ls had the recall but seemed to be fine after, and 1.8Ls are okay for the small cars but totally gutless.
Recently I haven’t really liked Hyundai’s styling because it seems too “Audi” for my liking. But if that’s up your alley, try asking the service departments if you can speak to a tech just to see if they mostly do a lot of major repairs or maintenance work.
Dont get a Jaguar unless you drive it on a racetrack regularly, they like to spring random leaks if you drive it like a grandma. Don’t get a Land Rover, their superchargers often grenade and end up overheating the engine from coolant leaks. And don’t get anything made by Stellantis, just don’t.
I’ve got an ‘07 grand Cherokee that I’ve had for years and years (bought at 94k and it’s right around 150 now) and it may very well be the only Jeep in existence that hasn’t absolutely exploded horrifically.
I agree on the style-side of Hyundai. Reliability-wise I honestly can’t say all that much; my brother’s got a Veloster and that car has broken down on him way too many times, but it’s only one example so to be fair I can’t just base my opinions off of that. But style-wise I think the new cars are trying too hard to look futuristic. And the rear end of the new Santa Fe looks absolutely awful, to be totally frank. But that’s probably gonna buy me some flak; I know a lot of people love what they’ve been doing with their styling recently.
Oh… and don’t buy a Nissan. I had a 2012 Rogue and to be honest I didn’t hate it, but those CVTs are just about the least reliable thing in existence.
Fortunately, Jeep was not owned by Stellantis until the 2021 merger with Chrysler. Not that Chrysler is that much better, but they used to have good relaibility at least until the 2008 crash when automakers were getting government handouts.
Velosters are generally driven by people who want to drive them like a sports car, but then they don’t also take care of it like a sports car. I saw many Veloster owners bring their car in trying to get an engine replaced or repaired under warranty but they had modified the PCM. Dealer scan tools have a function that can check the computer for any sort of modification, including if the PCM was swapped from a different vehicle, and if that stuff comes up that’s an instant warranty void. Usually teenagers that think they have a racecar, that sort of thing. It was the same with the Genesis Coupe, though the Coupe was a lot better with surviving that kind of abuse. Thats not to say that the reliability of a Veloster was bad, its just I often saw them in disrepair because they werent taken care of or from owner stupidity, which is why I didn’t mention the Veloster before.
I love the styling of the Hyundai N Vision 74, but I wish they put an actual engine in it instead of being electric only. I also don’t like the new Santa Fe, the weird dog bone shaped tail lights look pretty stupid IMO. It probably would have looked better if they made it look more similar to a Land Rover Defender, honestly. I don’t know how I feel about the Santa Cruz but it seems like it is too small to be a truck but too big to be a Ute.
CVTs are horrible. They combine the worst parts of an automatic transmission with the worst parts of a manual transmission. Chrysler I believe once had a PCM flash to add an intentional cylinder misfire when people would expect the transmission to shift because so many people complained that it didn’t feel like their CVT equipped vehicle was shifting. Unfortunately, thats what they are supposed to feel like.
Mazda’s really pulled themselves our of their rut in recent years. I’ve continuisly heard the CX-5 be recommended as one of the best valued cars on the market right now. Toyota is a given, even if they’re now priced in a higher bracket than they were 15 or 20 years ago.
I’d avoid anything domestic or Euro if you’re looking for a good, economic, new car
Mazda was really good, Ford got involved and screwed things up for a while, now Ford is out, old Mazda is back.
I’m a little biased because I own one, but Subaru. They choose to build on what’s proven, so they are slow to make changes on new generations of models but in exchange you get familiar tech that is reliable. Well rounded as well in the sense that they make great “outdoorsy” cars yet are comfy and efficient as daily commuters as well. Bang for buck because they’re at the mid price range in their segments and have the best AWD tech in the market.
I’d also say Mazda like the other comments. Toyota is a given.
I like working on Subarus for that reason, but they are still statistically more expensive for maintenance and repairs than Toyotas on average. (Not for me though, I do everything but bodywork on my cars).
That said, the new Prius and GR cars from Toyota (who also has a big stake in Subaru) are really attractive. Also, the E-CVTs in Toyota and Subaru hybrids are really nice and low wear designs. The non-e Subaru CVTs haunt my nightmares. I have a crosstrek CVT with 133k miles on it and tightly crossed fingers…
Japanese: Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Subaru are in my OK to own list.
I’ve seen some ancient Subaru legacys and Honda Civics.
Do the current Subarus still use the encased CVT? Have heard horror stories.
no contest: the little tykes car.
they get passed down for decades and wildly abused with zero maintenance.
except of course the stickers.
Mazda. Reliable, reasonably priced, good performance, an option for every type of driver (from RWD roadster to full sized SUV), gorgeous design language. I think people are going to look back on the current Mazdas and think they aged like fine wine. They’re also one of the only brands I can think of that have a truly unified design language across all models (besides maybe Audi and Mercedes)
Purchased my first new car four years ago, and did at least a year of research on this subject because of a limited budget
The answer, hands down and by a long way, is Hyundai/Kia
Excellent value and ultra reliable, even their poverty-spec cars have A/C, Bluetooth, anti-rollback, stop-start etc
In four+ years I’ve needed new brake pads and wiper blades, after 70,000 Km not one single fault
Americans, before replying, remember you’re only 3% of the planet and have some of the world’s worst consumer protection laws. Of course Hyundai and Kia sell you cheap shite lol
They’re bulletproof elsewhere
Myself and others in my family have owned Hyundai and Toyotas and they did well or seem to be doing well. I had a Hyundai Tiburon that yeah I had to do some repairs around 200k (I think I had to replace the alternator and something else) but last I heard it was still going strong. I did have essentially redo all of the suspension because the salt mix that was use locally slowly destroyed it.
Recently I’ve come to know some people who have Chevrolet SUVs from the 2010s and they seem to do alright at least to the 150k mark.
I would love to own another Hyundai myself.
BYD, honestly. But, if you’re in a country that can’t get them, I’m still a fan of Toyota. Hear good things about modern Hyundai too, but I can’t say anything from personal experience.
There is no answer for that kind of question, is there? It all depends what you want and what you like.
Let me give you an example. I have a very cheap small Nissan. It has zero features. Well, it has A/C and power windows, which were considered “features” half a century ago. It doesn’t look stylish, but you could say that it’s cute if you’re feeling sympathetic. It’s flimsy enough that you wouldn’t want to wreck in it. It has great gas mileage, and it fits my needs perfectly.
But is this car good for you? Probably not, because you have different needs. A small car with no safety features would be terrible for a large family. Do you need cruise control for your long commune? If so, you don’t want my car. Do you drive in snowy mountains? This isn’t the vehicle for that. What is “stylish” to you? Do you mean “cute” or “strong” or “smooth” or “futuristic”, or something else?
Nissan makes all kinds of cars. Even if the above car sound suitable or unsuitable for you, that wouldn’t give you much information about the Nissan lineup as a whole. They make all kinds of cars with all kinds of characteristics.
In other words, if you can provide more details of your situation (within reason, of course), that would be helpful. Have fun shopping!
Taste is subjective. What works for you, works for you. What works for me, is a renaultsport megane rs. Doesn’t work for others.
