Learn me: Mid-size SUVs, 25mpg, sub-20k with fairly low miles

So the time has come for Mrs STM317 to get a newer vehicle. Thought you all could lend some advise and maybe suggest some options that we've missed.

-She wants something that sits higher than an average car. She's used to driving trucks, and prefers the upright seating position and visibility they offer vs a normal sedan

- 25mpg highway or better. She drives 50 miles/ day for work, and it would be our primary weekend transportation too.

- We're both tall and lanky,and would like to fit comfortably one behind the other if we have to so lots of rear legroom is a must.

- We haul our mastiff around, so the back must have room for a big dog with the second row seats in their normal position

- AWD is strongly preferred. We live in the rural Midwest, and she wants it for winter when our road might not get plowed right away. I know that 2wd and decent snow tires will be fine for most situations. I also know that telling my wife that she's wrong about needing AWD won't go well. Whatever.

- We're defining 'fairly low miles' as below 50k.

Frontrunners: Toyota Venza, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Chevy Equinox/ GMC Terrain. 

Ruled out: German stuff, Italian Stuff, Subarus, Fords

So, anything that would rule out the contenders? Any others that we've overlooked in our budget?

The Hyundai will probably be the most budget friendly, if you fit. They seem sturdy. Ride is firm.

I suspect such a vehicle does not exist.    Mid size and 25 mpg does not compute.

The only way you're going to get a legit 25 mpg out of a Mid-Size SUV is by forgoing your AWD requirement.

I get 25-26 mpg highway in my '16 CX5 AWD, which is pretty much the most fuel efficient mid-size SUV on the market.

Is the Cherokee ruled out as "Italian stuff"?

I'm just looking for it to be rated at 25mpg. Whether we can get that in the real world remains to be seen. But it doesn't seem impossible.

The Venza AWD is rated at 25 with v6 and AWD. 26 with the 4 cyl.

The Hyundai Santa Fe Sport AWD is rated at 25, and the slightly larger Santa Fe is rated at 24mpg with v6/AWD.

The Equinox and Terrain are More of a small SUV, but surprisingly we fit. They get 28mpg with the 4 cyl/AWD combo.

The Cherokee does not get ruled out for being 'Italian stuff', but it was ruled out for 'looking terrible', and I can't really argue that.

We haven't been able to try a C-RV yet...

In reply to STM317 : a lower cost option would be the Chevy Trailblazer /GMC Emvoy / Buick (?) version of the same.  

 It has a great powerful engine with astonishing torque and great fuel mileage. I regularly got +25 with mine. Except when I was towing my 28 foot cabin cruiser or tandem axle race car trailer.   I did say it was powerful!! 4.2 liter in line six  4 valve per cylinder all aluminum engine.  But it's a mid size.  Smaller than the big full sized ones but not tiny either.  

 The well equipped ones have air suspension with a built in air compressor for filling tires and beach toys etc nice plush and durable leather seats that do everything plus a great sound system. 

Hard to go wrong with a CX-5.

In reply to frenchyd :

That would certainly be more budget friendly, but We're looking for something newer. The plan is to keep this vehicle for the next 10 years or so. Im not sure I want to deal with the maintenance that's going to be required to keep a 10-15 year old Trailblazer going for another decade, If we can even find one with under 50k on the clock.

The CX-5 has been suggested a couple of times, so I'll plan a trip to the Mazda dealer. They look like there isn't much room behind the rear seats, but I felt the same way about the Equinox and was proven wrong when we fit.

I'm going to bump this for the weekday crowd. I'm not really familiar with this class of vehicle, so what are some of the pitfalls of the competitors here?

Couple of friends have a CX-5; one of them regularly transports their 80lb hound/lab/pit/whatever mix in it. Not mastiff sized, but worth a look. 

I'd also be looking at the RAV-4's and CRV's. 

Due to your mpg requirement you might want to go over to www.fueleconomy.gov and do a PowerSearch.  This will allow you to all SUV's with 4wd/awd offered in the US from a range of years and then sort them from low mpg to high.  

If not CX-5 then Toyota Highlander Hybrid if you can find one in price range.  

In reply to mtn :

Good to know. I need to check one out up close.

As for CR-Vs, the only ones that I can find within 100 miles that meet the mileage/price criteria are super base models. We're not against that at all, but the Venza and Santa Fe come with much nicer interior materials and amenities for the money. Are the CR-Vs that much better?

Highlanders are the same as CR-Vs. There seems to be a significant price bump. 

For some reason, wagon-ish things seem to fly under the radar and avoid the brand tax associated with the more typical SUVs in this segment. The Venza is Highlander sized, gets a bit better fuel economy, and is several thousand cheaper than a comparable Highlander. The Honda Crosstour is the same way. A V6/AWD Crosstour will get the same fuel economy as a 4 cylinder CR-V, but it does it with more power, and nicer interior for the money (although it does give up a bit of cargo room behind the rear seat with the sloping roofline).

In reply to STM317 : I understand,  I keep my vehicles until the are no longer economically viable.  

On the other hand the economy is changing.  Adjusted for inflation we haven't had a pay raise since the 1960's  and its only getting worse.  

Meanwhile cars are lasting longer and longer. My last went 20 years and 371,000 miles.  It cost me less than $1000 in repairs to get there.  Yes that doesn't include fuel oil changes and runtime maintinence.  

But I worked the heck out of that thing,  massively overloaded it regularly  hauled home a new home( seriously I built a home with the meterials I hauled with it )  through snow rain and hail  hot sun etc.  

hauled race cars across country and over the mountains time after time.  

A new vehicle should easily go 300,000 miles with little more than normal maintinence  if driven 12,000 miles a year  it should last 25 years which means your costs  will be divided by 25 years    

Imagine what you could do without a car payment for the next 20 years!!

John Welsh said:

Due to your mpg requirement you might want to go over to www.fueleconomy.gov and do a PowerSearch.  This will allow you to all SUV's with 4wd/awd offered in the US from a range of years and then sort them from low mpg to high.  

If not CX-5 then Toyota Highlander Hybrid if you can find one in price range.  

Fueleconomy.gov, and the vehicle dimensions given in US News and World Report have been burned into my screen lately while I compare models, powertrains, etc.

The first gen Highlander Hybrids might be in our price range, but all that I've seen have had higher miles. According to Autotrader, there is a single example of the current Highlander within 100 miles of me that fits our criteria. Tax, title, fees, etc would push it over the budget, and it's a 4 cyl/FWD. Much like Tacomas and Ridgelines, there seems to be a badge tax that you pay. If the Santa Fe or Venza are rolling piles of E36, then I'd consider paying the tax for a Highlander or CR-V, but I'm really not seeing or hearing anything that suggests I'd regret a purchase down the line. Maybe somebody will have specific knowledge that says otherwise.

In reply to frenchyd :

We plan to keep this one for a long time, much like you tend to do. But I don't want to have to constantly wrench on the Mrs' vehicle. Honestly, she'd probably keep her current truck if we all fit in it, but life changes. We currently own 5 vehicles. 4 regular cab trucks, and an inherited Chevy Nova project that hasn't been road worthy in 20 years . We need something with space for the dog, and preferably a back seat for family/friends/future rugrats.

Toyota Venza and Toyota Highlander are pretty darn much the same vehicle.  Both very nice. 

1/2 the price but twice the miles.  No awd but also likely no rust.