Choosing a compact suv - need your help

[GTi]

Since pare-pareho naman silang malakas humigop, might as well get the faster car. X-Trail nalang! You get the bigger 2.5L engine with a refined CVT too. Besides, Nissan has a wider dealer network than Subaru and parts should be cheaper and much easier to source.

[allenjo]

So the wife and I had a discussion this morning over breakfast and the forester 2.0 XS is out. It still was a good contender and quite able and more than enough for us. Reason why it was scratched off the list..."newness" factor. Now it's down to 2...CX5 and the XV. Round 3 of test driving the XV is on saturday and round 2 pag test drive of CX5 will be on the same day immediately after sa subaru.

[JohnM]

Akala ko ako lang may gusto sa X-Trail. It's so refreshing to see a boxy CUV in the sea of aggressively curvy ones.

Pero ang talagang nakakapagpaimpress sakin sa X-Trail ay kaya nitong tahakin ang Pinatubo.

At that price range I'll choose the X-Trail over the CX5 So for me it's XV > X-Trail > CX5 (triple X!)

[niky]

The X-Trail is actually a pretty good car. Good headroom compared to some of the curvier cars... legroom is decent (but not great...) and the ride very comfortable. The X-Trail CVT is also very responsive and delivers power to the ground very well, resulting in the most seamless, jerk-free acceleration possible.

Only problem for me is the styling. The X-Trail is at a point in its life where it's an old car covered in borloloi. Which isn't appealing to many.

[allenjo]

Niky...you took the words off my mouth when you mentioned the xtrail being in sort of limbo with the design. I completely agree which was why my wife did not consider it.

[timrev]

yun lang medyo old design na ang x-trail pero ok din yun engine medyo matipid daw for 2.5...mas madali sa parts nissan e

stick to XV or CX5...

[allenjo]

guess what. my wife was the one that pushed me to buy the XV. i was looking at the tucson and the strada just because its "practical" for the price. but back in my mind i know i want the XV. but just not to be bias as i dont have anyone to talk to regarding XV i had to look at practicalities. but, after a few pakipots. i went and ordered it. you should have seen me floating in the air when someone backed out from the dark grey metallic premium. hehehe. waited a week since i ordered. im very lucky.

You are very lucky indeed sir. We casted a reservation for the xv 2 mos ago...parang safety net while we were deciding by the time it arrives, maybe my wife will have made her choice na. If she does go for the cx5, lucky yung ma open na premium unit.

[allenjo]

* baker, what subaru dealer were you able to get the xv from pala?

[baker123]

* baker, what subaru dealer were you able to get the xv from pala?

got it from pampanga. i took the province route just because im sure i dont have as much competition there than in metro manila dealers. hehehe.

[baker123]

Niky...you took the words off my mouth when you mentioned the xtrail being in sort of limbo with the design. I completely agree which was why my wife did not consider it.

xtrail was on the list too. the mrs didnt like it. her words were "ayaw ko ng nissan"

[allenjo]

Should have done the same route bro if that was the case. Question lang din. Do happen to hear any whirring sound past 100 kph coming from the engine/cvt? AFAIK, the CVT it uses is chain driven.

[istan]

If you don't need 4wd, CX5 is the best.
Lots of gadgets.
Both drive the same.

[sachiel]

Aba, nasama ang Xtrail CVT bigla haha. Yes, it's the most underrated SUV in the market right now and I'm one of the few who really appreciates it. But it is always in the top 3 in Australia pero may diesel version kasi sila and the 2L CVT is not yet out here. Just got back from Nueva Ecija yesterday with my Xtrail, sarap matulog.

As for the whirring sound, I don't hear it in high speeds nor accelerating. Mas may naririnig ako when slowing down but not always. Mahina talaga Nissan brand dito, si Carlos Gohsn naka focus kasi sa ibang countries. But quality is actually better than Toyota and Honda.

[jut703]

On the X-Trail's design, I actually like the fact that it's boxy and resembles the older X-Trail. The first X-Trail's design was one that aged really well if you ask me.

Like the boxy Sorento, I think the X-Trail's design would age better than the quirky, curvy set of CUVs we have today - XV, Sportage, even the CR-V.



Though I'd understand if a woman won't appreciate a design like this, especially not when compared to more striking cars such as the CX-5.

Just a question though to those who've driven the X-Trail and CX-5, is there a noticeable difference in power?

Yes the X-Trail has a bigger engine, but the QR25DE on the current unit has been detuned from 180 HP in the older model to 170 HP. That's just 8 HP more than the CX-5, but the CX-5 is about 100 kg lighter.

[allenjo]

* baker, any whirring sounds from the XV sir?

[baker123]

Should have done the same route bro if that was the case. Question lang din. Do happen to hear any whirring sound past 100 kph coming from the engine/cvt? AFAIK, the CVT it uses is chain driven.

haven't heard of any whirring sound sir. usually past 100kph wherein im cruising at less than 2,000rpm. i can only hear the tires. dont have problem with the cvt. cant even hear the engine noise. yes, the cvt is already chain driven. which makes it sturdier than a belt driven one.

[baker123]

* baker, any whirring sounds from the XV sir?

no sir. the only whirring sound is inside the XV. its my son trying to reach and press all the buttons in the dash. while i try to stop him from doing.

[baker123]

i used to have the first xtrail (2003). the 250x. the difference would be xtrail is taller inside. whle the XV is car like inside.

road manners. id go with the XV. just because it runs like a car. plus thrifty on the gas. the xv feels planted.

rough roads i would say the same. but the xtrail has a better outward view than the XV. so driving for offroad xtrail.

interior finish. XV wins hands down. my xtrail developed some nasty rattles inside. lalo yung tire cover at the back. had to put lots of sound deadening there. plus interior easily scratches due to the plastic finish. though the aircon vent/drink cooler is a nice touch. xv is nicely built.

but... being the use of the xv or xtrail is more on city roads. xv gets my vote.

[pop3corn]

wag kayo masyado makinig dito about the X-trail. langya naman ibang tsikoteer oh, mapapahamak pa yun bibili nyan. I have nothing against the X-trail, in fact I loved riding in one, parang CRV lang. pero grabe ang depreciation ng tsikot na yan. case in point, if you bought the prev gen yun sing-presyo lang ng Escape dati na tig 1M, walang halaga sa resale market daw. takers max. bid eh 600K for less than 2 year old car

[sachiel]

Well, the TS's wife doesn't like the Xtrail design so it's out anyways. Depreciation depends on the buyer. Our first gen Xtrail is still running for 8 years already and will run for another 2-3 years so bawi na rin depreciation by that time. And we use cars till it breaks down which is why I have a hard time changing cars. But if you're the type who change cars every 3-5 years, this will be a major problem.




But still, CX5 wins for me over the XV. Matagal pa kasi yun new Escape and Rav4.