What short hybrid CUV is best for my ski trips and small garage?
Miranda Lightstone: Dana, you have many choices when it comes to hybrid CUVs, as they've become very popular with Canadian buyers. But given your previous vehicle, the Tiguan, I'd wager you're not just looking for fuel efficiency, but also build quality and some fun driving dynamics.
Mark Richardson: And also something that's not much longer. The 2017 Tiguan is 4,433 millimetres long, which translates for old guys like me to 174.5 inches. So not much more than 15 feet for the new car then.
Lightstone: Trust a man to bring up overall measurements…
Richardson: Size matters when you're parking in a garage.
Lightstone: But let's get back to shorter hybrid CUVs. And we need to remember, Dana skis so there should be a middle pass-through feature in the back of the rear seats.
Richardson: Do many crossovers offer such a thing? It tends to be an SUV feature.
Lightstone: This is true, but as long as there is a 60/40 backseat split, that's workable too. The Hyundai Kona Hybrid offers just such a feature, and it comes in just over 14 feet.
Richardson: And it's not sold in Canada, so let's forget it right now. The Canadian-built Toyota RAV4 Hybrid fits the bill, but at 4,600 millimetres, it's a tight fit in Dana's garage.
Lightstone: No one wants to struggle getting into their own garage daily.
Richardson: It's not the struggle getting in – it's closing the garage door. A friend of mine had a gorgeous 1959 Cadillac Eldorado with the outrageous tail fins and it was three feet too long for his garage. He knocked a hole in the back, put up a garden shed outside against the open wall and slid the nose through into the shed whenever he parked. But I digress.
Lightstone: Acceptable DIY to properly house an Eldorado, less so for a RAV4, and the RAV4 hybrid doesn't offer a ski equipment pass-through. But the Volvo XC40 does, and it's just over 14ft (4,440 millimetres). No need to knock down garage walls.
Richardson: The RAV4 hybrid lets you drop just one seat in a 60:40 split, so that's the equivalent of a pass-through.
Lightstone: Did I mention the Volvo is actually a mild hybrid? It's a system that uses both gas and battery to start the engine and accelerate, and recoups energy in braking to recharge the battery.
Richardson: It can't actually drive on just its own battery power, though, like a true hybrid.
Lightstone: No, but it boosts the power, and it also helps save on gas.
Richardson: The built-in-Belgium XC40 is a pleasure to drive, and it's not as expensive as you might think, at less than $50,000 before taxes for the base model. That's a good deal for all the Volvo safety research and development that's included.
Lightstone: We've been bringing up all these different makes and models, but we know Dana already enjoyed the Tiguan. What about the all-new Tiguan? You drove one recently, right?
Richardson: Yes, I drove the next-generation Tiguan late last year in California. My tester was actually the European car that won't be sold here, but which Dana would love – it has a plug-in hybrid engine that's good for up to 100 kilometres on electric power alone.
Lightstone: And it's shorter than the 4,509 millimetres of the North American car.
Richardson: But the made-in-Mexico Tiguan we'll get in Canada doesn't even have a hybrid engine, so let's forget it for Dana.
Lightstone: Oh, but what about the soon-to-be-released Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid? It has all the features Dana will love: a peppy 2.5-litre Boxer engine, with a combined output of 194 horsepower, along with Subaru's all-wheel-drive system.
Richardson: I think the Crosstrek Hybrid sounds like exactly what Dana is looking for, but we won't see it in dealerships until the fall and I've not driven it. I can't recommend it because of that, but it may be worth waiting for.
Lightstone: I haven't driven it either, but what about the Forester e-Boxer Hybrid Premier? I prefer the styling and extra interior space of the Forester over the Crosstrek for weekend trips (especially skiing). But it's just over the 15-foot limit at 4,640 millimetres (15.2 feet).
Richardson: Have you driven it? I haven't yet.
Lightstone: I haven't, but I have driven every other iteration of the Forester for more years than I'd like to admit. Subaru always manages to engineer vehicles that do precisely what they say they will. It stands to reason the e-Boxer Hybrid should be efficient and practical.
Richardson: Subaru doesn't have much engineering experience with hybrids, to be able to make a better powertrain, but there's no reason why its hybrids shouldn't be as good as anything else already out there.
Lightstone: It developed the all-electric Solterra with Toyota, which definitely knows about hybrids.
Richardson: Either the Forester or the Crosstrek may be what Dana is looking for, but we won't recommend anything we've not driven. Chevrolet doesn't make any hybrids, but the Ford Escape hybrid would fit in the garage. It's made in Kentucky though, so its Canadian price might be affected by the current tariffs.
Lightstone: I've never been a fan of the Ford Escape exterior look or its drive. There's something lacking behind the wheel, and I think Dana will lament the Escape's road feel and handling compared to the Tiguan.
Richardson: It doesn't have the sportiness of the German-designed Tiguan and especially not the R-Line edition. But Dana wants a hybrid that's solid and a little larger and can handle winter conditions well. I'd say that's the Escape.
Lightstone: There are some solid choices here. But if we're looking at driveability, overall design, checking all the boxes required and a tariff-free vehicle, I stand behind my Volvo XC40 recommendation.
Richardson: I'm sure Dana would like the Volvo, but its premium features might be more than wanted. I'd recommend the made-in-Cambridge, Ont. Toyota RAV4 hybrid as a solid SUV that does everything well in both summer and winter.
What car should you buy? Write to Mark and Miranda at globedrive@globeandmail.com and use 'What car' as as part of your subject line. Emails with different subject lines may not be answered.
Shopping for a new car? Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price.
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