Car Talk, unfortunately without Klick or Klack

The hunt for a new vehicle has been underway for several weeks now. The Jeep will be going bye bye. Great vehicle, but the mpg issues were really starting to get the better of me.

So far, I've test driven a Ford Escape, a Toyota Rav4, a VW Tiguan, a Subaru Forester XT (turbo charged) and a Legacy 3.6R.

The Escape lost me at the test drive. The 4 cylinder had no power, the 6 had no fuel efficiency and the hybrid was astronomically expensive, with no programs whatsoever.

The RAV4 actually held its own quite well. I tested the V6 version, which cranks an amazing 269HP and 246lb/ft of torque in an automatic 5-speed transmission. Took off like a rocket. But the interior was a little effeminate and low quality, the steering was limp and the brakes were soft. Also, the Sport level trim, which mans up the interior a bit, comes with run-flat tires only, which upon full research isn't that bad, but could become expensive. Still, the programs around this vehicle are way too good to ignore. And fuel efficiency was surprisingly adequate (some folks with lower ideals for what fuel efficiency ought to be by now might even call it good).

The Tiguan was superb. The turbocharged Audi i4 engine was admirable, and thanks to a 6 speed transmission with Tipptronic shifting options, crisp steering and responsive brakes, the drive outperformed the RAV4. The interior was also fantastic: comfortable leather seats, a solid feeling dash, an 8inch touchscreen radio and a panoramic sunroof that stretches back over the second row of seating. The only drawbacks are that it has less cargo space than the RAV4 and it requires premium fuel thanks to the turbocharger. Oh, and it's a pricey ride, with lower fuel economy than the RAV4. So there's that.

Lastly, I really wanted to test drive the new Forester XT, which I believe Edmunds said was faster 0 to 60 than the Tiguan. Well, maybe with expert use of the manual sportshift, but left to its own, the 4 speed auto transmission doesn't serve the 224hp turbocharged boxer engine properly and the result is sluggish performance compared to the VW, at least in my experience. The interior was nice though, with fantastic visibility, amazing room in the front and second seats, it's own panoramic moonroof which opens up past the front seats and a fair amount of aggressive styling. but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was a well camouflaged version of its earlier grocery-toting self. Coming from a Wrangler I was hesitant, and the failure of the vehicle to really push my head back into my seat like the VW and Toyota did on take off made me more so (I may just need to get the hang of the ride though). Still, the guy I worked with at the Subaru dealership was the nicest, and he and his boss made the most creative offers. They fell short of Toyota's hyper-aggressive leasing options for their RAV4, but then again Subaru isn't fighting off a mammoth wave of negative press due to sticky accelerators, floor mats and other dangerous issues.

The Legacy 3.6R was powerful but otherwise mostly unremarkable for an AWD vehicle. There was a slight shimmy in the car I drove and while it had power to spare, the ride felt heavy and bulky even for a sedan. It was enough for me to move on.

So, I now need to decide if I want to spring for the fun but expensive Tiguan, the ugly but super cheap and practical RAV4, or the safe, boring Forester.

Let me rephrase. It's time to see how well I can negotiate.