Safe Car

I know you specifically said mini-SUV's. But knowledge of some physics will tell you that if you are concerned about rollover statistics, a regular car is more stable than an SUV because the center of gravity is lower. And some of the hatchbacks - reminiscenct of station wagons - have just as much space as a mini-SUV.

I 2nd "Isntthisfun" regarding the Subaru.

My husband just bought a Forester last night, after doing extensive reviews on all vehicles for the last month. In addition to high high safety ratings, they are also known for outstanding longevity in their engines, which was a key component to his decision.

We bought used, & managed to get a manual 2010 with under 60K for only $16K. That was through a dealer. We attempted to buy private party (always cheaper), however, to get something newer we needed to have full cash (no financing). Even looking at older models with high mileage, they are in hot demand. 4 sold on one day before my husband was even able to go look @ them.

Other highly rated vehicles for safety are Volvo, however, they do not get as good gas mileage as the Subaru, due to the turbo engines & AWD. (Subaru managed to make an AWD vehicle that still gets 20/26)

The other nice thing about the Subaru Forester, is that even though it is an SUV type vehicle, it still sits lower than most SUV's, making it less prone to roll-over. They do have a brand-new model, Cross-something I think. We did not test drive it, because we couldn't afford something brand new, but it is also a more rugged SUV-type style that you might want to look into.

Regarding the mini-vans, the two highly rated minivans are the Toyota Sienna & the Honda Odyssey. I currently drive a Sienna, & I LOVE it! Mine is a 2005, so it doesn't have all the bells & whistles of the newer ones, but it does have dual sliding rear doors, TONS of room, flat interior when you remove the middle seats for hauling, and it handles like a car. I have never even felt like my vehicle tipped to the side, & I put my cars "through their paces" ie. take turns @ 25-30 mph just to see what happens, run donuts in the parking lots in snow, etc.

Toyota & Honda are also well known for their safety ratings & reliability. I do know that Toyota is made by the same parent company as Subaru.

Thank god you & the kids are safe, & I hope you find a vehicle that meets your needs! T.

if you really want super-safe, i'd move away from SUVs and mini-vans. as nickname says, their centers of gravity are high so they are bigger roll risks right out of the gate.
i'd look at a volvo station wagon.
i'm SO glad you are all okay! and if you want to stick with an SUV, it sounds as if your tucson did you right! how very scary.
khairete
S.

I'm so sorry about your accident but glad to hear you and your family are ok.

We had a Subaru Forester that was a total lemon -- cost a fortune with all of the repairs it needed (and we were original owners, so no one did anything goofy to it before us) -- but it was definitely safe. My husband was rear-ended on the freeway in a high speed crash and wasn't hurt. The Subaru was totaled (no tears shed over that), but it protected him. That is the one thing I will give credit to that car.

I would take a look at the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4. Both are almost car-like in their design now and I would think don't have the roll-over risk of bigger SUVs. Honda and Toyota have always done well in crash tests, and make very reliable vehicles.

Love my volvo cross country wagon, lasts many miles more than other cars, looks great even a few years old and is very safe.

They are very expensive, but I've always heard Volvo is the best in terms of safety. I think Ford purchased Volvo a few years ago and I don't know how they rate currently. Years ago a colleague of mine had a cervical spine condition from multiple auto accidents. Her doctor told her that she needed to drive a Volvo or her next car accident could paralyze her.

My husband is a trial attorney who does product liability work. Many SUVs are inherently more prone to rollovers because of their center of gravity. Definitely something to look into and ask about. Glad you are all o.k.

We drive Toyota's. A Camry and a Highlander. The kids are most often in the Highlander as my husband commutes much further and takes the vehicle with better gas mileage.

We got our cars after a local accident where the young man in the older car was killed and the two in the Toyota walked away with only minor injuries caused by the airbags. I can't say enough about the safety of Toyota's. They also have MANY options in the SUV department.

You might want to consider a Mitsubishi Outlander.

Subaru usually tops all the safety-rating lists. I don't know how many kids you have, but I have 2, a 12 yr old girl and a 15 yr old boy. Average sizes. (No giants, but nobody smaller than is typical, either). We got in a 2014 Subaru Forester in the fall just to see how it "felt" inside (the specs said it has virtually the same interior and cargo space as my Xterra, which holds quite a lot for a non 3rd row SUV)... and my son (the 15 yr old) said he had more leg room in it than in my Xterra (which has great back seat leg room).

I am seriously considering one for my next vehicle. We had one years ago (It was a 1999 bought brand new, ordered, in fact) and was perfect for us when our kids were really small. As they grew older, it wasn't as big as we wanted for family road trips. But, like much of America, it has expanded since then. LOL

Also, they get pretty good mpgs for any kind of SUV. 32 hwy, 26 in the city I believe. Insurance on any Subaru is usually cheaper as well, those safety ratings again...

The one we had years ago, I never was involved in an accident in it. And we kept it for about 165,000 miles before I traded it in on my Xterra... which now has close to 300,000 miles. The maintenance on them seems to me to have been very similar on average.

I like the VW s a lot. I walked away from a pretty bad accident - rear ended by a tractor trailor on a highway-very scary. We were fine. That was a Passat. I've had a couple Jetta. Both get excellent safety ratings. I'm thinking about getting a Touareg next.