My wife’s Honda Odyssey has 200,000 thousand miles on it and it is time to get a new car. She really loves her van but the new Odysseys are starting at $28,000 and that is out of our price range. The one thing she says she has to have in a new car is the seats have to fold down in the back for cargo room and she has to have 4 cup holders in the front.

I want her to get something that is a little smaller to fit in the garage and be better on gas. I thought something like the Mazda 5 would work but she says it does not have enough cup holders. My wife really likes the tray that is in the center that can fold.

I might very well be getting a used Odyssey but I wanted to see if any of you have any better suggestions.

 

If it's cup holders you want, honda Fit has like 12.

 

If I can convince my wife to get over the cup holder thing, anyone got any good info on this?

http://www.ford.com/crossovers/transitconnectwagon/

I really wish she would look at the Mazda 5 it looks like the car we need. I wish there were more like it out there.

 

But her another Mustang. Done.

 

Yeah you tell her that! I will stand over here.

 

I can tell you, after driving an Oddyssey for that many years, a Mazda5 will feel like a toy. We did the same thing with a Civic in between and I prefer the Oddyssey anyday over the Mazda5. The 5 is a good little car but just not as luxurious feeling as the Honda. Lots of wind noise at interstate speeds and it is geared low so the engine speed is high at highway speeds compared to the Oddyssey as well.

 

Looks like I might be buying another one!

 

We just bought my wifey a new 2014 Ford Escape Titanium...I love the car. I am so impressed with the new Fords. Doesn't feel like a Ford, more BMWish or Japanese,.

Dave

 

We just bought the Escape two weeks ago as well. Great suv. Check it out !

 

I'm not that impressed with the new Escape. I preferred the more traditional layout of the Mazda CX-5. I just wish it had more power, although around town it's just fine, even better than my 2005 Escape V6.

 

My wife got the one with the turbo. It's more peppy than her traded 12 Fusion v6

 

I'll admit I have driven the 2.0T, but the power wasn't my gripe with the Escape. There were just ergonomic things I didn't like about it, and even though it's bigger than my old Escape, the slanted roof and angular interior panels, in my opinion at least, make the space less usable. I also didn't like the thin backseats. Interior-wise, I liked the CX-5's more traditional dash and center stack, and the cargo area is more boxy, which to me is a better utilization of the lesser volume of space. I'm also still not sold on the exterior looks of the Escape, don't like that you have to get a Titanium to get HIDs and the Titanium only offers black interior.

I don't, by any means, think the new Escape is a bad car, I just liked the overall package of the Mazda a bit better. Plus, fully loaded the Mazda is like $33k, with every option; the Escapes are pushing $37k with comparable equipment levels (minus the 2.0T EcoBoost of course).