Yahoo Autos Here's $32,000. Which small SUV would you buy?
After stepping into our DeLoreans last week to spend 18,000 imaginary bucks in 1985, it's time to come back to the future and be a little more realistic with our fake bucks. Small SUVs represent a gargantuan slice of the automotive market. If someone is looking for a new vehicle these days, there's a very good chance they'll be shopping in this aisle.
Now, I specifically meant to write "small SUV" as opposed to "sub-compact" or "compact." This is because of the price point: with a budget of $32,000, our editors and real SUV shoppers alike will find themselves on the proverbial fence between those two SUV segments. Basically, you can have a well-equipped sub-compact (or midcompact as we have been known to call them) or a lightly equipped compact model. As an example, think of a Honda HR-V vs Honda CR-V.
There are some rules for this little game.
The SUV must be within $1,000 of the price in question. You can't say "I'd buy X for $25,000 and spend the rest on shoes."
The SUV must be new.
Federal EV tax credits do not count / give you $7,500 worth of pretend money to play with.
Go ahead and let us know what you'd choose and why we're ridiculous for picking what we picked. - James Riswick
Chevy Bolt EUV
Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: I had at one point considered buying a Bolt EUV this year, so this is pretty close to what I’d have gotten. My wife drives a Hyundai Palisade, which makes easy work of our whole-family road trips, but something like this Bolt EUV would be a great second car for the household. It’s more economical, but still packs some utility, so it could pull double-duty for around-town errands and school dropoffs, and also for the times I need to take the solo 250-mile supply run to our cottage. The Redline, starting at $27,800, adds a little extra style, and leaves room in the budget for the Convenience, Comfort and Driver Confidence packages. I could even throw in the illuminated charge port and aluminum sill plates and stay under budget, at a total of $31,890 before destination.
