Genesis G70, Subaru Outback, and Jeep Gladiator
Not a whole lot besides that I test drove them all. While the G70 was my favorite due to the 4 pot turbo having enough power to be fun and the driving dynamics are spot on. It felt nimble yet not too stiff to be uncomfortable on long trips. It can also be had with a manual, but the dealer didn’t have one in stock. I was disappointed with the rear legroom and the trunk was surprisingly small.
The Outback is one of those vehicles that does everything good enough. It’s somewhat underpowered but not too much so. The cvt does an adequate job. There is plenty of legroom and trunk space especially for a car. I can see how the new XT will fix the biggest issue with this car.
For the Gladiator, I haven’t been in a Jeep in while so I was a little surprised how cramped the cab felt. It felt about the same size as our Matrix. It rode like a truck, which is to be expected given its solid axles. There was always enough power. I’d love to be able to take one off-road though and see how well it shines there.
While I’m not in the market now, I’m test driving these because when I do go to buy one in 2-3 years these will be the used cars I’ll be looking at. And yes I am cross shopping all these vehicles. I plan on driving an XT Outback when they hit lots and still need to go drive a Stinger. Looking at the specs the Stinger has more legroom and almost double the trunk space as the G70 so I’m looking forward to driving that.