Even though the car has been fixed and is working again, I think it’s time for a new car. There are so many options, where do I even start? Here’s a list of things I was looking for:
Musts:
- Japanese car brand.
- Nice looking car.
- Not fully electric.
- Medium sized.
- Has a back-up camera.
- Back seat also needs to be spacious.
- Trunk can be opened from the driver’s seat.
- Shift lever is tall enough for me to rest my arm on it.
Preferred:
- New, not used.
- Not leather seats.
- Blind spot detector.
- Can fit my 32oz bottle in the cup holder.
People kept suggesting that I get a Subaru or a Lexus, but I knew for sure I didn’t want either of those. These were the car brands I looked into:
- Acura – I’ve always wanted an Acura! The logo looks so nice.
- Toyota – Toyotas are reliable (for the most part, until it fails you).
- Honda – One of the first cars I drove was a used Honda Civic, and I loved it! I liked how it wasn’t too wide and I was able to park into small spots even without a back-up camera.
- Mazda – Mazdas drive pretty nice, and the price range is pretty good.
Acura ADX (2025)
Trim: Base
MSRP: $35,000
If I were choosing a car based on the logo, Acura would be the one. The Acura dealership I went to had a really nice salesman who explained all the different features of the car to us. The drive was not bad, but I did notice that the hood is taller on the sides. The steering wheel was a bit loose, and the backup camera had a shockingly bad quality – it looked like it was quality from the 2000s. The glove box was also a bit small. It was cool that there were different modes to choose from for the car though (sport, normal, comfort, or snow).
Honda CR-V (2025)
Trim: Base
MSRP: $31,495
Next, we went to the Honda dealership and took a look at the Honda CR-V. The car looked big. The seat was hard to adjust, but the steering wheel stiffness was good. The backseat had a lot of space which was nice. The a/c vents looked ugly though, and the glove box was also small. The most interesting part was probably how far wide the door opens – I had to step out in order to reach for the door to close it. The backup camera quality was also not good, and I was shocked to learn that you can’t press a button from inside the car to open the trunk. You have to get out of the car, walk to the trunk, and open it manually.
Honda HR-V (2025)
Trim: Base
MSRP: $25,200
The salesperson brought out the HR-V. It had been parked for so long that it was out of batteries. The HR-V was smaller compared to the CR-V, so the driver seat felt better. However, I still wasn’t able to reach the door with my left elbow. I did like the a/c vents more than the CR-V. The HR-V does not have a glasses case, which was not a dealbreaker for me, but just like the CR-V, the backup camera was not good and the trunk can only be opened manually. I was also not a fan of how the front of the HR-V looks.
Toyota Venza (2024)
Trim: Limited
MSRP: $39,688
We left Honda and went to visit a Toyota dealership, starting at the used lot to look at a used white Toyota Venza. The exterior looked pretty nice, although white was not my first choice color. The lights in the back also looked like a scrunched up face. It was quite expensive for a used car. The Venza was pretty nice to drive, but the brake was a bit jerky. The arm rests were decent, and the backup camera was definitely better than the Hondas and Acuras I test drove. The Venza has a sunroof that doesn’t open, but it can be transparent! One cool thing is that the speed is projected onto the windshield. Ventilated seats can also be turned on, and the steering wheel can be heated. The backseat space was good.
Toyota RAV4 (2026)
Trim: XLE Premium
MSRP: $38,664
Moving on to the new cars side of Toyota, the salesman who got assigned to us left us baking in the hot sun. When we finally got to test drive the car, the drive was okay. The RAV4 is pretty big and the steering wheel was not bad. The glove box is big, and the seats can be heated. The brakes and acceleration was smooth, but the braking felt a bit slow, probably because the car is so big. The backup camera was decent. The car smelled after turning off.
Toyota Corolla Cross (2026)
Trim: Base
MSRP: $24,935
We didn’t even end up test driving the Corolla Cross because the backseat looked so small. The salesman from the used side of the Toyota dealership actually told us that customers who recently bought the Corolla Cross sold it pretty quickly after buying because of how little space the backseat had. We also didn’t want to deal with the rude salesperson on the new side because he was so disinterested in selling cars to us.
Mazda CX-5 (2025)
Trim: Preferred
MSRP: $31,730
The Mazda dealership was small but the salesman was really friendly. He pulled up the CX-5 and CX-50 for us to test drive and just let us test drive it on our own. When I stepped inside the CX-5, it definitely smelled like a Mazda. The CX-5 had a nice steering wheel and nice view from the driver’s seat. The height was good. The car had heated seats, good acceleration, and good breaks. I did notice that the brakes seemed a bit far from the gas pedal though. The backup camera had the best camera quality out of all the cars we test drove. The price was pretty good too.
Acura ADX (2025)
Trim: A-Spec Advance, FWD
MSRP: $42,000
Remembering how the kind salesman at the Acura dealership briefly mentioned the other ADX trims, we decided to go back to Acura to check out the A-Spec Advance trim, mainly to check out the backup camera. It was indeed better. The A-Spec Advance also had both heated and ventilated seats, plus a panoramic roof! In addition to the four modes, there is also an option to customize your own. For example, the engine could be on normal mode while the steering wheel is on sport mode – pretty cool! The price was definitely quite a bit higher though.
What are my top choices?
At the end of the day, I was left deciding between three options:
- Toyota Venza (2024)
- Mazda CX-5 (2025)
- Acura ADX (2025)
Which car would you get?