Fifty grand isn't what it once was. Previously, it may have been used to purchase a luxury sports vehicle or your parents' home. We are referring to their four-bedroom unit. In inner Sydney.
Nowadays, it just provides a basic SUV for transporting family members.
While the finest pay your parents could hope for will be judged unlivable in 2023, automobiles have advanced significantly. The usual equipment list of a car from the past would barely fit inside an A4, yet today's average SUVs have more equipment and technology than the most sophisticated automobiles from a generation ago. We know which one we'd want to crash in.
To demonstrate our point, today we’ve assembled the best of the sub-$50K bunch if you’re in the market for a new SUV – and while that sum won’t get you a three-bedder in an Australian city anytime soon, it’ll get you quite a lot of car.
The 2018 Honda CR-V is the newest member of our trinity, and it looks the part. At 4.7 meters long, it makes the original 1997 CR-V appear like a model car, blurring the distinction between mid-size and big SUV. It outperforms not just its first-generation predecessor, but also the prior model, measuring 69mm longer, 11mm wider, and with a 40mm larger wheelbase.
The VTi L7, with its attractively long bonnet and sculpted appearance, is the one we have today, and it comes with a pair of seats in the trunk. A turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine delivers 140kW and 240Nm to the front wheels exclusively via a CVT (continuously variable transmission) automatic.
While its $53,000 price-tag suggests it exceeds our $50K ceiling, that’s a drive-away figure that incorporates several thousand dollars' worth of on-road charges.
The Mazda CX-8, a long-wheelbase version of the CX-5, is set to be phased out by the end of 2023 after being in production since 2017.
Shame, since it's still a great SUV, but when we arrived at our photographic site, I was ashamed to say that I assumed the CX-8, parked discreetly in a parking lot, belonged to a member of the public.
Compared to the Honda, the CX-8 lacks presence, particularly on the 17-inch wheels of our Touring FWD test vehicle. Its $49,560 list price falls just short of our $50K RRP threshold - it'd be about $54,500 drive-away - while below there's a six-speed automatic and a peaky 2.5-litre naturally aspirated inline-four producing 140kW and 252Nm.
Throwing a German cat amongst the Japanese pigeons is the VW Tiguan Allspace – here in 132TSI Life trim.
While, like the Mazda, it’s almost ready for the motoring retirement village – this generation Tiguan goes back to 2016 – it’s still a mighty good car.
This one has a 2.0-litre turbo inline-four with 132kW, a grunty 320Nm, and the much-desired – or much-maligned, depending on your past experiences – seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Unlike the other two cars here, this one is all-wheel drive.
While its $48,590 base list price seems extraordinarily sharp, an additional $6400 of options dents our Tiguan Allspace’s value equation somewhat, coming in at $54,990 before on-road costs.
For those seeking value, the Honda CR-V outperforms its competitors by being much less expensive. Honda's standard features include a hands-free electric tailgate, panoramic sunroof, and driver's seat memory, which are not included in the other two automobiles.
It's almost immoral for a luxury brand like Volkswagen to charge extra for heated seats, which are included on both the Honda and Mazda.Compared to Honda interiors from just a generation ago, the CR-V's is more mature, refined, and sophisticated.
The CX-8 lacks a wireless phone charger, which is standard on the VW and Honda. However, the Mazda has a rudimentary head-up display.
When you go inside the CR-V, it's clear that the Honda design crew put the triangular and trapezoidal stencils in the bottom drawer and replaced them with rulers. Compared to Honda interiors from only a generation ago, the CR-V's is more mature, controlled, and sophisticated, to the point that current owners, drawn by the eccentricity of past designs, may find the new one a little bland.
It's better off ergonomically, with wacky volume controls replaced with a basic, classic dial. The materials are of high quality, and the storage space is enough. We appreciate the infotainment and instruments' bright, clean, modern design.