Steer me toward an all-wheel drive used car for around $20,000 that’s not an SUV. I have a Camry and like it but I want all-wheel drive. I live in the country on an acreage so I need it, but hate driving an Alberta-stereotype tank. And I’m short and hate climbing in to anything. My wife thinks big SUVs are better for winter because they’re higher off the ground, but this is my car. What’s not too big but still good on roads that might take a couple of days to get ploughed? – Pam, Spruce Grove, Alta.
What’s taller than a car, shorter than an SUV and can be driven (sort of) all over? Hard-to-define crossover wagons like the Subaru Outback, Toyota Venza and the Honda Crosstour.
Buyers found the Toyota and Honda especially hard to define – the Honda is gone and the Toyota is disappearing after 2016.
Starting at $23,308, the Crosstour is the priciest of the three. It has Honda reliability and drives like a car – but it doesn’t have a lot of cargo room, has a lot of dashboard buttons and, to put it gently, its looks aren’t for everybody.
“Perhaps the Crosstour should have been called the Crossdresser because it can’t decide if it’s a swoopy coupe or a practical station wagon,” Globe Drive said in 2013.
The real competition here is between the Outback and the Venza.
2013 Toyota Venza AWD
First generation: 2009-2016, refresh in 2013
Average price for base: $21,855 (Canadian Black Book)
Engine: 2.7-litre four-cylinder
Transmission/drive: six-speed automatic/all-wheel drive
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 11.6 city; 8.5 highway; regular gas
Part crossover and part wagon, the Venza “seems to exist for people who can’t make up their minds,” Edmunds said.
“It shouldn’t come as a shock that the 2013 Toyota Venza is hardly a wagon in the style of sporty European models,” said “Instead, the Venza is very American – designed for comfort, utility and ease of driving.”
The Venza sits 20.6 cm off the ground, 5 cm higher than the 2013 Camry. There’s also a 3.5-litre V-6 AWD available, staring at $24,051, on average.
“While the base four-cylinder engine delivers adequate power, we’d recommend paying extra for the V-6,” Edmunds said. “If it weren’t for the vague feel of its electric-assist steering, the Venza might actually be interesting to drive instead of merely pleasant.”
Edmunds praised the roomy interior and nifty storage bins but complained about the four-cylinder’s “so-so acceleration and fuel-economy.”
Consumer Reports doesn’t have reliability data for the Venza, but said the “stiff, jittery ride is un-Toyota-like, and quasi-sporty styling impairs the view out.”
There was one recall for a potential for a leak from a clogged air conditioning condenser drain hose that, if it leaked, could cause airbags to deploy or power steering to fail.
2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i
Fourth generation: 2011-2014, refresh in 2013
Average price for base: $20,039 (Canadian Black Book)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission/drive: six-speed manual, CVT/all-wheel drive
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 11.2 city; 8.3 highway (manual), 9.9 city; 7.8 highway (CVT)
Australia’s outback isn’t known for its snow, but that’s okay – Subaru’s Outback is built for roads like ours.
“With [22 cm] of ground clearance and standard all-wheel drive, the Outback is a rugged adventure vehicle that can negotiate dirt roads and snowed-in streets with confidence, even if rugged off-roading is out of the question,” said Edmunds.
For its 2013 refresh, Subaru gave the Legacy-based Outback a more efficient engine. The 2013 CVT gets a combined 8.9 litres/100 km compared to the 2012’s 9.7.
The CVT was new and improved, “but under hard acceleration it sometimes feels underpowered and noisy,” said Globe Drive’s Petrina Gentile.
The 2012 2.5-litre starts at about $4,000 cheaper than the 2013, on average. There’s also the beefier 3.6-litre six cylinder mated to a five-speed automatic.
“Just as the real Australian Outback is a desolate place, the market for beefed-up, mid-size all-wheel-drive wagons is pretty thin,” Edmunds said. “The Venza is very similar in terms of size, capacity and power, but it’s not off-road-oriented like the Outback.”
The Audi Allroad and Volvo XC70 cost a lot more – and taller crossovers like the Chevy Equinox and Honda CR-V are “less capable,” Edmunds said.
Edmunds praises the “spacious interior, comfortable ride, excellent visibility, generous cargo volume, clever roof rails and confident off-road ability.” But, it said the Outback isn’t agile and has fussy controls on the higher trims.
Consumer Reports gave the Outback better than average predicted used car reliability.
“The Outback isn’t as nimble as some SUVs,” the magazine said. “It lumbers through turns when rushed, with delayed responses.”
There were four recalls in Canada, including one for a fix to prevent the windshield wiper motor from potentially burning out.