What new car do I want in 2024?
October 16, 2022 9:51 AM Subscribe
My perfect car doesn’t exist, and probably won’t in 2024 when I’ll want a new car, but what might come closest? Location: Canada (not one of the primary EV markets though). Asking now since a phev or fully electric vehicle would be nice, but those have long wait lists (2-3x as long in my region as average US wait times), so I may need to put in a reservation soon in order to be able to replace my current vehicle with something better when current vehicle is at the end of its life.
I currently have a Scion tC. I really like it - in particular, it is fun to drive, handles well in the snow and on the poor quality/marginally paved roads around where I live (I keep my tires and brakes in good condition and switch out my all seasons for winter tires annually, and have plenty of practice with driving a 2WD manual in adverse conditions), has good visibility for me (smaller than the North American standard crash test dummy), gets reasonable fuel economy (for a gas vehicle - I get about 34mpg with my manual transmission version), is a hatchback with a good amount of cargo space including being long enough that I can sleep in the back with the back seats down if needed on road trips (yeah, I got lots of amusingly puzzled looks from car salespeople when I was car shopping and tested this out), and has cruise control (also good for longer drives). It was affordable initially and has been extremely reliable. And the sunroof and roof window in the back seat are nice additional features. The cons: its turning radius could be better, road noise (and the engine itself) can be slightly loud at times, and it’s not rated for towing (if I could tow a lightweight teardrop, that would open up more camping and road trip possibilities).
My ideal vehicle would be similarly fun yet practical to drive(*), similarly good visibility, also a hatchback, similar or better fuel economy (an EV would be ideal, but I would need a long range option - over 400mi range - given the longer road trips I make and slow build-up of charging infrastructure in my corner of the world), and ideally could tow in the 1000-2500lb range but definitely have enough space with the back seats down for sleeping if not. (* No SUVs. A station wagon that handles well would be fine. I’d be happy with an actual small pickup truck, but those haven’t been available in North America for over 10 or more years. I do need something with more ground clearance than the smallest sports cars, but I don’t want a vehicle that is taller than me, or where I can’t see what’s in front of the front bumper. And my partner likes the “cozy” cabin of the Scion tC. For reference, the Hyundai Ioniq5 is just slightly too large/tall to be ideal for us, though meets many of the other criteria.) Cruise control is standard enough nowadays that I probably don’t have to worry about listing it here. A sunroof or moonroof would be a nice plus. I can go up from the Scion tC price point, but not too too much if I also want to buy a teardrop trailer - as a rough preferred upper price range, still being eligible for the Canadian government electric vehicle rebates if I get an EV would be nice. I would also rather not make Elon Musk any richer by buying a Tesla.
The EV Dodge Challenger/Charger looks like it might meet most of my criteria, if (a) it ever actually goes into production, is available in my region, and isn’t too buggy for being Dodge’s first EV; and (b) you can turn off the obnoxious fake engine noise (I never could figure out why some people think noise pollution is cooler than stealth mode). It looks like it may not have the same cargo space as my Scion tC, but current expected stats say that it will be able to tow 1000lb?
My question is about vehicles that will be available around mid to late 2024. I’m open to any fuel source, but am mainly asking now because a phev or fully electric vehicle would be nice, but those have long wait lists (especially in my region, which is a relatively small market - US Mefites should double or triple the expected ev wait times in your region to get a sense of what will be available to me).
I currently have a Scion tC. I really like it - in particular, it is fun to drive, handles well in the snow and on the poor quality/marginally paved roads around where I live (I keep my tires and brakes in good condition and switch out my all seasons for winter tires annually, and have plenty of practice with driving a 2WD manual in adverse conditions), has good visibility for me (smaller than the North American standard crash test dummy), gets reasonable fuel economy (for a gas vehicle - I get about 34mpg with my manual transmission version), is a hatchback with a good amount of cargo space including being long enough that I can sleep in the back with the back seats down if needed on road trips (yeah, I got lots of amusingly puzzled looks from car salespeople when I was car shopping and tested this out), and has cruise control (also good for longer drives). It was affordable initially and has been extremely reliable. And the sunroof and roof window in the back seat are nice additional features. The cons: its turning radius could be better, road noise (and the engine itself) can be slightly loud at times, and it’s not rated for towing (if I could tow a lightweight teardrop, that would open up more camping and road trip possibilities).
My ideal vehicle would be similarly fun yet practical to drive(*), similarly good visibility, also a hatchback, similar or better fuel economy (an EV would be ideal, but I would need a long range option - over 400mi range - given the longer road trips I make and slow build-up of charging infrastructure in my corner of the world), and ideally could tow in the 1000-2500lb range but definitely have enough space with the back seats down for sleeping if not. (* No SUVs. A station wagon that handles well would be fine. I’d be happy with an actual small pickup truck, but those haven’t been available in North America for over 10 or more years. I do need something with more ground clearance than the smallest sports cars, but I don’t want a vehicle that is taller than me, or where I can’t see what’s in front of the front bumper. And my partner likes the “cozy” cabin of the Scion tC. For reference, the Hyundai Ioniq5 is just slightly too large/tall to be ideal for us, though meets many of the other criteria.) Cruise control is standard enough nowadays that I probably don’t have to worry about listing it here. A sunroof or moonroof would be a nice plus. I can go up from the Scion tC price point, but not too too much if I also want to buy a teardrop trailer - as a rough preferred upper price range, still being eligible for the Canadian government electric vehicle rebates if I get an EV would be nice. I would also rather not make Elon Musk any richer by buying a Tesla.
The EV Dodge Challenger/Charger looks like it might meet most of my criteria, if (a) it ever actually goes into production, is available in my region, and isn’t too buggy for being Dodge’s first EV; and (b) you can turn off the obnoxious fake engine noise (I never could figure out why some people think noise pollution is cooler than stealth mode). It looks like it may not have the same cargo space as my Scion tC, but current expected stats say that it will be able to tow 1000lb?
My question is about vehicles that will be available around mid to late 2024. I’m open to any fuel source, but am mainly asking now because a phev or fully electric vehicle would be nice, but those have long wait lists (especially in my region, which is a relatively small market - US Mefites should double or triple the expected ev wait times in your region to get a sense of what will be available to me).
Response by poster: The RAV4 Prime is definitely an SUV - the 2022 model got significantly bigger than RAV4s of years past, in particular. It’s bigger than the Hyundai Tucson, which is taller than the Ioniq5.
Think about 5ft, definitely under 65”, as a firm upper bound on maximum exterior height. (Unless there’s a fuel efficient pickup truck the size of a circa 2000 Ford Ranger or Toyota Tacoma coming out soon.)
posted by eviemath at 11:20 AM on October 16, 2022
Think about 5ft, definitely under 65”, as a firm upper bound on maximum exterior height. (Unless there’s a fuel efficient pickup truck the size of a circa 2000 Ford Ranger or Toyota Tacoma coming out soon.)
posted by eviemath at 11:20 AM on October 16, 2022
I’d be happy with an actual small pickup truck, but those haven’t been available in North America for over 10 or more years.
(There's the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz, though the latter might be out of your price range and the former is popular enough that, in the US at least, the entire first model year is reportedly sold out. But in 2024, who knows?)
posted by box at 11:48 AM on October 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
(There's the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz, though the latter might be out of your price range and the former is popular enough that, in the US at least, the entire first model year is reportedly sold out. But in 2024, who knows?)
posted by box at 11:48 AM on October 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
The Kia EV6 is related to the Ioniq 5, but enough smaller that it may fit the bill for you, in terms of EVs.
posted by ambrosen at 4:16 PM on October 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by ambrosen at 4:16 PM on October 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
If you regularly do 400 mile trips and you live somewhere cold and somewhere that is building out charging infrastructure slowly then I would strongly suggest a hybrid rather than an EV, even in 2024.
Your requirement for a real hatchback rear gate (i.e. not a Prius) and under 65" narrows your options significantly in North America (much more so than in Europe).
The small hybrid crossovers/SUVs are all a smidge over 65": Toyota Venza, Honda CR-V, Volvo XC60, Audi Q5, etc. The exception is the Subaru Crosstrek, which is 63". I'm sure they're all incredibly boring and fine.
If it's in budget, I would look closely at the Volvo V60 hybrid wagon. Wagons rule. This is what I would pick.
If you'd consider used, and you decide you just need something to tide you over for a couple of year while EV options and EV infrastructure improves, I love the Prius V (RIP).
posted by caek at 4:32 PM on October 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
Your requirement for a real hatchback rear gate (i.e. not a Prius) and under 65" narrows your options significantly in North America (much more so than in Europe).
The small hybrid crossovers/SUVs are all a smidge over 65": Toyota Venza, Honda CR-V, Volvo XC60, Audi Q5, etc. The exception is the Subaru Crosstrek, which is 63". I'm sure they're all incredibly boring and fine.
If it's in budget, I would look closely at the Volvo V60 hybrid wagon. Wagons rule. This is what I would pick.
If you'd consider used, and you decide you just need something to tide you over for a couple of year while EV options and EV infrastructure improves, I love the Prius V (RIP).
posted by caek at 4:32 PM on October 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
For reference, the Hyundai Ioniq5 is just slightly too large/tall to be ideal for us, though meets many of the other criteria.How about the Ioniq 6, then? (Although that's technically a sedan, despite looking like a hatchback.)
posted by kickingtheground at 6:00 PM on October 16, 2022
Kia Niro HEV seems to be a good fit....
posted by lalochezia at 7:56 PM on October 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by lalochezia at 7:56 PM on October 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: The Ioniq 6 looks like I could neither sleep in it nor tow something that I could sleep in, so wouldn’t meet my use case needs?
I test drove a Kia Niro and it felt like an SUV in shape and seemed sluggish or under-powered to drive, but I’ll give it a second look.
The EV6 to Ioniq 5 size comparison is a super helpful, thanks! One of the difficulties I’m having is lack of available models to even look at or test drive in person, so that sort of detail is exactly the sort of info I need.
posted by eviemath at 4:03 AM on October 17, 2022
I test drove a Kia Niro and it felt like an SUV in shape and seemed sluggish or under-powered to drive, but I’ll give it a second look.
The EV6 to Ioniq 5 size comparison is a super helpful, thanks! One of the difficulties I’m having is lack of available models to even look at or test drive in person, so that sort of detail is exactly the sort of info I need.
posted by eviemath at 4:03 AM on October 17, 2022
Golf sportwagon? It has 2000 lbs towing, it's long enough to sleep in, gets good mileage (sadly not hybrid), the cabin feels like a car. The wheelbase is a bit longer than a sedan, but it's definitely not an suv.
posted by Dashy at 5:19 AM on October 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Dashy at 5:19 AM on October 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you're required range is at least 400mi (~640km) then I think that limits you to a hybrid or some PHEVs - even our Hyundai Tuscon PHEV only has a (gas + EV) range of about 550km. One of the longest range EVs is the Tesla, which the long range version model 3 gives you about 500-550km.
Unfortunately the North American market is moving towards larger vehicles (read: SUV) in a big way. The only vehicle I can think of that might tick all your boxes is the Volvo V60 PHEV, but that is going to cost you north of $60K.
With regards to EV/PHEVs, bear in mind there are a lot of new offerings on the horizon, but these are more likely to turn up in 2025 since the next two years the manufacturers seem to be playing a bit of catchup...
posted by piyushnz at 8:53 AM on October 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
Unfortunately the North American market is moving towards larger vehicles (read: SUV) in a big way. The only vehicle I can think of that might tick all your boxes is the Volvo V60 PHEV, but that is going to cost you north of $60K.
With regards to EV/PHEVs, bear in mind there are a lot of new offerings on the horizon, but these are more likely to turn up in 2025 since the next two years the manufacturers seem to be playing a bit of catchup...
posted by piyushnz at 8:53 AM on October 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Timelines for when to expect things are also helpful, thanks! That’s another category of detail that I’ve had a hard time finding.
posted by eviemath at 9:53 AM on October 17, 2022
posted by eviemath at 9:53 AM on October 17, 2022
Ford Maverick - small truck and very fuel efficient as PHEV
Kia Niro hybrid is very reasonable, we just got 2017 and it gets 53Mpg and 600 miles of range on a single tank. The 2023 model looks much nicer and should also improve on the stellar mpg.
posted by radsqd at 10:35 AM on October 17, 2022
Kia Niro hybrid is very reasonable, we just got 2017 and it gets 53Mpg and 600 miles of range on a single tank. The 2023 model looks much nicer and should also improve on the stellar mpg.
posted by radsqd at 10:35 AM on October 17, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by FishBike at 10:54 AM on October 16, 2022