Which car?
Subaru solterra
Golf r
Kia Sportage hybrid
Toyota Prius prime
Mazda 3 hatchback awd
Context: going into college in Colorado. I want fun, reliable, and practical. I like to go car camping, but I want it to be fun. Live in Texas. So I’ll have to take it on a 17 hour drive maybe once or twice a year. I would like to take roadtrips in it down the line.
Prius.
Don’t get the solterra
Do you have access to a free charger at college? If not you might want to go standard hybrid instead of PHEV.
I would avoid VW and Kia all around. Subaru is probably fine overall and the Mazda could be ok as well. Obviously I would suggest the Toyota as they are the most reliable, but the AWD game usually goes to Subaru. I don’t have a lot of experience with Subaru so it’s hard to say for sure.
1. Toyota
2. Subaru
3. Mazda
100. Kia
9999999999999. VW (absolutely awful)
Corolla Hatchback maybe? For road trips having the extra space from a hatchback makes sense. It would be more reliable than a Mazda. Not sure how good a hatchback would be for camping though? Maybe a RAV4? It would cost a lot more but there’s a reason it’s the best selling non-pickup in America. Are either of these options fun? Maybe not but they certainly are reliable and practical.
If you are looking for a fun Toyota. GR Corolla could be interesting. It’s expensive though. You mentioned Prius. IMO that’s the nicest looking 2024 Toyota. Not sure if it’s practical but on paper it seems awesome.
Id go with the golf r. Those things are a blast to drive
Ignoring the fact that you’re on a Toyota subreddit, and thus will have biased answers, you might want to be aware of a few things:
1- I have no experience with subaru EVs, but their CEVs are known to have head gasket issues. It’s mostly due to the fact that their cylinder banks are horizontal instead of the V shape that others have. The oil sits in the cylinders, and it causes the gasket to go. If I’m incorrect, feel free to correct me, that’s just what I remember.
2- Kia/anything made by that company are apparently easy to steal, which is being seen by the Kia Boys tiktok trend. Iirc, they don’t have an incapaciter to lock the steering wheel with no key in/in range. Apparently it’s to the point where insurance won’t file the claim. Again correct me if I’m wrong, I’m just parroting what I heard.
Miles and well kept maintenance records on each?
You are going to college and can’t use commas? Interesting.
Why a soltera and Sportage hybrid but no RAV4 hybrid or RAV4 prime?
Personally, I’d go for the Prius because Toyota makes the best hybrids around. I’m all about that fuel efficiency and low total cost of ownership, which Toyota has in spades. Just make sure you do 5,000 mile/6 month oil changes. The 10K oil changes will get you through the warranty, but they’ll damage the car in the long run.
Check out the LTT review of the Prius Prime.
https://youtu.be/eSMa6i6PVAk
Absolutely not the Subaru Single Lady or Kia. Hellllll no to those.
The other 3 are fantastic options, but depends what you want from it most. They’re all pretty different from eachother.
Golf R in manual. Do it
Depending where you are in Colorado, may want to open up to some more awd options, I’ve heard good things about newer Mazda especially with manual. But maybe look into the RAV4? I’d stick with as new as you can get as the 2019 and 2020 rav4s had a few issues that sound like have been resolved. If you were open to used I’d say grab a 2018 rav4 as they’ve been proven on this sub to be extremely reliable