Three affordable crossovers with all-wheel-drive and generous discounts

Article content

On the two middle Fridays every month, Graeme Fletcher combines manufacturers’ incentives from Unhaggle.com with resale value, dependability and overall ratings to find you the best deal for your money in new cars.

Article content

This week, we look at affordable crossovers with all-wheel-drive. The hot deals are on the 2019 Chevrolet Trax 1LT, Hyundai Kona Preferred 2.0 and Mitsubishi RVR SE.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Three affordable crossovers with all-wheel-drive and generous discounts Back to video

2019 Chevrolet Trax 1LT All Wheel Drive

Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $27,400
Chevrolet Canada Incentive*: $5,100
Unhaggle Savings: $500
Total Savings: $5,600
Mandatory Fees (Freight, Govt. Fees): $1,905
Total Before Tax: $23,705
After its overhaul in 2017, the Chevrolet Trax has no significant changes heading into 2019. The cabin is anchored by Chevrolet’s MyLink infotainment system with a seven-inch touchscreen. It works with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and offers a Wi-Fi hotspot along with OnStar. While nicely attired and decently equipped with comfortable front seats, when compared to most in the segment, the interior is beginning to show its age.

Article content

The rear seat accommodates two adults with decent comfort, although some may find headroom a little tight. The cargo capacity measures 530 litres with the seats up and 1,371 litres with them folded.

It requires the True North package be added to the LT to get blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and rear park assist among other things. It carries a $3,595 premium, but is currently being discounted to $2,295.

The Trax arrives with a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It twists out 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque and drives all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. The all-wheel-drive system powers the front wheels, but it can send up to 85 per cent of the drive to the rear wheels when required, which provides better stability. It also splits the power evenly front-to-rear on a fast takeoff, which dispenses with unwanted wheelspin.

Article content

The Trax runs to 100 kilometres an hour in a slow-ish 10.5 seconds and has a posted average fuel economy of 9.1 litres per 100 kilometres. Chevrolet does not list a towing capacity.

The Trax has great maneuverability in a city environment and the ride quality is good on smooth roads. The downside is it gets choppy when the tarmac is less than perfect, the steering has a numb on-centre feel and there’s a fair amount of road noise at highway speeds.

The Chevrolet Trax 1LT arrives with a generous combined Unhaggle discount of $5,600 and pre-tax price of $23,705.

2019 Hyundai Kona 2.0 All Wheel Drive

$24,849

$1,000

$250

Article content

$1,915

$25,514

Introduced last year, the Hyundai Kona continues unchanged for 2019. While there is a lot of plastic in the cabin, the Kona still gets high marks for its fit, finish and overall ambience. It also features a seven-inch touchscreen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Move rearward and there’s enough room for a pair of adults and decent cargo space. With the seats up there’s 544 litres, and that grows to 1,296 litres with the seats folded.

Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert is standard on the featured Preferred model. To get forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and auto-braking and driver attention warning requires the Luxury model, which carries a $2,750 Premium.

The Kona Preferred comes with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder that produces 147 hp and 132 lb.-ft. of torque. It works with a six-speed automatic transmission to drive all four wheels (a $2,000 option over front-drive). The combination is, in spite of the numbers, surprisingly peppy. It’s brisk off the line and it merges with faster traffic without screaming.

Under normal driving conditions, the all-wheel-drive powers the front wheels, but can send up to 50 per cent of the drive rearward when needed. It’s also smart — on hard acceleration it automatically sends 30 per cent of the power rearward to prevent front wheel slip, and there’s a lock mode for those trying times.

Article content

The Kona Preferred runs to 100 km/h in 8.1 seconds and it has a posted average fuel economy of 8.6 L/100 km. Towing is not recommended.

While the suspension is taut, it delivers decent ride comfort, and when pressed into a corner, the amount of body roll is limited to a few degrees. Likewise, the reaction to steering input is quick — for those who like more weight in the steering wheel, select Sport mode.

The Hyundai Kona Preferred 2.0 has a sticker price of $25,514 after the combined Unhaggle discount of $1,250 is applied.

2019 Mitsubishi RVR SE AWC CVT

Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $26,998
Mitsubishi Canada Incentive*: $2,655
Unhaggle Savings: $500
Total Savings: $3,155
Mandatory Fees (Freight, Govt. Fees): $1,935
Total Before Tax: $25,778
After minor revisions last year, the Mitsubishi RVR SE stands pat for 2019. It has comfortable heated cloth seating, automatic climate control, Bluetooth and a seven-inch infotainment screen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The downside is the industrial nature of the plastic found throughout. There is enough legroom for a pair of adults in the back seat; taller riders will find the headroom tight. The cargo space measures 614 litres with the seats up and 1,402 litres folded then folded flat.

Article content

To get blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert requires moving up to the SE LTD, which bumps the price by $2,000. To add forward collision warning with auto-braking and pedestrian detection and lane departure warning requires the GT AWC Premium — a price jump of $6,300 over the featured SE AWC.

The RVR arrives with a 2.0-litre inline-four that makes 148 horsepower and 145 lb.-ft. of torque. It drives all four wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) — it tends to make the engine drone under hard acceleration. The larger 2.4-litre engine with 168 hp and a CVT with paddle shifters found in the GT is a much better option.

The RVR has a solid all-wheel-drive system with two-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive auto and lock modes. Under normal driving conditions, auto mode sends the power to the front wheels, but can send up to 50 per cent of the power rearward when needed. A big plus is the RVR’s strong powertrain warranty — 10 years or 160,000 kilometres.

Article content

The RVR accelerates to 100 km/h in 9.9 seconds and has a posted average fuel economy rating of 9.2 L/100 km. Towing is not recommended.

The RVR’s compliant suspension delivers a cushioned ride under normal driving conditions. However, body roll shows up when pushed through a corner and it feels skittish if the road deteriorates mid-corner. No complaints with the steering feel.

The Mitsubishi RVR SE arrives with a combined Unhaggle discount of $3,155 and a sticker of $25,778.

The Verdict

Transport Canada lists one recall (#2019194) for the Chevrolet Trax. It states, “On certain vehicles, a joint in the front lower control arms could break due to poor welds. This could cause a loss of steering control.” Dealers will inspect the front lower control arm assemblies and replace if necessary. There are no recalls listed for the Hyundai Kona or Mitsubishi RVR.

Article content

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gives the Chevy Trax 1LT Good scores in all crash tests except the small passenger-side offset where it gets an Acceptable. It has a Basic for forward collision prevention and an Acceptable for headlight performance.

The Hyundai Kona Preferred has Good crash results for all tests, a basic for forward collision prevention and a Poor for headlight performance. Ironically, the top Ultimate model is a Top Safety Pick+ because it comes with forward collision warning with auto braking and active LED projector headlights.

The Mitsubishi RVR SE has an Acceptable rating for the small driver-side offset test and a Marginal for the small passenger-side offset test. It has Good ratings for the other crash tests, a Basic for forward collision prevention and another Poor for headlight performance.

The projected resale value of these entry-level luxury crossovers in 2022, after being driven an average of 20,000 km/year, is $11,050 for the Chevrolet Trax 1LT, $10,400 for the Hyundai Kona Preferred and $11,000 for the Mitsubishi RVR SE.

Picking the hot Unhaggle deal this week was a no-brainer — the Hyundai Kona is the classiest of the trio with its rich content, decent road manners and a wide array of models including an all-electric derivative.