Hi there,
I'm a sales rep and I drive around 40 thousand kilometers per year. We're doing car allowances now and so I'm looking for something and was wondering if anyone had certain recommendations to look at.
Honestly the biggest thing I'm looking for as I spend so much time on the road is something that is comfortable and quiet. I don't want any kind of sport tuned suspension/ultra low profile tires vehicle, I had one before and it handles well and can be fun to drive, but for the most part on our crappy roads it just ends up jarring you around like crazy and making everything rattle whenever you hit the slightest bump. And good insulation from road noise is nice too, I hate driving in cars where at highway speed you have to turn the music up so loud to hear it.
Reliability is good of course, and AWD would be nice for the snowy climate, but I'm really not sure how big a factor that really ought to be if you get winter tires? Everyone seems to have a different take on that.
I'd like to spend between 30-40 thousand, preferably at the lower end of that range but I can move up towards 40 if it's worthwhile.
I like the look of the KIA Optima and they have the better warranty, but I had a 2011 Forte before and I just found things felt really cheap on it, lots of things rattled, alignment went out quite quickly, etc. The new Chrysler 200's look very good as well and you can get them AWD and with that V6 which seems rare on sedans these days. I had a Ford Fusion as a rental a while back which I thought was a really nice ride as well. I'm reluctant with American cars but maybe the perceptions of poor quality are not justified anymore these days? But I'd like something I can take care of and drive for a while, not just trade in after a couple years. If there's some crossover SUV which you think would be a really good option I'd consider those as well.
I appreciate any advice anyone may have, thanks!