Help me find a car for the mountains in CO
My current car has been on its last leg for a bit now. I feel ready to move to an electric vehicle. I do live 1.5 hrs west of Denver, in the mountains so need something on the more reliable side. Our weather is anywhere from -15°to 90°. This is what I’m looking for:
- AWD
- Spacious, I’m 6’1, partner is 6’3 and have a big dog.
- Comfortable seats and head room.
- We own a 4Runner TRD for rough trails, but would like to be able to use this car to get to normal trailheads on dirt roads.
- This will be the car we used for road trips, typically no more than 8 hrs away, usually in the winter for skiing. Normally it’s Salt Lake City Area (375 miles) and Jackson Hole (476 miles). Usually it’s just is 3, but sometimes we’ll leave the dog and add up to 2 more adults, total of 4. We’re fine with stopping 2-3 times.
- price: up to $45K, but ideally under $35K. We don’t lease, we buy and keep for 10+ years.
- Fun to drive would be ideal.
- Must have the ability to add a tow hitch, mostly for bike racks.
- Has roof racks for skis.
Ideally, no Kias or Hyundais. I don’t know want to have to tow this car down to Denver and wait 1-3 weeks for the ICCU to be fixed. I know all cars have issues and can break down, but we tend to be more remote than in a city more often. With that said, the area within an hour radius, has a great charging network. The car will not be garaged unfortunately.
What are some cars we should consider? Thank you in advance!