Hello all: i am new to the forum & in the market for a "small" suv or hatch..I live in southern california and have 2 major grades to climb out of (both the cajon pass & the grapevine..My real question is

Does the touring have enough power w/people (say 4) & luggage to get over these passes without doing the right lane barely 55mph with the trucks routine...everything i have read points in the direction of this is a nice vehicle but......thanks in advance to anyone that has hands on experience & is willing to share !!!!

 

I don't see why it wouldn't have enough power. However, if you want a similar vehicle with a more powerful engine, take a look at the Kia Forte hatchback. Similar size to the Touring but with a better engine:

http://www.motortrend.com/auto_shows...oor/index.html

 

I think it depends, to be honest. Our first three weeks with our Touring were a road trip. With our family and gear, probably the equivalent of three well-packed adults (two adults a baby and a car packed to the gills with stuff).

We were definitely pushing the engine in the mountain passes at times, gearing down and revving higher. If you're not comfortable with that, a more powerful car is probably what you want.

We have a couple of steep hills locally, which do see the car gear down at higher speed (~60 mph). I think it's fairly standard four-cylinder performance. But I don't think it's gutless in the sense that you'll have you accelerator floored with little to show for it. The power is there, it just takes a little encouraging.