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Comparison review: eight compact SUVs (Introduction)
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How does the strong-selling 2009 Ford Escape stack up against seven
competitors? Find out over the next week!
Combining practicality with value and fuel efficiency with all-weather security, the compact SUV has proven itself a winner as a substitute for a standard car. Three such vehicles were among the sixteen best-selling vehicles in the country last month.
These best-sellers – the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and Toyota RAV4 – are not trucks. They’re effectively tall compact station wagons that try to give up little in comfort, refinement, or fuel economy to a midsize family sedan even as they add generous cargo space and all-wheel-drive.
There are trucks, too, that compete with these car-based SUVs. Vehicles like the Kia Sorento, Jeep Liberty, and Nissan Xterra are the same size and shape, but make distinct tradeoffs in ride quality, handling, and fuel economy in favor of heavy-duty towing and off-road use. The all-wheel-drive and higher-than-car ground clearance of the Honda CR-V and its ilk should be more than enough capability for most situations – stick with that sort of vehicle if you can.
But which one?
Which compact car-based SUV is the most practical, which the most fun? Which is the most fuel-efficient, which is the most comfortable and refined? Which is the safest? And which one is the overall best value, the best combination of those virtues?
To help answer that question, your D.C. Car Examiner drove the three best-sellers plus five of their top competitors, all priced in the low $20,000s with 4-cylinder engines and all-wheel-drive.
Over the next week, you’ll find reviews of each of them in this space describing what each has offered for the money. You’ll see those eight cars ranked from worst to best, based on comfort, refinement, and driving dynamics; based on safety ratings; and based on the cost to buy and the cost to operate. You'll also see local real-world pricing, not just sticker prices. [See note on pricing*]
Check back each day to see the ranking emerge, and next Monday you’ll see which of the eight compact SUVs deserves the highest spot on your shopping list. And have a look at some introductory information on the eight cars below in today's slideshow below the article.
Coming up tomorrow: Eighth place
| Sunday, April 12: | Introduction |
| Monday, April 13: | Eighth Place |
| Tuesday, April 14: | Seventh Place |
| Wednesday, April 15: | Sixth Place |
| Thursday, April 16: | Fifth Place |
| Friday, April 17: | Fourth Place |
| Saturday, April 18: | Third Place |
| Sunday, April 19: | Second Place |
| Monday, April 20: | First Place |
| Tuesday, April 21: | Conclusion |
*Note on pricing: when possible, the vehicles tested for this review were comparably equipped. It wasn't always possible. All are 4-cylinder SUVs with automatic transmissions, but some have more options than others, which inflate the price tag.
The target for these eight was to have all-wheel-drive, cloth seat trim, power windows/locks/mirrors, cruise control, and all available safety features. Some dealerships would provide only front-wheel-drive vehicles (the driving dynamics are nearly identical to the AWD versions on dry pavement), and equipment on the eight tested vehicles ranged from crank windows to leather seats. Any discrepancies will be noted as they appear to ease comparison of the vehicles.
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