Cars.com's $25,000 Compact SUV Shootout

Bru

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I know we have a lot of members with small families so I wanted to post up our comparison of six small SUVs. Our requirements were that the SUV must be less than $25,000 and rated 30 mpg or better on the highway.

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Overview of our testing procedures is here: SUV - New SUVs - Cars.com

Here are the players:

2012 Chevrolet Equinox
2013 Ford Escape (all-new)
2012 Honda CR-V (all-new)
2012 Hyundai Tucson
2012 Kia Sportage
2013 Mazda CX-5 (all-new)

And the winner is ... CR-V. Click through the links to read about results, testing, etc.

Results are here:
SUV - New SUVs - Cars.com

And the testing routine we put these SUVs through:

We tested the six SUVs on roads spanning the Chicago area, putting them through three days of testing:

  • A 200-mile drive, ranging from urban driving to wide-open interstate driving.
  • One day of expert round-robin testing, where our five experts drove the SUVs over the same course again and again to experience differences in ride, handling, acceleration, braking, etc.
  • Finally, one day with an in-market family of four that's looking for a compact SUV to replace their aging car.
 

Fish

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The interior and feel seemed blah. Then again. You can only get so many assumptions in a car where you cannot play around with stuff.

She ended up getting the equinox. I drove it to pick up my tv. It was nice. I'm sure I'd feel different about the Honda as well. I actually liked the Hyundai the best at the show.
 

Bru

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The interior and feel seemed blah. Then again. You can only get so many assumptions in a car where you cannot play around with stuff.

She ended up getting the equinox. I drove it to pick up my tv. It was nice. I'm sure I'd feel different about the Honda as well. I actually liked the Hyundai the best at the show.

Hyundai has features for the money locked down but the CR-V is massive on the inside and by far the most comfortable to drive. It also got the second best gas mileage next to the Mazda. You're right that the interior quality is meh, it's inconsistent, but the CR-V's usefulness and size for the money combined with great MPG is impressive. The in-market family with two kids that participated also chose the CR-V.
 

Burtonrider10022

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Hyundai has features for the money locked down but the CR-V is massive on the inside and by far the most comfortable to drive. It also got the second best gas mileage next to the Mazda. You're right that the interior quality is meh, it's inconsistent, but the CR-V's usefulness and size for the money combined with great MPG is impressive. The in-market family with two kids that participated also chose the CR-V.


You should look at the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. I got my 2011 SE 4WD for under $22k. Automatic HIDs, heated seats, rain sensing wipers, bluetooth, pushbutton start/prox. key entry, paddle shifters ( :rofl: you know, for all that powahhh) and a bunch of other stuff. I am VERY happy with it, and since they reflashed my ECU to the updated software I've been averaging over 31 MPG mixed. Yup, combined MPGs over the EPA estimates for highway. ( I do have a K&N drop in tho, and it made a noticable difference). My only complaint is that, yes, it is under powered.



Just a suggestion :dunno:
 

Bru

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The way the Escape is priced and features/engines bundled, $25,000 doesn't get you a lot of Escape for the money. There were also fundamental problems with the car that we didn't care for compared to the other cars. Pricier Escapes are nice, though, but cost $30,000.
 

jason05gt

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The way the Escape is priced and features/engines bundled, $25,000 doesn't get you a lot of Escape for the money. There were also fundamental problems with the car that we didn't care for compared to the other cars. Pricier Escapes are nice, though, but cost $30,000.

The CRV has a carryover powertrain with a 5 speed which keeps costs down.
 

Bru

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The S model we tested had the carryover engine and transmission from the 2012 Escape. The only options Ford makes available on the base S for less than $25k are Sync, floor mats and cargo protector. The next trim level up unlocks all the cool features and ecoboost engine, but it was above our $25,000 price range.
 

jason05gt

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The S model we tested had the carryover engine and transmission from the 2012 Escape. The only options Ford makes available on the base S for less than $25k are Sync, floor mats and cargo protector. The next trim level up unlocks all the cool features and ecoboost engine, but it was above our $25,000 price range.

I didn't know that the Escape previously had a 6 speed automatic.
 

Bru

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I was supposed to test the Grand Sport earlier in the year, including time at Road America, but a journalist banged it up and the loan was cancelled. I don't think we'll see one anytime soon since they gave us the 427 Convertible recently.
 
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