we're here in Baltimore at the small SUV challenge
this is one of the most popular segments in the market and so we brought in
experts from USA Today motorWeek and even a real life family to drive these
cars and share their impressions
here's how these small family haulers finished because only 80 points separate
number one from number seven
if you're in the market for one of these check out the judges comments very
closely
look for the SUV's that perform best in the areas that you need them to
given how competitive this group is the leader in the area that you care most
about may not be the overall points winner in first place was the 2015 honda
CR-V the judges like its many creature comforts
they loved how much they got for the money including the easy to fold seats
and low load floor
the all-wheel-drive sunroof heated seats and LED lighting all of this from a
brand that's not typically the price leader in addition the release handles
in the cargo area fold the back seat in the graceful sequence of head restraints
and back rests the CRV is continuously variable transmission drew
rave reviews as well and it could fool you into thinking it's a typical
automatic the judges didn't care for the CRV is remaining flaws however the door
trim in particular remains ikana box quality just one sign of a dated
interior compared to the rest
but the biggest crime is the CRVs multimedia system while the new
infotainment system is a little easier to use than before
it's come with the elimination of all knobs and although many judges liked the
CRVs CVT several found it to be sluggish and handling for the vehicle
only adequate in second place was the 2015 chevrolet equinox
GM field at two vehicles in the equinox and it's GMC terrain cousin and those
cars shared an advantage over much of the rest of the class
they're a little bigger and that translates into more space for
passengers something the judges liked a lot
GM's big boy chairs make the other cockpits seem like economy class tickets
it's extra whip makes it feel a half size larger and those seats have limo
like rear space with a sliding and reclining back seat
no see comp and wide doors for easy entry our family testers loved that the
child locks are accessible from the center stack making them possible to
turn on and off whenever needed
the equinoxes ride also one near universal praise it absorbs bumps very
well offering a smooth ride without sloppy handle
but the equinox wasn't always a smooth player that rides great over smooth
roads but some judges found the suspension quite harsh over rough roads
the equinox is one of the oldest SUVs and the space and it definitely showed
that in the interior the interior just doesn't look that rich and there's a lot
of exposed hard plastics in addition the center stack drew criticism the
hodgepodge of buttons below the multimedia system seemed designed by
Picasso
yes it's got a serious shortage of sex appeal and poor visibility hampers the
driving experience
- in third place was the equinoxes corporate cousin 2015 GMC terrain while
the terrain shares many positives with the equinox like big seats and a sliding
second row
it drew some praise for its own achievements to the rugged look was one
of them
the train stands out stylistically and in addition to having big seat
only the GM suvs have good ceiling height eye color adults in the second
row won't have to sit with their knees elevated and even with all the room
given over to passengers the train still manages to have a decent size cargo area
and the deep narrow center console is the biggest in the group definitely
large enough to keep electronics out of sight while you're running errands
judges didn't like the fact that the terrain didn't seem to be able to back
up its rugged looks with performance even though both GM SUVs offered 4g LTE
Wi-Fi connectivity the terrain we tested didn't have bluetooth streaming audio a
pretty basic feature these days and some judges found that inexplicable the
multimedia system in the GMC puts shine over substance pairing a snazzy touch
screen with a lot of confusing buttons below it
as with its accolades the train share some of the same complaints that it's
equinox sibling got its heavy lumbering and has poor visit
30 in fourth place was the 2015 nissan rogue
the judges liked all the features in the road including things like an around
view monitor that kicks but when it comes to squeezing into and out of tight
parking spaces the road also came with a power liftgate a blind-spot warning
system lane departure warning and moving object detection and the cargo area has
an embarrassment of riches with movable partitions stackable shelves and lots of
hidden underfloor storage of course it's not just about features the roads
handling was confident
steering is precise and it was pretty quiet both in terms of road and wind
noise and engine noise some judges however disliked the Rogues groaning CVT
others found the roads otherwise confident chassis lose his composure on
broken pavement one judge took the seats personally someone at Nissan stays up
nights designing seats specifically to hurt my back he said in fifth place was
the 2015 subaru forester the Forester had to clear advantages
one was visibility the other was an all-wheel-drive system that drew lots of
applause
the Forester aims to be sturdy and practical down to its heavy all-weather
floor mats and it doesn't pretend to be anything else
the Foresters eyesight system Subaru's new crash avoidance system and its fans
as well and some like the value proposition and she brought to the table
only about eight hundred dollars separated the most expensive and least
expensive SUVs in our tests and so for similar cash as the others the Forester
brought all wheel drive a giant moon roof and supers eyesight system into the
picture
although I site is cutting-edge the same can't be said for the Foresters
entertainment options
the retro infotainment system is complicated to operate and the sound
quality some judges found money
and while it seems more solid than the previous generation the Forester it
still doesn't feel rugged at all
interior may be easy to clean but a lot of judges found lots and lots of hard
plastic in sixth place was the 2015 toyota rav4 we're at four is not a bad
choice
it's a competent vehicle that's good at everything but not really the best at
any one particular thing
the rap for was probably the best in the test at delivering both a good ride
quality and decent family
some like the car's center controls which held a wealth of features like
dual zone automatic climate control to a touch screen stereo with navigation the
multimedia system was easy to use and quickly paired with phones for audio
streaming as well
several judges applauded how quiet the raft for the ride was that the cargo
area was enormous enough for a car that's not particularly large on the
outside
however while the cargo area is huge many judges found that up front there's
not a lot of cabins storage
some felt that all the Toyota it spruced up the dash with a ribbon of stitching
they felt the automaker kind of phoned it in everywhere else from Ricky climate
dials to a cardboard quality headliner
rounding out the group was the newest model in our challenge the 2016 mazda
cx-5 judges loved the cx-5 quickness
Mazda's be four cylinder won't fool anyone for a v6 but it pairs with a
responsive automatic transmission to turn into a capable highway passer
handling felt tied down and more like a sedan at all cross over
meanwhile the interior quality also drew raves the back seat was pleasure than
many of the others and the interior layout was refreshingly simple but that
quickness led to other issues power side the cx-5 was not a slam dunk in the fund
apartment
steering is weighty and somewhat numb and the trade-off for its handling is a
ride that some will find to firm and as one judge pointed out including a button
that says nav when you do not in fact have navigation is just mean for full
details and all the results be sure to check out cars.com