over the years we've done a lot of challenges but it's rare when we get an
almost entirely new segment
more than half the cars behind me have been on sale for less than a year
this is our sub compact SUV challenge we brought these seven to the mountains of
colorado and testament altitude
here's how they finished at number seven is the 2016 chevrolet trax the track
seems unrefined compared to the rest of the group
not quite ready for prime time still the storage is the best in the group
what do we like about it well the room had a turbocharged engine that was one
of the judges in the groups and also had lots of room and wasted no space in the
tracks of cabin and despite its time dimensions
it's loaded with any nooks and crannies for stashing small items we like the
nice big flat load floor
what didn't we like the poor interior quality i would say it feels quite cheap
one of our family tester said feels like a rental car in this is the top trim the
interior has unconvincing imitation leather cheap looking fake metal trim
and so much hard plastic the cabin practically echoes coming in at number
six was the 2015 nissan juke what we like about it while it moves like a
dagger
it's got sports car moves and the steering feel is outstanding
once that turbo spools up hang on the acceleration is fierce
we also enjoyed the visibility the surround view camera system from the
most useful safety features we've ever used taking the anxiety out of parking
maneuvers and then there's its unique styling it looks like nothing else on
the road and we celebrate its weirdest it's animated frogface styling turns
head
it's still fun and still quirky what didn't we like
well there's that unique styling again as one judge said it's so so ugly
not even like pug dog ugly it's just hideous do we need to say it another
judge asked it hurts the eyes then of course there's the sides of the joke
there should be a sign of the Jewish cargo area that says warning just for
show
they're so little interior space and it's hard to really consider it an SUV
in addition it's noisy whether it's the engine wind noise or tire noise
there is a full on oral assault upon your air is happening at all times
the interior quality is a mixed bag of nice and weird
the juke designers were probably ending for sporting with the cabin but it's far
from it
number five is the 2015 jeep renegade all knew what do we like well it's an
SUV baby the renegade has fantastic styling it's the only vehicle here that
looks and feels like a proper SUV
we like the distinctly jeep styling and design easter eggs
it's more rugged than luxurious it's very cheap we like that we're riding
high
we also had power seating in this price range which most of the competitors
didn't it comes with four wheel drive and the higher step in means that it has
legit off-road potential
it also comes to the mud sand and snow settings which are very helpful in the
Colorado roads that we tested it on what didn't we like
well the renegade felt much slower than the mechanically similar fiat and
acceleration with a struggle
next we found a renegade hard to stop the brake pedal should work when you
press it about the case of the Jeep where the pedal has an unsettling dead
zone when first depressed and finally while we like some of the cheap stuff
there is a lot of jeep stuff all the gimmicky cheap brand reminders
throughout the interior definitely trying too hard to convince you that
this is a real jeep
in fourth place the 2016 mazda CX 3
we liked the way it looked inside and out it had the most stylish interior and
it was the interior that clearly outclassed the others course there's
always mazda zoom zoom
the 6-3 was amazing to drive and one judge said it was far away the most fun
to drive here
surprisingly the visibility was terrific for how small is on the outside our
family tester said I'm surprised by how good the visibility is
and finally we really like the technology inside we like the option of
using the touchscreen a central controller or the steering wheel
controls for most inputs the multimedia systems just right with a decent sized
screen
easy menu structure and clear placement high on the dash
what didn't we like about the 63 well there was a lot of room to go with the
zoom zoom
then there's the battle for the center the central controller and volume knob
or virtually impossible to get you unless you have the armrest out of the
way and that same armrest made getting to the cup holder difficult as well then
we had issues with child seeds families who need to install a rear-facing car
seat to take the 630 after less one judge said a lack of legroom and
installation very difficult and in the end there is a question of the value
proposition
I don't like constantly being reminded every time I Drive it that i could pay
much less for mazda 3 hatchback one judge said and got more space inside a
better ride and had enough money left over to buy multiple sets of snow tires
for the winter
in third place is the 2016 honda hr-v what do we like we like the space and
has a cavernous cargo area which was by far the most practical and it comes to
doing actual crossover like tests such as being able to haul things
the HIV has a low cargo loading height with a wide cargo opening and has an
easy to fold flat back seat
it opens up a lot more room in a snap we like how it drove felt very responsive
in sport mode handles well
feels like it was easily possible and finally there was a lot of family helped
that easy to access latch anchors and ample legroom made it easier to put in
carseat installations
what did we like well we didn't like the lack of knobs bring back the knobs honda
one judge warned the multimedia system is a pain to use and one of our family
tester said I already think it's weird that there's nothing to grab for the
volume
I didn't think it would be awkward just looking at the carbon use it's awkward
then there was the HOA fees and noisy atlas engine the / text four cylinder
CVT combination complete loudly and constantly the noise is excessive and it
fails to deliver much power
when it's making all that racket coming in second with the 2016 Fiat 500x the
500x is a total surprise
it's fun to drive fun to look at aside from a few quirks like weird automatic
window switches
it's just plain fun to be in we're hoping that Fiats historically poor
reliability doesn't sink this fresh funky newcomer
what do we like we like the appearance inside and out
style style style one judge raved it brings a smile to our face when we see
it and were pleasantly surprised
it's fun to drive handling braking acceleration ride our top-notch pop the
500x into sport mode for much-needed kick in the pants and still it feels
planted on the road
we also enjoyed the multimedia system its high on the dash for great
visibility and it features a responsive touchscreen with a simple menu structure
and clear knobs are tuning in volume
still there are things that we didn't like that awful 9-speed automatic
transmission strikes again
it's shifts often feel unpredictable an awkward it's got a noisy fumbling
powertrain and has a cheap switch care
it feels like it's going to fall off we also knocked the 500x for its lack of
storage and pour ce quality then there's the poor ride quality
it's a rough ride for unrewarding handling and it makes you feel like
you're driving over washboard and even the smallest of bumps and it was the
only competitor in our tests that only came with two-wheel drive instead of all
wheel drive
although the all-wheel drive is available and the winner is the 2015
subaru XV crosstrek it was the favorite of our family as well as the judges
what did they like when they like the value proposition the XV crosstrek is
the value leader of the group including both impressive safety features in ample
creature comforts for a low price
we liked all the high-tech safety features for the money and one of our
family testers like that you get heated seats with cloth upholstery the judges
like how easy it was to see how the XV crosstrek thanks to the lower belt line
that was helped also by the tall windows and right height and the ride quality
was one of the wildest rides in the competition and it's hooked up bumps
with ease
what did we like about the x3 crosstrek well it's painfully slow especially in
Hills the transmission has a lag in it and it's definitely not one of the
faster cars in addition it has a noisy CVT quiet it is not the cbt drone is a
problem in the high levels of road and wind noise or intrusive some judges had
problems with the eyesight crash avoidance system finding intrusive while
they were driving others about the multimedia system while better than it
is to be still trails many in the class with it sometimes Tenakee
touch-sensitive panels finally some of the judges found the XV crosstrek dull
they bemoan the uninteresting interior and said that while it may have a ground
clearance and all-wheel drive system that trade to go anywhere its exterior
styling is ready for the shopping mall snore all the specs scores and comments
check out cars com
yeah