Small SUV Comparison Test

Thousand Oaks, Calif. – As this small crossover SUV comparison test is written in Los Angeles, where today’s temperature is expected to reach a balmy 70 degrees, the majority of the United States is experiencing what the excitable weather forecasters at The Weather Channel are claiming is the worst storm to hit the country in 30 years. Chicago’s Lakeshore Drive is littered with abandoned cars and the city is shut down. Parts of Missouri and Indiana are encased in ice. And New England is bracing for yet another right cross from Mother Nature.

At the same time, violence is erupting in Cairo as protesters both for and against president Hosni Mubarek clash with one another, the media, and the army. CNN’s Anderson Cooper has been beaten by the mob, and the army, to this point omnipresent but passive, has begun firing tear gas into the crowds. Crude oil prices are rising over concerns about the Egypt-controlled Suez Canal, which is capable of transferring 2.5 million gallons of oil per day. Disruption here could cause a global spike in the price of gasoline, which in the U.S. is currently averaging $3.10 per gallon, up from $2.67 one year ago.

Clearly, the need for some kind of four-wheel-drive vehicle that gets good gas mileage and has room to comfortably carry a family and their stuff through adverse weather conditions exists. The good news is that during the past 15 years, most car companies have introduced a small crossover SUV (CUV) that meets such requirements.

Effectively replacing the station wagon and the minivan for many American families, the CUV blends the easy drivability of a car with the functionality of a traditional SUV. Crossovers can’t go very far off-road, but since most people want all-wheel drive mainly to deal with crappy weather, that’s not a problem. And since crossovers often adopt the rugged styling cues of authentic off-roaders, driving one doesn’t immediately trigger an identity crisis in its owner. Today, the crossover market runs the gamut from the tiny Mini Countryman to the sizeable Buick Enclave.

We decided to compare four small CUVs to see which of them is worth our recommendation. The Honda CR-V (view photos) and Toyota RAV4 (view photos) were among the first crossover SUVs on the market back in the mid-1990s, and they remain quite popular today, so we made sure to include them. Hyundai has made huge strides in recent years, and is now among the best-selling brands on the market, so it was natural to add the Tucson (view photos) to our roster of players. Finally, Chevrolet’s recently redesigned Equinox (view photos) joined the fray to represent the best of what America is producing in the segment.

Each of our test vehicles came with front-wheel drive, not all-wheel drive, so our test did not include driving in the dirt. Instead, we drove them like you would, loading them up with people and cargo, riding around town, and taking a short road trip on a variety of roads. What we discovered surprised us in some ways, and proved totally expected in others. But what’s most interesting of all is that just half a point (on a scale from 1 to 10) separated the comparison test’s winner from the 4th place model, indicating that while each of the players has specific strengths and weaknesses, there’s not a dud in the bunch.

Small SUV Comparison Test Results

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