With small families rapidly ditching the good old sedan for roomy yet compact SUVs, trying to figure out which one to buy can be a tough job.
The reason for that is, they’re all pretty good at what they do, and as Kelley Blue Book points out in their 2017 compact SUV comparison, “the right choice for one buyer is the wrong choice for another.”
While none of the six SUVs tested here were bad, some did disappoint when comparisons started flowing. For example, the Chevy Equinox and Toyota RAV4 aren’t high on interior quality, unlike the Mazda CX-5.
Speaking of the CX-5, KBB thinks it’s the most exciting SUV present during this test, which means that you’d have more fun driving it than you would the previously-mentioned Equinox and RAV4, but also the Sportage, CR-V and Compass.
In the end, even though an overall winner wasn’t named, you will get the sense that the 2017 Honda CR-V might be the SUV to beat if you’re trying to buy the absolute best car for the money. To be safe, we’ll put the CR-V and CX-5 on top as a one-two punch, followed by the Kia Sportage, previously named KBB’s compact SUV best buy of 2017.
The Compass is a bit tricky to analyze, especially since it’s not as big as all the others, but if you really fancy taking your SUV off-road, the Jeep might be the one for you.
Now, which one would you opt for?