Cars.com Reveals Best Subcompact SUV in Segment Challenge

Cars.com has teamed up with MotorWeek and USA Today to determine the segment leader in its Subcompact SUV Challenge. The current lineup of subcompact SUVs on the market was put to the test to determine the best overall performer. With the help of five expert judges and a local Denver couple shopping for a new subcompact SUV, Cars.com evaluated seven of the most popular models: the 2016 Chevrolet Trax, 2016 Fiat 500X, 2016 Honda HR-V, 2015 Jeep Renegade, 2016 Mazda CX-3, 2015 Nissan Juke and the 2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek. After extensive testing, the 2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek earned first place.

“The XV Crosstrek ranked highest with the expert judges and was the favorite of the in-market couple,” said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com’s editor-in-chief. “This subcompact SUV felt like the ‘grownup’ of the group, with an oversized cargo area and a delightfully quiet ride. Overall, it did the best job of packing in impressive, high-tech safety features, ample creature comforts and a great ride for a low price.”

Subcompact SUVs, a fairly new segment that’s growing in popularity, offer car shoppers a cost-effective alternative to more traditional SUVs. “Although automakers are largely marketing these small SUVs to millennials, they are a good alternative for any traditional SUV shopper. Despite their size, they pack in nearly all of the amenities of their larger siblings, and buyers are gravitating toward them,” according to Olsen.

The tests resulted in the following ranking:

1. 2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek
2. 2016 Fiat 500X
3. 2016 Honda HR-V
4. 2016 Mazda CX-3
5. 2015 Jeep Renegade
6. 2015 Nissan Juke
7. 2016 Chevrolet Trax

Cars.com’s regular series of Challenges provides shoppers with transparent, unbiased information about their options within a specific vehicle segment and helps them narrow down their selection based on extensive testing. To compete in the Subcompact SUV Challenge, each vehicle had to come with all-wheel drive as an option and could not be more than $27,000. The testing process included:

• A 205-mile course on varying road types to test each vehicle for real-world MPG
• Round-robin testing, where multiple experts drove each vehicle back-to-back on the same course to test ride, handling, comfort, acceleration and more
• Testing by real-life consumers who are in the market for a new subcompact SUV to evaluate features, cargo space, ride and more

For full results and scoring details on the Subcompact SUV Challenge, or any recent Cars.com multicar comparisons, visit www.cars.com/news.