Video: $28,000 Compact SUV Challenge

Now this is one of the most popular segments in the market and so we've 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 you care most about may not be the overall points winner. In first place was the 2015 Honda CR-V. The judges liked it's 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 backseat in the graceful sequence of head restraints, cushions and backrests. The CR-V's 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 CR-V's remaining flaws however. The door trim, in particular, remains econobox quality. Just one sign of a dated interior compared to the rest. But the biggest crime is the CR-V's multimedia system. While the new infortainment system is a little easier to use than before it's come with the elimination of all knobs and although many judges liked the CR-V's CVT several found it to be sluggish and handling for the vehicle only adequate. In second place was the 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. GM fielded two vehicles in the Equinox and it's GMC Terrain cousin and those cars shared an advantage over must of the rest 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 width makes it feel a half size larger and those seats have limo-like rear space with a sliding and reclining backseat, no seat hump 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 Equinox's ride also won near universal praise. It absorbs bumps very well, offering a smooth ride without sloppy handling. But the Equinox wasn't always a smooth player. That ride is great over smooth roads but some judges found the suspension quite harsh over rough roads. The Equinox is one of the oldest SUV's in this 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 enter 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 too. In third place was the Equinox's 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 it's own achievements too. The rugged look was one of them. The Terrain stands out stylistically and in addition, to having big seats only the GM SUV's have good seating height. Taller 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 Terrain still manages to have a decent sized 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 it's rugged looks with performance even though both GM SUV's 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 it's accolades, the Terrain shares some of the same complaints that it's Equinox sibling got. It's heavy, lumbering and has poor visibility. In fourth place was the 2015 Nissan Rogue. The judges liked all the features in the Rogue, including things like, an around view monitor that kicks butt when it comes to squeezing into and out of tight parking spaces. The Rogue also came with a power lift gate, a blind spot warning system, lane departure warning and moving object detection. In the cargo area, has an embarrassment of riches with movable partitions, stackable shelves and lots of hidden under floor storage. Of course, it's not just about features the Rogue's handling was confident and steering was precise and it was pretty quiet both in terms of road and wind noise and engine noise. Some judges however, disliked the Rogue's groaning CVT. While others found the Rogue's otherwise competent chassis loses composure on broken pavement. One judge to 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 two 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 it's heavy all-weather floor mats and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. The Forester's Eyesight System, Subaru's new crash avoidance system, had it's fans as well and some liked the value proposition Subaru brought to the table. Only about $800 dollars separated the most expensive and least expensive SUV's in our test and so for similar cash as the others the Forester brought all-wheel drive, a giant moon roof and Subaru's Eyesight System into the picture. Although Eyesight is cutting edge the same can't be said for the Forester's entertainment options. The retro infortainment system is complicated to operate and the sound quality some judges found muddy and while it seems more solid than the previous generation the Forrester still doesn't feel rugged at all. The 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. The RAV4 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 RAV4 was probably the best in the test at delivering both a good ride quality and decent handling. Some like the car's center controls which held a wealth of features like dual zone automatic climate control to a touch free 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 RAV4's ride was and that the cargo area was enormous enough for a car that's not particularly large on the outside. However, while the cargo area's huge many judges found that up front there's not a lot of cabin storage. Some felt that although Toyota had spruced up the dash with a ribbon of stitching they felt the automaker had kinda phoned it in everywhere else from rickety 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's quickness. Mazda's beefy four cylinder won't fool anyone for a V6 but it pairs with a responsive automatic transmission to turn into a capable highway passer. The handling felt tied down and more like a sudan than a tall crossover. Meanwhile, the interior quality also drew raves. The backseat was plusher than many of the others and the interior layout was refreshingly simple but that quickness led to other issues. Power aside, the CX-5 was not a slam dunk in the fun department. The steering is weighty and somewhat numb in the trade off for it's handling is a ride that some will find too 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. (trunk slamming)