2013/2014 Compact Crossover Comparison
Ford Escape SE vs. Mazda CX-5 vs. Subaru Forester 2.5 Touring vs. Toyota RAV4
No modern family starter kit is complete without a small crossover. On the automotive family evolutionary timeline, these crossovers live somewhere between a single person's sports car and a family's minivan. Young couples adore the sense of maturity and stability they represent. Crossovers can easily carry kids to school, bring groceries home, and still provide enough space for a a weekend Home Depot run. Older couples appreciate the easy ingress, egress, and utility after packing away the child seats for hobbies that require a folding second row.
Small crossovers typically provide more utility than a wagon, better gas mileage than an SUV, and more fun than a big sedan. And sales show no sign of slowing down. Segment sales climbed 9.3 percent in 2012, and all of this year's test vehicles are selling strong. The Toyota RAV4's sales jumped 30 percent last year; the Ford Escape (last year's compact crossover winner) and Subaru Forester had modest increases; and the Mazda CX-5 sold 43,000 units during its first year.
Outside of Santa Barbara, California, we put four such small crossovers to the test, traversing highways, twisty roads, and even a little dirt. Our group consisted of the all-new Subaru Forester 2.5i Touring, which comes standard with all-wheel drive, and front-drive versions of the Toyota RAV4 Limited, the upgraded 2.5-liter Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring, and the reigning champ, the Ford Escape SE 1.6 EcoBoost, which last go-around defeated the Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, CX-5 2.0, and VW Tiguan.
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