Cars.com Ranking of Compact SUVs Puts Volkswagen Tiguan Ahead of the Pack

Today, Cars.com [NYSE: CARS] released the results of its Compact SUV Challenge, which ranks seven of the most popular options in the segment. Competitors for the title of “Best Compact SUV of 2017” were the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, 2017 Ford Escape, 2017 Honda CR-V, 2017 Jeep Compass, 2017 Mazda CX-5, 2017.5 Nissan Rogue and 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan.

“SUVs continue to be increasingly popular among car shoppers, and particularly with families. Seven segment contenders vied against each other in a series of evaluations to determine the best options,” said Jennifer Newman, Cars.com’s editor-in-chief. “It’s been little more than one year since we conducted our last Compact SUV Challenge, but much has changed within the market as several models have been redesigned or updated. In the 2017 Compact SUV Challenge, the Ford Escape, the 2016 Challenge winner — competed against five updated models plus the best-selling SUV in the U.S., the Nissan Rogue.”

For this Challenge, the price requirement was a maximum of $35,000 including all options and destination charges, which yielded primarily all-wheel-drive SUVs – with the exception of the Chevrolet Equinox – and mostly base engines.  Testing resulted in the following ranking:

1.     2018 Volkswagen Tiguan

2.     2017 Honda CR-V

3.     2017 Mazda CX-5

4.     2017 Ford Escape

5.     2018 Chevrolet Equinox

6.     2017.5 Nissan Rogue

7.     2017 Jeep Compass

“The 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan impressed the judges with its roominess and value,” Newman said. “The cargo capability is top of the class, making this small SUV a huge advantage for shoppers concerned about getting the most room for the money. The Tiguan is also a great option for families, earning the highest possible marks in Cars.com’s Car Seat Check.”

Testing took place in the Chicago suburbs where judges drove each car on the same loop for back-to-back impressions. Other areas scored included awarding points for as-equipped crash avoidance technologies including forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, lane departure warning, lane departure steering and lane-centering steering. Plus, ease of child-safety seat installation was evaluated and scored in each SUV.

For more information, including scoring details, photos and videos from the Cars.com Compact SUV Challenge, visit www.cars.com/news.