A leap ahead—Small SUVs road test and videos

For our test group in the August 2008 issue, we drove a half dozen small SUVs. "A leap ahead" features the Jeep Liberty, Kia Sorento, Nissan Rogue, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Subaru Forester. We also took a look at the Dodge Journey, Chrysler’s new midsized, car-based SUV.

As sales of large, gas-guzzling large SUVs have plummeted, interest in small SUVs has remained steady. They can be an appealing choice for families looking for utility, fuel economy, interior room, and all-wheel drive in an affordable package. However, they are not all created equal.

The full road tests from the magazine have been posted at ConsumerReports.org, along with videos from our staff of auto experts. These videos highlight our tests of each vehicle, plus they demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of each model.

Check out the video of the Subaru Forester, our new top-Rated small SUV, plus see the rest of our small SUV videos.

Ratings for all of the SUVs we have tested can be found with our dynamic New Car Selector tool.

—Liza Barth

Comments

[Tkil]

I don't understand how the Forrester surpasses the RAV4.

Price: comparable, especially for higher trim levels.
Power and gas: V6 RAV4 has about 270 HP, vs the XT's 230.
Gas: RAV4 V6 uses regular unleaded, Forrester XT uses premium
Milage: the RAV4 V6 gave you 22mpg; the Forrester XT gave you only 20.
Reliability: The RAV4 has a slight edge here.
Towing: RAV4 V6 is rated for 3500lbs, the XT for 2400.

So, why is the Forrester rated higher? (I don't have a grudge against Subaru at all; my previous car was a 1995 Legacy L Sedan 2.2L, and it served me very well.)

(Also, why isn't "fuel economy" listed on the compare-cars screen?)

[Russ]

The main reason the Subie shines is it's roadability: it combines fine handling and a smooth ride. Toyota builds nice, solid products, but Toyota never gets the handling, steering feel, and road behavior quite right—at least not as right Subaru does.

The Subie also gets right a lot of things that really matter: outward visibility is excellent; the size and shape of the cargo area allows it to hold a bigger box.

A car is not just the sum of its numbers. There's the matter of how it feels when you drive it. Subaru products are driver's cars. They just feel right. And that inspires confidence and security, as the video report reveals.

[Tom Mutchler]

Good question, and it's one we've asked ourselves once the individual scores are all tallied up.

The Forester XT does better than the RAV4 V6 in several non-performance attributes. It rides considerably better and is quieter. The driving position and front and rear seats are more accomodating, visibility is better, and the controls are slightly simpler to use.

In the end, what should be stressed is that both of these are excellent vehicles.

[Tkil]

Russ and Tom --

Thanks for the feedback. I figured that it was in the "less quantifiable" areas that the Forrester outdid the RAV. (I'd question the 5-point difference, but given that my initial reaction to seeing a new Forrester was: "Hey, that looks like a RAV!"...)

The details do make the difference. I'm not surprised that 2+ years gave other companies time to catch up to (and surpass in many areas) Toyota; I'm aware that Subaru is really close to Toyota / Honda on individual models, and is actually the champ w.r.t. "all of our vehicles are CR recommended in their categories". I look forward to having the spare time/money to consider adding a Forrester to our fleet. :)

(To give you a baseline, I drive our 2005 Prius, while the 2006 RAV4 V6 AWD is my wife's baby.)

Anyway. Glad to see that the Forrester has outgrown its confused roots, and that Subaru is still making great cars.

[dwight]

can anyone shed light on repair costs of subarus. I've had several toyotas and know what to expect. don't know what to expect with subarus, especially all wheel drive.

[Brenda]

I too am considering the Forester and would like to know about the 4-wheel drive as I only have experience with 2-wheel drive. I have checked our all of the small SUV's and I keep coming back to the Forester. What I like is that it is roomy and visibility is very good, especially when backing.