One of the best ways to spend any weekend is to go on a long road trip and discover new places. For adventures like these, it would be hard to beat the convenience of a compact SUV. With better pricing and fuel economy than larger vehicles, these reliable cars can still comfortably seat a small family and offer superior handling.
The compact SUV market is rather large in 2019, so it might be hard to pick out some trustworthy cars from the crowd. However, there are few that stand out this year for their competitive price points and standard and optional features. They include:
2019 Hyundai Tucson
This is a practical SUV with user-friendly technology features, a comfortable and quiet interior, and high reliability rating. This year model, the Tucson discontinues 1.6 L turbocharged engine; the two engine options are now a 2.0 L 4-cylinder and 2.4 L 4-cylinder.
Interior Features
The 2019 Hyundai Tucson can comfortably seat five adults. The back seats are quite spacious and contain two LATCH connectors for baby seats. The interior is also fitted with a 7-inch touchscreen that acts as the main control for the infotainment system, which offers Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.
This model also provides a decent amount of cargo space. Without folding the rear seats, there is 31 cubic feet of cargo space. Folding the seats increases the area to nearly 62 cubic feet!
Reliability and Fuel Consumption
This vehicle offers a five-year/60,000 miles limited warranty and also comes with another ten-year/100,000 miles powertrain limited warranty. It also has decent fuel consumption. With the base engine, the vehicle gets 23 MPG in the city and 30 MPG on the highway.
Safety Features and Retail Price
The 2019 Hyundai Tucson offers with the following safety features: forward-collision warning, driver-drowsiness monitoring, automatic emergency breaking, rear camera, and lane-keep assist.
The lowest trim begins at MSRP $23,000.
2019 Chevy Equinox
The 2019 Chevy Equinox is a simple, fun-to-drive family vehicle with a number of interesting infotainment features. It also boasts great safety features to keep everyone safe on the road.
Interior Features
The 2019 Chevrolet Equinox can seat five adults. Those who opt for the sunroof should know that the back seats lack sufficient headroom. Regardless, the seats are quite comfortable with sufficient support for the back. The infotainment system has a 7-inch touchscreen as standard. There is also a multi-speaker audio system, Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth connectivity.
The space behind the rear seats offers nearly 30 cubic feet of cargo space. Folding the rear seats more than doubles this area—the volume increases to nearly 64 cubic feet.
Performance and Fuel Consumption
Depending on the trim, this car has three engine options from which to choose. The first one is a 170 HP turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. The second one is a 137 HP turbocharged diesel engine. The most powerful of the bunch is a 252 HP turbo engine that is capable of towing up to 3,500 pounds when properly equipped.
The turbocharged diesel engine has the best fuel economy: it boasts 28 MPG in the city and 39 MPG on the highway. The base engine offers 26 MPG in the city and 32 MPG on the highway.
Safety Features and Retail Price
This compact SUV comes with two notable safety features: a Teen Driver System and rearview camera. The Teen Driver System allows parents to set the speed limit and audio volume limit for other drivers. Parents can use a password to make sure that other people don’t change those settings.
The 2019 Chevy Equinox starts at MSRP $23,800.
2019 Honda CR-V
The 2019 Honda CR-V has plenty of space for both passengers and cargo, is comfortable, and has interesting engine choices.
Interior Features
This vehicle can seat five adults comfortably in quality seats with plenty of leg room at the back. The backseats also have two sets of LATCH connectors. The infotainment system is also pretty simple to use with a 7-inch audio display screen that offers Bluetooth connectivity and a USB port. It also comes with a multi-speaker audio system to boot.
The most impressive interior feature, though, is the cargo space. Without folding the rear seats, the 2019 Honda CR-V has nearly 40 cubic feet of space. After folding the rear seats, that volume increases to nearly 76 cubic feet!
Engine Options and Fuel Consumption
The 2019 model comes with CVT transmission as standard. There are two engines offered: a 2.4 L 4-cylinder engine and a 1.5 L 4-cylinder engine. The 2.4 L engine is capable of producing 184 HP. Interestingly, the 1.5 L engines produces more horsepower, 190, and has a faster acceleration because it’s turbocharged.
The base engine offers 26 MPG in the city and 32 MPG on the highway. The faster turbo engine is more fuel efficient, offering 28 MPG in the city and 34 MPG on the highway.
Safety Features and Pricing
Higher trim levels of this car have advanced safety features like lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear parking sensors, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, forward-collision warning, collision mitigation, road-departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control, and automatic emergency braking.
The 2019 Honda CR-V starts at MSRP $24,350.
2019 Ford Escape
The 2019 Ford Escape is one of the best vehicles in its class for it superior offering of impressive tech features and a firm suspension that improves its handling, especially around corners.
Interior Features
This vehicle showcases a beautiful interior that can comfortably fit 5. The seats are covered in quality cloth upholstery, with the option of getting leather-trimmed seats. The back seats have two LATCH connectors for baby safety. The infotainment system especially has some notable features. For starters, drivers can use voice command to control the system, which also features a USB port for mobile charging. The sound system is also amazing—a multi-speaker audio system is standard.
The cargo space after the second row is 34 cubic feet. Folding down the second-row seats increases the space to 68 cubic feet.
Engine Options and Fuel Consumption
The 2019 Ford Escape has something for everyone. The six-speed automatic is standard. Those who prefer power can go for the 2.0 L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine that is capable of producing 245 HP. Those that love to conserve fuel can opt for the 1.5 L turbocharged engine that has 179 HP. The base model comes with 2.5 L 4-cylinder engine that delivers 168 HP.
The high-horsepower engine offers 22 MPG in the city and 29 MPG on the highway. The base model offers 21 MPG in the city and 29 MPG on the highway. The fuel-efficient version offers 23 MPG in the city and 30 MPG on the highway.
Safety Features and Pricing
This SUV has a safety feature known as MyKey, which allows drivers to cap the speed limit and audio volume for other drivers. The rearview camera is also available in all trim levels.
The 2019 Ford Escape base model starts at MSRP $24,105.
2019 Kia Sportage
The 2019 Kia Sportage is a compact SUV with a unique luxurious feel with updated quality upholstery in the cabin.
Interior Features
This vehicle can comfortably seat five adults with seats that provide adequate support for long trips. The reclining second-row seats also have two LATCH connectors. The infotainment system is controlled by a Bluetooth-compatible touchscreen that has a USB port.
The cargo space is also great for most driver’s needs. When the rear seats are up, there is roughly 31 cubic feet of space. The volume increases to a little over 60 cubic feet if the rear seats are folded.
Engine Options and Fuel Consumption
This SUV offers two engines, depending on the trim: 2.4 L 4-cylinder engine that gives out 181 HP and 2.0 L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine that puts out 240 HP.
The base engine model offers up to 24 MPG in the city and 30 MPG on the highway. On the other hand, the turbocharged version offers 21 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on the highway.
Safety Features and Pricing
In higher trim levels, the following safety features are standard: automatic high beams, lane-departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, automatic pre-collision braking, and lane-change assist. The rearview camera is standard across all trim levels.
Pricing starts at MSRP $23,750.
2019 Jeep Cherokee
Jeep revamped the 2019 Cherokee with an improved exterior and a new optional 2 L engine. Jeep has also made the 7-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto standard features.
Interior Features
This SUV seats 5 people comfortably, with seating covered in quality cloth upholstery. Those who opt for the sunroof should know that this version has a slanted roof, which means the headroom may be limited for rear passengers. The two LATCH connectors at the rear seats are quite easy to use. In fact, the set-up gets a high rating from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The cargo space is also adequate. With the rear seats up, passengers get 25.8 cubic feet of space. Folding down the seats increases that to 54.7 cubic feet.
Performance and Fuel Consumption
Depending on the trim level, the 2019 Jeep Cherokee has three engine options: 2.4 L 4-cylinder engine that releases 180 HP, a new 2.0 L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine with 270 HP, and a 3.2 L V6 with a rating of up to 271 HP.
The V6 engine offers 20 MPG in the city and 29 MPG on the highway. The base model offers 22 MPG in the city and 31 MPG on the highway. The new 2 L version has better fuel consumption—it offers 23 MPG in the city and 31 MPG on the highway.
Safety Features and Pricing
This SUV has parking sensors and a rearview camera available in all trim levels.
The vehicle starts at MSRP $25,045.
2019 Mazda CX-5
The 2019 Mazda CX-5 is one of the most responsive compact SUV vehicles. It makes turns fairly easy when compared to other compact SUVs. This year, Mazda included a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and a turbo diesel one. The company has also introduced new additional features: 360-degree parking camera, ventilated front seats, and front and rear parking sensors.
Interior Features
The 2019 CX-5 has a classy interior, with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and Nappa leather upholstery available. The vehicle accommodates five passengers and has two LATCH connectors at the rear seats.
The infotainment system is quite impressive. There is a 7-inch touchscreen with two USB ports and Bluetooth connectivity; drivers can control it all with voice command. HD radio is also standard across all trim levels.
This compact SUV offers 30.9 cubic feet of space when all the seats are up. That increases to 59.6 cubic feet after folding down the rear seats.
Engine Options and Fuel Economy
This Mazda model has 3 engine options: 2.5 L 4-cylinder engine with 187 HP, 2.5 L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine, and 2.2 L turbo diesel engine with 168 HP. The new 2.5 L turbocharged engine is pretty special; properly fueled, it is rated up to 250 HP.
The 2019 Mazda CX-5 can offer up to 25 MPG in the city and 31 MPG on the highway.
Safety Features and Pricing
The 2019 Mazda CX-5 has made the following safety features: low-speed automatic braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a rearview camera.
Pricing starts at MSRP $24,450.
2019 Jeep Wrangler
The 2019 Jeep Wrangler is a powerful compact SUV with amazing off-road capabilities.
Interior Features
The two-door Wrangler seats 4 people while the four-door trim has enough seating space for five passengers. The interior is made up of durable materials that are easy to clean and maintain. The rear seats also have two sets of LATCH connectors. The infotainment system includes a touchscreen with Bluetooth connectivity and auxiliary ports. It also comes equipped with a multi-speaker audio system.
The two-door Wrangler comes with nearly 13 cubic feet of space when rear seats are up and almost 47 cubic feet when they are down. The four-door Wrangler provides nearly 32 cubic feet of space when rear seats are up and a little more than 72 cubic feet of space when the seats are down.
Engine Options and Fuel Economy
There are two engines, depending on the trim and package: one is a 3.6 L V6 engine with up to 285 HP. The other option is a 2.0 L 4-cylinder engine with up to 270 HP.
The 2019 Jeep Wrangler is rated up to 23 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on the highway.
Safety Features and Pricing
Some of the higher trim levels have the following safety features: rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, cross traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, and forward-collision warning. The rearview camera is available across all trim levels.
The pricing starts at MSRP $28,045.
2019 Subaru Forester
The 2019 Subaru forester offers passengers one of the smoothest rides that they will ever experience. It also has an infotainment system that’s fairly easy to operate. It also offers all-wheel drive across all trim levels.
Interior Features
The 2019 Subaru Forester can comfortably seat five adults. Concerned parents should know that it also has an easy-to-use LATCH system that gets a Good+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The infotainment system responds fairly quickly to the touch and offers Satellite and HD radio.
Depending on the build and model, there is a over 35 cubic feet of space when the rear seats are up. After folding them, the volume increases to over 76 cubic feet.
Engine Options and Fuel Economy
This Forester has only one available engine: a 2.5 L 4-cylinder engine with a rating of up to 182 HP. It’s all fairly efficient, too: it is rated up to 26 MPG in the city and up to 33 MPG on the highway.
Safety Features and Pricing
The 2019 Subaru Forester has the following safety features: adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking system, rearview camera, lane-departure warning, and lane-keep assist.
Pricing starts at MSRP $24,295.
2019 Porsche Macan
The 2019 Porsche Macan has one of the best handling capabilities on the compact SUV market. This year, Porsche made a few changes to the exterior and interior to make it even more appealing. For those who love speed and power, the company introduced a new turbo V6 engine for the Macan S.
Interior Features
Dripping with luxury, the 2019 Macan features partial leather to seat five people. The available infotainment system offers a 10.9-inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi hotspot, four USB ports, navigation, satellite radio, voice control, Bluetooth connectivity, and a generous multi-speaker stereo.
The 2019 Porsche Macan provides 17.6 cubic feet of space with the rear seats up. The total volume after folding the second-row seats is 52.9 cubic feet.
Engine Options
The base engine is a 2.0 L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine with 248 HP. There is also a 3.0 L V6 engine capable rated up to 348 HP.
Safety Features and Pricing
Some highlighted safety features of this compact SUV include: lane-departure warning, parking sensors, and rearview camera.
Pricing starts at MSRP $49,900.
