America’s New Top Models

Smaller and taller is apparently the way the auto industry is headed these days. Based on first-quarter 2014 sales, compact mainstream crossover SUVs have become the auto industry’s most popular segment, taking a substantial 16.27 percent of the new-vehicle market according to registrations tracked by IHS Automotive in Southfield, Mich. These small and tall rides have now replaced sedans, which reigned as top sellers for more than a decade, as the leading vehicular genre. “The traditional four-door sedan provides the combination of size, functionality and range of features that appeals to the American family,” says IHS Automotive consultant Tom Libby. “Yet, since the launch of the Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 in the mid-90s, crossovers have continually gained traction with the U.S. consumer, while minivans, station wagons and frame-based SUVs have retreated.” Compact crossover models tend to afford more in the way of practicality than small sedans, with a larger and taller cargo hold and added rear-seat head- and legroom. They typically offer more nimble handling than larger midsize and full-size SUVs and are easy to park on crowded city streets, with decent acceleration and appropriately frugal fuel economy. Typical buyers include singles, new parents and empty nesters. In fact four of the top 20 selling vehicles overall are now compact crossovers according to Autodata in Woodcliff Lake, N.J., with stalwarts like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox and Toyota RAV4 leading the pack. Among the up-and-comers this year is the stylish new Jeep Cherokee, which IHS Automotive says is outselling its predecessor, the Liberty, by more than five fold. A redesigned Nissan Rogue, newly available with a third row seat, debuted last fall, and saw its sales rise by more than half; demand is so great Nissan kept the previous generation model in the lineup - now named the Rogue Select - as a price leader. As of this writing, registrations for the 2014 Forester are up by 75 percent. Priced in the “sweet spot” of the new-vehicle market at around $23,000-$30,000, most compact crossovers come powered exclusively by fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines, though the Equinox and the Jeep Cherokee still offer a V6 for those who prefer added acceleration. Unlike traditional body-on-frame rear/four-wheel-drive truck-based SUVs, crossovers are essentially tallish small front-drive hatchbacks with all-wheel-drive optional for added traction on wet or snowy roads; a few, like the Cherokee, can be equipped with more-sophisticated AWD systems that enable them to traverse off-road trails. Clever features abound in this segment. Both the Escape and Cherokee offer an optional self-parking feature that automatically steers the vehicle into a space with the driver only modulating the brake pedal. The former features a handy power liftgate that’s operated by waving a foot under the rear bumper, while the latter can be equipped with a wireless charging station for portable electronic devices. Meanwhile, the CR-V comes standard with a Bluetooth hands-free phone interface that allows users to have text messages read aloud through the audio system and stream Pandora Internet radio tunes via compatible smartphones. Most models can be equipped to near-luxury levels complete with heated leather seats. Meanwhile, the latest accident avoidance technology is likewise making its way into this segment, with several models now including adaptive cruise control, automatic pre-collision braking, lane departure and/or blind-spot warning systems. And at that, shoppers can expect to find a growing assortment of even smaller crossover models hitting showroom floors in the coming months. Subcompact-sized models like the tall and tiny BMW X1, Buick Encore, Fiat 500L, MINI Countryman and the Nissan Juke are already winning over buyers, and the burgeoning segment is expected to more than double in the coming years. A wave of new subcompact models debuting for the 2015 model year include the Audi Q3, Chevrolet Trax, Honda HR-V and Jeep Renegade, among others.