The Most Reliable, Fuel-efficient Small SUVs You Can Buy New, According to Consumer Reports – Jalopnik

So you want a crossover that isn’t too big, but still gets good gas mileage and should be quite reliable? The good news is: you have options. Lots of options. The bad news is that with so many options, it can be difficult to know where to start. Will you take the risk with something exciting and different, or will you stick with the same Toyota that everyone else buys?

Ultimately, that decision is yours, because you know your specific situation better than anyone. But to help you figure things out, our friend at Consumer Reports recently put together a list of small crossovers that performed well in their independent tests, while also returning at least 28 mpg overall and performing well enough in their owner reliability survey to earn Consumer Reports’ official recommendation.

At the very least, this list should help you narrow down your search, especially since Consumer Reports has divided the list into different categories based on size and price. Let’s see which little crossovers made the cut.

As for the Corolla Cross, it may not be as off-road-ready as the Crosstrek, but all-wheel drive is still standard and it gets pretty good gas mileage numbers, too. Gas mileage gets even better if you can justify buying the hybrid, but neither is particularly fast, and even the nicest version still has a subpar interior. Meanwhile, the Seltos is the budget buy of the three, undercutting both the base Crosstrek and Corolla Cross by several thousand dollars. Four-wheel drive is not standard, but your money is probably better spent on a good set of tires.

As for the X1 and X2, it may be surprising to see them on a list of reliable luxury SUVs, but BMW has been working on their reliability for years and that work is paying off. In fact, the X1 is Consumer Reports’ highest-rated luxury subcompact. The X2, meanwhile, is essentially an X1 with more coupe-like styling and a slightly higher base price. Maybe the style is worth the extra money, but we’d probably stick with the more practical shape of the X1.

That said, the Honda CR-V Hybrid, Kia Sportage Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid, and Hyundai Tucson Hybrid are hot on the Forester’s heels and would be excellent bargains. And because they go together so well, you can pretty much just pick the one you like best. Don’t love the Tucson’s styling? Just buy a Sportage. The Mazda CX-50 Hybrid is the sportier, slightly more expensive choice of this bunch, and the Toyota-sourced hybrid powertrain should be both reliable and economical. And then there’s the Ford Escape Hybrid, which is clearly showing its age but still holds up better than expected against its newer, often more expensive competition.

As for the BMW, the German designers may have beaten the X3 to the ugly stick, but it’s still one of CR’s top-rated luxury compacts. The redesigned X3 also received basically nothing but compliments from reviewers, with the only complaints concerning the controls and BMW’s decision to mount the center vents too low. For a slightly different take on a premium crossover, though, you’ll want to check out the Mini Cooper Countryman. It’s quirky, fun, and it also slightly surpassed its platform mate, the BMW X1, when it comes to reliability. It’s worth at least a test drive.