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Unlike a number of segments, the Compact Crossover space has a fairly well-established order. And with no new products in this segment on tap for this year, it’s hard to see this ranking changing too much in the next 12 months or so. Still, the C-CUV is becoming an increasingly important segment, and even if automakers aren’t stealing much share from each other here, all the major models are improving their sales. Could this be the segment where everyone wins?
13 Comments on “Sales: Compact Crossovers, February 2011...”
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This is a funky segment to define. Do you categorize crossovers based on wheelbase, interior space, interior volume, seating capacity, or some other metric?
I’ve had more people cross shopping the Equinox against the Edge than the Escape, but the Edge is a size up from most of the others on this list. The Equinox and Journey sort of fit between the typical compact and midsize crossovers, but I think the 7 passenger seating on the Journey would really push it into the midsize group over the compact.
Similarly, I’ve always considered the Forester to be a step up from the Outback, but a quick peak at Subaru’s pricing shows they don’t think that way. Would you consider the Outback to be a crossover or a wagan, and therefore a sedan?
The old 05-09 Outback was more Wagoney (car with a lift kit) that the Forrester. Since the redesign it has become more of a CUV. There seems to be some overlap in their positioning, but they both sell reasonably well.
I’d like to see the results for Jeeps gruesome twosome of CUVs.
Forester has never been a step-up from Outback. Being based on a lower segment vehicle is not necessarily a guarantee for that. But checking specs and spending at least 2 minutes in the car will tell you all you need.
Acubra –
I’ve never shopped for a Subie, and there are very few sold down here, so very few are traded in, about all I see on the lot are an occasional WRX or Legacy. My thought that Forester > Outback just came from the Forester looking bigger than the Outback, and for most car companies bigger means better.
Nullo – the current Outback is longer and bulkier than the Forester.
OldandSlow –
Yeah, I saw that when I looked up the sizes, to me, it just ‘looks’ bigger, and the previous gen looked bigger than that Outback too. It’s probably just an optical illusion, taller things just seem bigger even if overall they aren’t.
The Outback was on the Legacy platform. The Forester was on the smaller Impreza platform. The Forester had more passenger room than the Legacy though. I couldn’t even comfortably sit behind myself in the previous Legacy, and I’m only 5’10”.
That the new Tucson is so close to the bottom is an embarassment. After a year in production, dealers still have minimal inventory – my dealer has 6, mostly front wheel drive. That, plus the fact that after incentives the Santa Fe is cheaper to buy, makes a hard sell on the Tucson.
I can’t see how the Equinox/Terrain can be considered “compact”. They’re huge especially compared to things like the Escape and the Rav4.
Think of this as the max utility segment. And I suspect, though don’t have stats, that a buyer in this segment is likely to stay within it, because there’s no arguing the value-consumer appeal offered here. If you wonder what killed the station wagon, I’d say it’s this segment. And some of them are decent albeit straight line performers. My brother owns a RAV 4, his is actually a V6, and he claims it’s Toyota’s quickest production car 0-60. Don’t know if that’s true or not, but he is a stealthy BMW terror at stop lights and on entry ramps.
Well, when your in the market for station wagon in this country, there are a lot CUV offerings. I have a Tribute, which pretty much an Escape. I have a four coupled to a manual transmission, but your brother is correct – with a V6 these puppies are quick enough.
I think the “compact” CUV category has little to nothing to do with physical size, capacity, or utility; it is compact pricing. Many of the hot-ticket CUVs are in the $30k price range. The “compact” CUVs are below that. Of this top-sellers list the Juke probably sets the price floor and either the Rogue or Terrain set the price ceiling. Most of these models will likely sell low/mid $20s. That the Escape still does so well is probably because it averages out toward the lower end of the price range for the above models.
It’s a sad day when Nissan Juke outsells Mazda CX-7. Even if Mazda’s smiling face isn’t your cup of tea, it’s far better than Juke’s fugly face.