Family conference: A good place to start looking for a new vehicle is by checking the resale guides at http://www.nada.com After that the three most important things to check for on a compact SUV is the interior room, turning radius, and fuel mileage. After that a good test ride at a dealer can provide you with the seat of the pants feeling that always makes the best decision. The reason that we selected interior room as important as people show up for these test-drives without a true measure of what can be stored in the vehicle. The smallest cargo capacity on the Outlander looks nearly as large as that on the BMW when they are not side-by-side. A check of the statistics in this article reveals the startling differences that could amount to several suitcases, or even having to rent a trailer. The turning radius is something you do not notice when driving on the road and few people practice mall parking on test drives. In the long run, a large turning radius requires constant vigilance and is annoying. The large radius of the Chevrolet was it greatest negative. As for gas mileage, you are probably never going to get the government listed fuel economy, but a quick look at the figures can give you some insight as to how much extra that car is going to cost you over a year. For the websites of all vehicle manufacturers go to http://www.reacheverychild.com/business/index.html
The ten best family friendly compact SUVs
By the Numbers
The Best of the Compact SUVs
Subaru Forester
turning 34.8 ft.
gas mileage 21/27/430
cargo 64 cubic feet
luggage 32 cubic feet
2.5 liters
165 horsepower
166 ft-lbs.
towing 2400 lbs.
Chevrolet Equinox
turning radius 42 feet
gas mileage 19/25/425
cargo 69 cubic feet
luggage 35.2 cubic feet
3.4 liter *
185 horsepower*
210 ft-lbs.*
towing 3500 pounds*
BMW X3
turning 38.4 ft.
gas mileage 17/24/ 425 premium fuel
cargo 71 cubic feet
luggage 33 cubic feet
2.5 liters
184 horsepower
175 ft-lbs.
towing 3500*