Our Take: Top Best Compact SUV for the Money

When searching for a new vehicle it’s important to remember a few things: what are your size and space needs, what type of aesthetic are you looking for in a vehicle and what kind of functionality do you need?  Depending on what your answers are to those questions you might decide you need something that is more than a machine to get you from A to B, you need something more than small cargo space that you can get from a compact sedan, you need an SUV.  Before you go and start imagining the huge honky SUVs like a Denali or Escalade, let me tell you we’re not talking about just any SUVs, we’re talking about the best compact SUVs. We’ve selected two, the best compact SUV in our opinion and also the best luxury compact SUV.  If you’re in the market hopefully this article can help you to make your decision.

Best Compact SUV

GMC Terrain

We’ve selected this year’s GMC Terrain as the best compact SUV for a variety of reasons.  One, of course, is because it’s one of the best in class fuel mileages, which is 26 miles in the city and 30 on the highway, drastically different to what you would normally see from your standard sized SUV.  Next, is the available horsepower, peaking out a 252 horsepower, there’s definitely a promise of a bit of pep in this bad boy, as it’s not your mother’s minivan. With the 2019 GMC Terrain, you are able to tow up to 3500 pounds, which for a compact SUV is quite a lot and should hopefully suit all of your towing needs if necessary.  Another neat feature is keyless entry, for those times you jump out of the car too quick and lock your keys in your car. Worry no more, as the keyless entry option saves you those annoying locksmith fees and will get you back into your car and back on the road like nothing ever happened. It has available heated front and passenger seats if you live in an area where it’s very cold.  If you’ve never had heated seats before, let me tell you it’s a game changer especially when there’s snow on the ground. It has available remote start, meaning when everyone else is getting into their frigid cars, if you remember to set your car up before you get out of it at night, you can ride to work, or wherever you’re going, in pure bliss. One of the neat new features of the GMC Terrain is that it has GMC’s rear park assist, making it one of the easier SUV’s to park and another reason why it’s our pick for the best compact SUV.  If you’re worried about getting things in and out of that spacious back area, there’s no reason to fret as it has a rear assist lift gate that can be automatic as an upgrade feature. Lastly, it has available AWD meaning wherever life takes you, you can manage the terrain in this GMC Terrain.

Best Luxury Compact SUV

2019 BMW X1

BMW, the ultimate driving machine: the 2019 BMW X1 is no exclusion to that claim, we picked it for a variety of reasons and it’s our Best Luxury Compact SUV.  First things first, no longer will SUVs be known as these slow, clunky, cumbersome vehicles. BMW has worked very hard to rid themselves of that stigma with this X1.  With 228 available horsepower and a 0-60 in just 6.1 seconds, this SUV is fast! Here’s what BMW had to say about its traction and versatility “Grip every road with sure footed traction and agile handling, pack for adventure and pamper your passengers.”  It has a nearly perfect 50/50 weight distribution so it will glide over any surface with ease, pure luxury in the best compact SUV. If you are living somewhere that has inclement weather frequently, such as the Midwest or North East, then you’ll love the technology and innovation in the new 2019 BMW X1.  It has the legendary BMW driver assist system that is able to detect which wheels have the most traction and divert more of the potential and available power to that wheel in order to prevent slippage. Fueled by a twin power turbo engine, similar to that of the GMC Terrain, this is not your momma’s minivan.  One of my all-time favorite features, however, about the BMW X1 is that it has a real time HUD, meaning the days of you having to look at your phone or using that pesky vent mount are no more, it offers real time directions and HUD. The BMW X1 is our best luxury compact SUV.

Conclusion

Whether it’s precision, power, space or functionality both the GMC Terrain and BMW X1 have exactly what you need, that’s why they are our picks for this year’s Best Compact SUV & Best Luxury Compact SUV.