Top 10 Least Expensive Crossovers of 2012

Crossovers continue to be one of the most competitive new car segments in the industry, and that’s a good thing for car buyers. With more and more entries into the market, prices have dropped across the board. Here’s a quick look at the top 10 cheapest crossover vehicles.

First on the list is Mazda’ s newest model, the CX-5. The CX-5 was designed with Mazda’s SkyActiv philosophy in mind, which means fuel efficiency with no compromise. That helps it get an impressive 35 mpg on the highway and 26 mpg in the city. All that for just under $20,000. That price tag gets you crossover with 155-hp, and 150 lb-ft of torque. Making the deal even sweeter is that the base CX-5 comes with a six-speed manual transmission and a huge assortment of safety features. Of course this is just number 10 on our list, so lets see what value can be had in the crossover segment.

Be sure to check out our review on the 2012 Mazda CX-5.

Next on the list is the Subaru Forester. At $20,595 the Forester is only number 9, but it does have a pretty big advantage on the other vehicles here. Like the majority of Subaru vehicles, the Forester comes standard with symmetrical all-wheel drive, something that can’t be said for many other vehicles on this list. The Forester also has a 170-hp compact boxer engine, which achieves a 21/27 mpg rating city/highway.

Nissan‘s quirky Juke also makes an appearance on our list. While it’s looks might not be for everyone, it certainly is one of the most noticeable vehicles on this list. While most crossovers are boring, and hum-drum, the Juke is out there, and boasts an impressive list of specs. It’s turbocharged engine provides 188-hp, but is also quite economical. With fuel ratings of 27/32 mpg city/highway, the Juke proves to be great on gas. At $19,990, the Juke is a great blend of performance, fuel economy, driving dynamics and even a bit of practicality.

Don’t count Suzuki out, since they have a pretty compelling vehicle on paper with the Grand Vitara. The standard Grand Vitara, available for $19,649 comes with a five-speed manual and rear-wheel drive, a combination that should excite enthusiasts. While fuel economy and performance isn’t as impressive as other vehicles on this list, the Grand Vitara is no slouch. It’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine puts out 166 hp, which results in 19/26 mpg, city/highway. Making the Suzuki even more interesting is its standard touch-screen navigation, and he nüLink! service which includes real-time weather information, movie showtimes, gas prices and more.

A list of utility vehicles wouldn’t be complete with at least one Jeep on it, so here is one of the most value-friendly Jeeps available, the Jeep Compass.

While the Compass comes in a wide range of trims, the least expensive model is equipped with front-wheel drive and a manual transmission. This earns a 23 /29 mpg city/highway, thanks to the cars thrifty 2.0-liter engine which puts out a meager 158-hp. The base Compass comes with a few features that should help sway buyers, such as hill-start assist, and their Uconnect multimedia system.

The Dodge Journey crossover is one of the few vehicles on this list that can seat 7 passengers. It also creeps in just under $19,000. For that you get a car with a 4.3-inch touchscreen with Dodge’s Uconnect multimedia interface. Add in a bevy of airbags for safety and this $18,995 Dodge Journey is a solid hit in terms of value. Sweetening the deal is the Journey’s 2.4-liter engine with 173-hp, but the trade-off is with fuel-efficiency, since hauling this big car around gets just 19 mpg in the city, and 26 mpg on the highway.

Not only is the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport one of the most fuel efficient crossovers, its also one of the cheapest. Coming in at number three on our list with a MSRP of $18,795, the Outlander Sport is about saving money. It has a bunch of fuel-friendly features like a Brake energy regeneration system, and electric power steering. These, along with the Outlander Sport’s 2.0-liter, 148-hp engine help it achieve a 24/31 mpg city/highway rating.

Kia may get a lot of attention for the way its vehicles look, but another reason that Kia is getting so much attention lately is because of how aggressively it prices its vehicles. The $18,500 Kia Sportage is just one example of Kia’s strategy in action.

Looking at the list of standard features the Sportage has, however, and its easy to see why it’s priced so low. There isn’t too much special here, no special features that make the Sportage stand out above the other cars in this list. In base trim, the Sportage’s 4-cylinder engine makes 176-hp, and with the standard, six-speed transmission, is good for 21/29 mpg city/highway.

While the Jeep Patriot doesn’t look as pretty as its Compass sibling, it makes up for that in price. At more than $3,000 cheaper than the Compass, but with the same engine, and same fuel-economy numbers, the Patriot is all about value.

Don’t look for many features that are exclusive to the Patriot. In its least expensive trim, the Patriot is equipped with front-wheel drive, a manual transmission and comes with Jeeps Uconnect multimedia system.

Now that you’ve seen the ten least expensive crossovers, take a look at our crossovers buyers guide for more information on what’s available, and what’s coming up in this exciting segment.