Big Test, Small SUVs: 2025 Buick Envista vs. 2024 Chevrolet Trax, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-30, Subaru Crosstrek, and Toyota Corolla Cross

You’re young, or maybe young at heart. Single. Maybe partnered. And you want transportation, not a wheeled status symbol. An SUV, maybe, but not one of those giant three-row family trucksters; something more carlike, convenient, and economical. Not too expensive—you’ve got other things to spend money on—but you’re doing well enough that you don’t need to drive a rolling monastery.

Good news, friends: The automakers are falling all over themselves to win your patronage. The market is flooded with small, nicely equipped SUVs for inflation-weary buyers, and we gathered eight of our favorite models to test together. Why eight? That’s the most we could cover without having to write a novella, but it's still only a third of what’s available. We asked several automakers for nicely equipped non-hybrid models priced around $30,000, and all of them sent either top-of-the-line or one-from-the-top models. Let’s meet our players, in lowest-to-highest price order.

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Eight Competitors For Your Sensible SUV Dollars

 The Chevrolet Trax is our value leader. It’s one of the least-expensive SUVs you can buy new, with even the top-of-the-line Activ model in our test starting at just $24,995. Our test example added a couple of option packages, including a sunroof and adaptive cruise control, for a lowest-in-test price of $26,785. One caveat: The Chevy and its cousin, the Buick Envista, are the only SUVs in this test that didn’t have—and don’t offer—all-wheel drive. 

The Buick may be related to the Chevrolet, sharing its platform and 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine, but this is no mere rebadge: The Envista gets a slick fastback-style body all its own. We drove the mid-line $25,795 ST model with nearly every available option, including an upgraded rear suspension not offered on the Chevrolet. It stickered for $29,370. (Note that our Envista was a 2025 model, while others were ’24s; a slight price increase is the only change.)

Next up is the Honda HR-V, here in top-of-the-range leather-lined EX-L trim. All HR-Vs feature a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and leather-upholstered EX-L models get standard all-wheel drive. Honda offers no factory options on the HR-V, and this one carried a $32,050 price tag.

Kia sent us an all-wheel-drive Seltos SX powered by the more potent of its two engine offerings, a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with an eight-speed automatic. Premium paint, floormats, and a package with a sunroof, power liftgate, and other goodies brought the $31,465 base price up to $33,235.

We specifically asked for non-hybrid models, but a hybrid Corolla Cross was all that Toyota had available, so we took it. (As it happens, we prefer the hybrid powertrain to the base 2.0-liter engine.) The XSE Nightshade model starts at $31,815, and a moonroof, two-tone paint, premium stereo, and a couple other extras made for a $34,787 list price. 

A stack of 20s separated the Toyota from the Hyundai Kona Limited, which shares its 1.6-liter turbo engine and eight-speed auto with the Seltos. (Hyundai and Kia are corporate cousins, but the new-for-2024 Kona has different underpinnings than the Seltos.) Like the Kia, the $34,695 Kona Limited was lavishly equipped by the standards of this group, with unexpected extras like heated and cooled front seats. Hyundai added only a set of floor mats for a sticker price of $34,905.

We’re big fans of the Subaru Crosstrek, and were pleased to welcome a $32,440 Limited model, with its 2.5-liter four-cylinder “boxer” engine and CVT, into this comparison. The example Subaru supplied had a single option package with a moonroof and premium infotainment and stereo system, bringing its price to $35,280. 

Rounding out our group was Mazda’s CX-30 AWD Turbo, with a powerful 2.5-liter turbocharged engine and six-speed automatic under the hood. It opens at $34,210, but with all the Premium Plus equipment and a few extra goodies it rang in at $38,760. 

That’s eight SUVs for $265,000—less than the cost of a bare-bones Rolls-Royce Ghost! We headed up to California’s beautiful Kern River Valley and got to work evaluating.

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Are They Big Enough—and Nice Enough?

We began our evaluation with a thorough crawl around each of these SUVs. We were looking for upscale interiors and good amenities that would justify the cost of a higher-end model, along with space for our friends and our stuff. 

Right away, the Mazda CX-30 elbowed its way up front as the SUV to beat. Mazda has leaned into luxury, and from the outside the CX-30 looked expensive, though paint quality wasn’t great (a problem we also noticed with the Subaru and Honda, all with an orange-peel finish). Inside, soft leather and metal accents reminded us of a European luxury car. Opinions on the center-console-mounted infotainment controls were mixed; the dials take some getting used to, but once mastered are very convenient. Back-seat space is a traditional Mazda weak point, but the CX-30 was better than expected, with a comfy seat and adequate room. Small door openings made it hard to get in and out, though, even for our shortest staffers. 

The Kia Seltos and Hyundai Kona put the Mazda’s price in perspective: We found unexpected features like heated and ventilated front seats, which the Mazda lacked. Of the pair, we liked the Hyundai’s interior better. The cabin felt bright and refreshing, with the steering-column-mounted transmission shifter freeing space for a big center console with nifty disappearing cupholders. Claustrophobes, read no further—the Kona is the SUV for you. 

As for the Kia Seltos, we liked the daring green leather interior, but not the shiny plastic parts throughout the cabin. They looked cheaper than the plastic in the Kona, and the Seltos’ secondary controls didn’t seem arranged as sensibly. Both the Kona and Seltos treated back-seaters well, and when it comes to cargo space, the Seltos was best-in-test with the rear seats up and the Kona was best with the seats folded down. 

The Honda HR-V surprised us for both good reasons and bad. We’ve complained that the previous-gen top-of-the-line HR-V wasn’t posh enough, and Honda responded with some lovely touchpoints like the stitched and padded material that wraps around the wasp-waist center console. The metal grillework from the Civic is a lovely detail that got lost in the dreary black interior that complements the HR-V’s boring exterior styling. But what the HR-V gaveth its driver, it tooketh from rear-seat passengers: The high floor compromised the seating position and there were no vents or USB ports, let alone a center armrest. 

In terms of décor, the Toyota Corolla Cross felt even more tedious than the Honda. Right away we noticed the row of blanked-out switches ahead of the shifter and the lack of amenities like power seats. So that’s how Toyota offers a hybrid powertrain at this price point! Still, the Corolla Cross didn’t skimp on safety equipment, aside from a laughably low-res back-up camera. It won points for its roomy back seat with padded armrests, A/C vents, cupholders, and twin USB-C ports, though cargo space was on the lower end of this group.

Speaking of lower end, that’s what we expected from the Chevrolet Trax given its price, but from the driver’s seat, the Chevy sure didn’t feel like the least-expensive car here. We liked the interior materials, and its back seat and trunk were far more generous than expected. We noticed some examples of cost-cutting—single-zone climate control instead of dual-zone, for example—but except for the unpadded door armrests, which hurt our elbows, Chevrolet did a great job of saving money in places owners won’t notice. 

Ditto for the Buick. The Envista’s interior felt properly upscale, with cool 1960s-car-sketch shapes and blue stitching (and padded armrests—thank you, Buick). Though rear headroom was tight, the back seat was more generous than expected given the fast roofline. Cargo space, too. Again, we noticed the same lack of features as in the Chevrolet, but we were pleasantly surprised at how posh the Buick felt, especially given its sub-$30,000 price. 

“Subaru being Subaru” was how some described the Crosstrek’s interior, which fell down on some details (low-res screen graphics, some cheap plastic trim) but presented a nice overall package. We liked how much information was displayed on the portrait-style center screen, and the rear seat was reasonably roomy, but the cargo area was the smallest in this group, which would make packing for a two-couple trip a real squeeze.

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How These Compact SUVs Drive

Buyers for these SUVs range from homebody commuters to long-distance adventurers, so we mapped out a drive route that included suburban, highway, country, and curvy-road driving. Again, we expected a strong showing from the Mazda, and again it didn’t disappoint. Its 250-hp engine (when burning premium fuel) made it the quickest in this test, not that speed was an important parameter; in fact, it was something of a detriment, as the Mazda’s thirsty powertrain and small fuel tank gave it a very short range. For highway cruising, the CX-30’s lane-centering system didn’t work as well as the best here (Hyundai and Kia). But, goodness gracious, was the Mazda ever a grin-generator in the curves! It exhibited stellar handling, with excellent (if slightly heavy) steering.

Still, when it came to driving joy, the Mazda didn’t run as far ahead of the pack as we expected. The Subaru also proved to be good fun, with a gutsy, if noisy, engine that provided a better balance of power-to-economy than the Mazda’s did. And while off-roading wasn’t part of this test, it was obvious from the Subaru’s ground clearance (and our prior experience) that it was the most rugged adventurer of this group. It was long-legged, too; the Crosstrek’s big fuel tank would have made it the camel of this test were it not for the Toyota Corolla Cross. EPA-rated for 42 mpg, and with a range of nearly 450 miles, the hybrid Toyota was the efficiency champ, and the electric boost provided punchy power, though the engine’s droning under acceleration became annoying. The Corolla was enjoyable in the curves, too, with unexpectedly responsive handling.

We were equally surprised by the Chevrolet and the Buick. Their turbocharged three-cylinder engines gave all they had to provide adequate if not stunning acceleration, but were better than our (admittedly very modest) expectations. Handling was quite good, too. Both drove like sporty front-wheel-drive hatchbacks, and the Envista’s optional Watt's link rear axle made a discernable difference: We noticed some strange double-bounces from the back of the Chevy, while the Buick felt more planted. The lack of all-wheel drive limited traction on corner exit (yes, the GM SUVs inspired us to drive hard enough to notice), and the lack of a proper lane-centering system made long highway drives more fatiguing than in the other SUVs here.

When it came to ADAS—advanced driver-assistance systems—the Hyundai Kona and Kia Seltos were best-of-the-test. Their shared technology did a great job of guiding the cars down the freeway while the driver kept a light hand on the wheel. Curvy-road handling was good, too, with the Kia having a slight edge for sharpness and responsiveness. Where they ran into trouble is their turbocharged engine, a shared powertrain shown to far worse effect in the slighlty-more-powerful Kia. The Seltos suffered from delayed response and severe turbo lag. We could thump-thump-thump on the gas pedal and literally nothing happened. When the Seltos finally responded, it did so sluggishly—and then all the power came on at once. When merging on the freeway, we needed to push further on the accelerator to get it to accelerate smartly, and seconds later we had to hit the brakes to avoid rear-ending the car ahead. Same around town, where the Seltos was difficult to drive smoothly. This lag-and-surge behavior was noticeable in the Hyundai Kona, but to a far, far lesser and more manageable degree. 

The Honda HR-V’s powertrain had the opposite problem: It’s smooth but slow, with a capital S, L, O, and W. We had to go nearly foot-to-the-floor to merge onto the freeway. Once up to speed, the HR-V delivered a substantial, big-car feel that we really liked; it spoke of solidity and build quality and made the Honda feel like a smart choice, as did its IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, an honor it shares with the Mazda and the Hyundai. But once we got to the curvy roads, the Honda failed to engage us. It steered accurately and kept its composure, but the driving dynamics were as boring as its styling.

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How Do We Pick a Winner in Such a Talented Group?

Silly us for picking what we thought were eight of the best models in the compact SUV segment. In retrospect, throwing in a couple known turkeys would have made our deliberations a lot easier. Yeah, yeah, we know—this sounds like the kind of hedging car publications do to avoid pissing off potential advertisers. We’ll never hesitate to criticize a bad car, but if any one of these eight SUVs showed up in a neighbor’s driveway, we wouldn’t have to put on a false smile and pretend we approved of their choice.

Eighth place goes to the Kia Seltos. Readers with good memories will recall the 2024 Seltos took second in another MotorTrend comparison—so what happened? The Hyundai Kona, that’s what. We liked the Seltos’ feature set, but we wouldn’t want to put up with its lag-and-surge powertrain to get it, and thanks to the new Kona, we don’t have to. The Seltos might have fared better with its less-powerful 2.0-liter engine, which isn’t available in the top-line trim. This should give you some idea of how close this competition was—an ill-mannered powertrain and a few cheap interior bits were enough to send a great little SUV like the Seltos to the back of the pack. 

We liked the 2025 Buick Envista so much that we almost feel bad putting it in seventh place. The Buick’s headline features are good looks and budget price—“Fast fashion,” opined one staffer, despite it being painfully slow on the road—but the Envista is not just a pretty face (or a pretty roofline). It’s a useful SUV that is genuinely satisfying to drive in other respects, even with its modest engine. The lack of available features like all-wheel drive and a proper lane-centering system limits its appeal and its place in the finishing order, but we can’t remember being this excited about a Buick since the Regal TourX wagon. If this comparison was about looking good on a budget, the Buick would be our top pick. 

The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid takes sixth place. We love that Toyota offers a hybrid in this price bracket, and while operating-cost savings may not be highest on a buyer’s priority list, it’s hard not to appreciate the smug joy of 40-plus mpg, and even more so in a (relatively) roomy SUV that is so quick and engaging to drive. But nothing is free, and the trade-off for the Corolla Cross’ efficiency is a down-market cabin that prevents us from placing it any higher. In fact, only the well-appointed back seat saved it from finishing any lower. If this comparison was about efficiency and ecology, the Toyota would win.

 As we began our evaluations, we expected the fifth-place Mazda CX-30 to finish lower, given its price and feature set. But goodness gracious, what the CX-30 does well—sporty driving, luxurious interior, safety scores—it does very, very, very well. Trade-offs are its short range and a hard-to-get-into back seat. A cynic might say the CX-30 does the same things as these other SUVs for $4,000 more, but we say it does the same things as a nicely-equipped Audi Q3 for $14,000 less. If this comparison was about finding the best luxury SUV without a luxury price tag, the Mazda would be our pick.

Fourth place goes to the 2024 Chevrolet Trax. It was the cheapest SUV here but didn’t feel like it. Driving the Trax, we just couldn’t find much to criticize (except those damn armrests—ow). Like the Buick, the Chevrolet is hamstrung by a lack of available features, particularly all-wheel drive, which a lot of rust-belters will want. With a broader feature set, and even allowing for the price increase that would entail, the spacious Chevy could have finished closer to the top. If this comparison was about finding a cheap SUV that doesn’t feel cheap, the Chevrolet Trax would have won. 

Next is the Honda HR-V. It’s boring to look at, slow, and cruel to backseat passengers. So why the third-place finish? Because it feels like the smartest buy here. The HR-V coddles its driver, and it boasts excellent refinement, great safety ratings, a nice feature set, good resale value, and impeccable build quality. It’s a great long-term investment, and buying one feels like you did something eminently sensible. Not interesting, but sensible. If this comparison was about finding the best SUV for people who like to pour themselves a nice glass of wine, put on some Mozart, and spend the evening organizing their sock drawer, the Honda would be No. 1. 

In second place is the Subaru Crosstrek. This is a great all-round package that makes for few compromises save its tiny trunk. We like the engine’s just-right balance of power and fuel economy. It’s good fun to drive, wonderfully comfortable, and its rugged looks are backed up by true all-terrain ability and a big fuel tank for great road-trip range. And it justifies its higher price: SUVs promise adventure, and the Crosstrek delivers it while doing everything else as well as all the other SUVs here. If this comparison was about finding the best SUV to see every square inch of the country, the Subaru would be our pick.

That leaves the Hyundai Kona, a great little SUV with a lovely, modern, easy-to-use interior, a features-and-options list that reads like that of a luxury car, and a cabin that offers great accommodation for loved ones and luggage. We like how it looks, we like how it drives, and we like what it’s like to live with. And since this big comparison test is about finding the best compact SUV that combines practicality, economy, and a little luxury for a reasonable price, the Hyundai Kona is the real winner.

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8th Place: 2024 Kia Seltos SX

Verdict: Taming the turbo powertrain would solve 90 percent of the Kia Seltos’ problems.

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7th Place: 2025 Buick Envista ST

Verdict: A good-looking, good-driving, entry-lux SUV for buyers on a budget.

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6th Place: Toyota Corolla Cross XSE Nightshade Hybrid

Verdict: Good price for a hybrid SUV, but costs are taken out of equipment levels.

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5th Place: Mazda CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus

Verdict: A legitimate luxury SUV at a less-than-luxury price.

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4th Place: Chevrolet Trax Activ

Verdict: A capable, inexpensive SUV that feels much more capable than inexpensive.

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3rd Place: Honda HR-V EX-L

Verdict: The Honda HR-V is thoroughly sensible; we just want it to be more interesting.

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2nd Place: Subaru Crosstrek Limited

Verdict: Most SUVs promise adventure, but few deliver like the Subaru Crosstrek.

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1st Place: Hyundai Kona Limited

Verdict: A compact SUV that can fulfill nearly every compact SUV buyer’s wish list.