2017 Washington Auto Show: The highlight? 35 crossovers

The Acura RDX. (photo by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. – My wife always loves to drive a large SUV. She uses it to haul gardening equipment, furniture from Ikea, and bags and bags of rocks and river stones for landscaping. Her trusty Toyota 4Runner was the only car she felt “safe” to drive. I, on the other hand, always had my Chevy Camaro, Volvo 264, Pontiac 6000STE, Acura Legend, and most recently, Honda Accord.

When we retired a few years ago, we decided to become a one-car family. Ever tried to compromise in car purchasing? She wanted to sit high above the road, a large cargo space, with an indestructible feel. I wanted the driving ability, the comfort, and all the safeties and conveniences of a sedan. As such, we ended up with an Acura RDX. We primarily use the car for city driving, but it has to be narrow in width to aid in getting out in tight parking spaces. It must have the ability to make small turning circles or making U-turns in narrow streets. In other words, a shorter wheelbase is required.

As if it was listening to our thoughts, the 2017 Washington Auto Show – which displayed more than 650 vehicles on display representing 37 domestic and import manufacturers – highlighted 35 crossovers as the ideal vehicles for city dwellers. According to Motor Intelligence, nearly five million crossovers were sold last year, representing an 8.5 percent increase over 2015. For light-duty trucks, it was a 7.2 percent increase while sales of cars for all sizes declined by 8.1 percent. We agree with the people’s choice, as evidenced by the statistics below from edmunds.com.

				Base Price Range (000)
CROSSOVERS	width	wheel base	$15-$25	$25-$35	$35-$45	$45-$55
	(in.)	(in.)		Turning	Circle (ft.)

Acura RDX	74	106			38.9
Audi Q3	72	102		38.7
Audi Q5	75	111			38.1
BMW X1 xDrive 28i	72	105			**
Buick Encore	70	101	36.7
Buick Envision	72	108		36.4

Cadillac XT5	75	112			**
Chevrolet Trax LS	70	101	36.7
Ford Escape	72	106	38.8
GMC Terrain	73	112	40
Honda CR-V	73	105	37.4
Honda HR-V LX	70	103	37.4
Hyundai Tucson	73	105	34.9

Infiniti QX30	71	106		37.3
Infiniti QX50	71	113		38.8
Jaguar F-Pace	82	113			38.9
Jeep Cherokee	73	106	37.7
Jeep Renegade	74	101	36.3
Jeep Wrangler Sport	74	95	34.6

Kia Sorento	74	109		36.2
Kia Soul LX	71	101	34.8
Land Rover Evoque	78	105			37.1
Lexus NX 200t	74	105			39.8
Lexus RX	75	110			38.8

Mazda CX-3	70	101	34.8
Mazda CX-5	72	106		36.7*
MB GLC-Class	74	113				**
Mini Countryman	71	105			37.4

Nissan JUKE SV	70	100	36.4
Nissan Murano	75	111		38.7
Nissan Rogue	72	107		37.6
Porsche Macan S	76	111				38.7

Subaru Crosstrek	70	104	34.8
Subaru Forester	71	104		34.8
Toyota RAV4	73	105		34.8
Volvo XC60	74	109			38.4
VW Tiguan	71	103	39

Data from www.edmunds.com
*2016 model
** no information