(May 26, 2015) CHICAGO — Cars.com has named the 2015 Honda CR-V the winner of its annual Compact SUV Challenge. The Challenge pitted seven of the most popular compact SUVs against each other in a series of expert and consumer testing to determine which was the overall best-in-class.

In addition to the Honda CR-V, cars tested included the 2015 Chevrolet Equinox, 2015 GMC Terrain, 2016 Mazda CX-5, 2015 Nissan Rogue, 2015 Subaru Forester and the 2015 Toyota RAV4. To qualify for competition, cars had to cost less than $28,000 (including destination fee) and achieve a combined city/highway mileage rating of at least 26 mpg.

In the scoring less than 80 points separated No. 1 from No. 7. That reflects how closely the judges ranked these cars. "Clearly, there was not a dog in this group, and your needs may well be different from those of our judges or other shoppers," Cars.com said.

"Compact SUVs are one of the hottest segments among consumers today," said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com editor-in-chief. "Shoppers like how much cargo they can carry, their fuel economy and their overall usefulness. In 2015 buyers can get all sorts of features in compact SUVs that might not have been available just a few years ago like Bluetooth streaming audio, blind spot monitoring and even adaptive cruise control."

Experts from Cars.com, MotorWeek, USA Today and a family in the market for a compact SUV tested the seven contenders to compare features, comfort, fuel efficiency and overall drivability. Tests included:

    • 100 miles of driving on varying roads to judge real-world fuel economy

    • One day of expert round-robin testing where each expert evaluated each compact SUV back-to-back for ride, handling, acceleration, features and overall comfort

    • Testing by a family in the market for a compact SUV who evaluated each car for the same categories as the experts, from a family point-of-view

"The 2015 Honda CR-V came out on top because it provided the best blend of good interior room, excellent visibility and a surprisingly rewarding driving experience," said Olsen. "The CR-V was also packed with great family-friendly features like easy-to-fold seats, a low load floor, rear air vents and much more."

For full Compact SUV Challenge results, click here.