Mechanics review the new ranking list of 14 small SUVs and offer their own opinions based on their experience.
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A second opinion on Edmunds’ Best Small SUVs of 2024 and 2025 list comes from Royalty Auto Service (@royaltyautoservice), a well-known creator of car-centric TikTok content that has become popular among Daily Dot readers. It belongs to.
The video, released last Sunday, racked up more than 189,000 views in its first six days on the platform. In it, mechanic-owner Sherwood Cook Jr. reads out a list of 14 SUVs in the Best Small SUVs section, from number 14 to number 1.
How Sherwood ranks small SUVs
Some of the early choices on the list got a firm “no” answer from Sherwood. As for the first, the GMC Terrain, he flatly said “no.” As for the Buick Envision, his “no” came quickly before Sherwood’s co-host revealed the “Envision” portion of the same show.
“Have you heard of Buick?” he asked.
“Yes,” Cook replied.
There was a little more hesitation about the Volkswagen Tiguan, with Cook thinking, “This could be big…and that’s leaning towards ‘no.'”
The Ford Bronco Sport gets an instant no. And he was gifted a Toyota RAV4, number 10 on the list. The RAV4 pulls the first “yes” from Cook’s list.
So what happens to the rest of the list?
We looked at the rest of the list, and the Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, and top-rated Mazda CX-50 all received approval. He also gave the Nissan Rogue a qualified yes, saying: You know, we’ve never seen them. Even though they were new, I had no problems with them. Those cars sold a lot, but we haven’t seen that many of them. ”
Despite what Edmunds thought of higher-rated cars, Cook still rated the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson poorly. Both cars finished in Edmunds’ top six. Just below it, the Ford Escape received a strong “definitely no” rating.
They revealed that Edmunds does rank people based on how they drive and live their lives, but they use a metric of difference. “We rank things by how often we see them broken within a fairly short period of time in the store.”
Why Mazda is on top
In its review of the CX-50, Edmunds said it was “comfortable, roomy, and well-appointed, with an interior that looks and feels better than any other car in this class.” It’s fast and fun to drive. ”
The CX-5 is priced slightly lower than its sibling, and was praised for its “high-quality interior, sharp handling, and competitive price.” Although there were issues with “rear passenger space, cargo capacity, and fuel efficiency” in the review, the car was generally well received.
The Honda CR-V also rounded out the top three in second place, praising its “smooth ride, ample interior space, and an attractive combination of features for the price.” Edmunds also noted that many people consider small SUVs to be the first choice for families.
All three cars scored 8.1 out of 10 on the Edmunds rating scale, but the GMC Terrain, at the bottom of the list, scored just 6.5.
Opinions were quickly and freely posted in the comments section of the video.
One person pointed out, “Honda, Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda are all great.” “But I like used cars, so I can get a good deal on used Mazda cars.”
“LOL as a Ford Escape owner who has had 2 transmissions in 3 years…that quick verdict is absolutely justified,” another user shared.
Some people took issue with the criticism of General Motors’ cars.
One person claimed, “I just traded in my Buick Envision after 7 years and have never had a problem.”
“The new Terrain and Envision are good cars,” claimed another, admitting that “the old body styles weren’t that good.”
Some commenters thought it was healthy to receive advice from a mechanic. “As a former engineer, I used to encourage people to ask themselves, would I consider buying it at 150,000 miles?” one said. “People who work on it like authenticity.”
“Especially when a mechanic is doing the work, we give priority to the mechanic’s opinion.”
Helps you see how @royaltyautoservice ranks. 😏 #suv #automotive #dealership #cartok #tips #viral #fyp #foryou #honda #toyota #chevy #ford #kia #hyundai #stitch #duet ♬ Pop beat BGM / Long version (1283324) – nightbird_bgm
The Daily Dot reached out to Loyalty Auto Services through TikTok comments and online contact forms, and to Ford and GM via email.
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