Last month was big for compact crossovers, with Toyota debuting a new RAV4 and Subaru unveiling a new Forester at the New York auto show. These revised models aren’t on sale yet, but they will continue to draw attention to an already popular segment. While the Forester remains relatively niche, the RAV4 remains at the top of the sales charts despite its age.
Toyota sold 34,937 copies of the RAV4 in March, the best sales month ever for the vehicle. It represents a 9.1-percent jump from the same month a year ago. The RAV4 wasn’t the best-selling Toyota last month, however, because the Camry raked in 35,264 sales.
Note that while Nissan reported 42,151 sales of the Rogue, this figure includes the standard model as well as the smaller Rogue Sport, which competes in a whole other segment. Unfortunately, Nissan doesn’t break down sales of these individual models, but we do know total Rogue sales have increased 6.7 percent from March 2017.
Chevrolet’s Equinox made a huge jump last month, with sales rising 40.9 percent over the prior year. At 31,940 sales, the Equinox is edging closer to the RAV4. As evidence of how competitive this segment is, the Honda CR-V came in less than 100 units behind the Equinox.
In the middle of the chart sit the Ford Escape, Jeep Cherokee, and Mazda CX-5. Cherokee made big progress, though, increasing a whopping 63 percent over March 2017, perhaps due to the mid-cycle refresh that brought with it a more conventional front end. The CX-5 saw a 90.5-percent increase. Not far behind was the Forester, which remains Subaru’s second best-selling vehicle behind the Outback. Meanwhile, sales of the Hyundai Tucson were up even before the refreshed 2019 model arrives.
Volkswagen is selling two versions of the Tiguan: the revised 2018 model that sits on a long wheelbase as well as the Tiguan Limited based on the previous generation. The automaker sold 8,276 copies of the new version and just 1,441 copies of the old. Kia is at bottom of the sales list, but Sportage sales increased from 5,560 to 7,880 units.
Pictured above is the next-generation Toyota RAV4.
Source: The automakers
| Model | March 2018 sales | March 2017 sales | Year-to-Date |
| Nissan Rogue | 42,151 | 39,512 | 116,454 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 34,937 | 32,027 | 91,459 |
| Chevrolet Equinox | 31,940 | 22,671 | 82,398 |
| Honda CR-V | 31,868 | 32,872 | 82,046 |
| Ford Escape | 27,370 | 28,113 | 67,350 |
| Jeep Cherokee | 23,764 | 14,589 | 50,610 |
| Mazda CX-5 | 16,138 | 8,470 | 42,817 |
| Subaru Forester | 14,616 | 15,803 | 37,104 |
| Hyundai Tucson | 11,806 | 8,985 | 27,882 |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 9,717 | 3,270 | 27,428 |
| Kia Sportage | 7,880 | 5,560 | 19,459 |