Hong Kong gained its independence, Dolly the sheep was cloned, Princess Diana passed away. 1997 was a pivotal years for the sport utility vehicle segment as well. It marked the introduction of the Honda CR-V, the model that would go on to rival the Toyota RAV4 in popularity. Honda recently released rankings to show the ten best-selling crossovers since the debut of the CR-V.
Subaru Forester
Photo courtesy of Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru has sold just over 2 million Foresters since it went on sale in 1998, succeeding the Subaru Bighorn, which was also sold as the Isuzu Trooper. The Forester is still one of the top-selling models in the U.S. Subaru sold nearly 30,000 of them in the first two months of 2020.
Lexus RX
Photo courtesy of Lexus
The Lexus RX is the original luxury crossover and you’ll still see many of them on the road after over a decade of use. It got into the game a year later than the CR-V, first being sold in the U.S. in 1998. Still, it’s been slightly more popular than the Forester with sales over 2 million in the last 23 years.
Honda Pilot
Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc
Honda’s popular three-row SUV started its life with a boxy shape that helped it stand out from the crowd in 2002 (2004 model shown above). The second-gen Pilot got even boxier. It’s currently in its third generation, which has shifted the look of the model to a more traditional shape with modern tech and family-friendly features. Honda has sold around 2,200,000 Pilots during the last 18 years.
Nissan Rogue
Photo courtesy of Nissan North America
The Nissan Rogue was introduced just 12 years ago. Since 2007, around 2.5 million of them have been sold. The Rogue is perennially one of the top-selling SUVs in the country and is Nissan’s best-selling vehicle in the U.S.
Toyota Highlander
Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.
The Toyota Highlander has been around for six years longer than the Nissan Rogue. It debuted in 2000 and went on sale in January 2001 as a 2001 model in the U.S. At first it was a two-row model but since 2004 it has been available as a three-row SUV, eventually evolving into a three-row only format.
Chevrolet Equinox
Photo by Getty Images
Chevrolet has sold over 3 million Equinoxes since the model first came to market in 2004 as a 2005 model year SUV. At first it was a midsize crossover, then it was downsized to a compact model, making it about the same size as the Subaru Forester and Nissan Rogue.
Toyota RAV4
Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.
Toyota was one of the pioneers in the segment, launching the RAV4 in 1994. The company has sold over 4 million RAV4s since 1997 as the model has gotten bigger, safer, and more capable. Toyota has offered a variety of RAV4 models over the years from two-door variants to soft top RAV4s. It was the top-selling SUV model in 2019.
Ford Escape
Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company
The Ford Escape has only been around since 2001 and its fourth-generation was introduced late last year. The model has evolved from a boxy four-door family hauler to a sleek SUV with abundant cargo capacity and an available hybrid powertrain. Ford has sold around 4.3 million Escapes since the turn of the century.
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Photo courtesy of FCA US LLC
The Grand Cherokee blurs the line between SUV and crossover most on this list, but there’s no doubt it’s one of the most popular, no matter what you call it. Jeep has sold more Grand Cherokees since 1997 than Ford has Escapes, around 4.5 million.
Honda CR-V
Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc
In the 23 years since it debuted, Honda has sold over 5 million CR-Vs making the model the most popular crossover in the U.S. The company recently debuted the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, filling a gap in the market.
