Top 10 Safest Crossovers and SUVs of 2014

In the market for a crossover or SUV to shuttle your family around town?

You’ll probably want to make sure your investment is safe and AutoGuide.com has you covered with our top 10 list of the safest crossovers and SUVs available in today’s marketplace.

To determine the safest crossovers and SUVs available in today’s marketplace, we headed over to see which vehicles have been awarded a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. With the addition of the new small overlap front crash test, the IIHS truly puts the newest cars to the test in order to determine which are the safest. Given the requirement of being a Top Safety Pick+, there were exactly 10 crossovers and SUVs on the list and are listed in alphabetical order.

It’s worth noting that the majority of the vehicles unless specified were rated Top Safety Pick+ with optional front crash prevention technologies and are all 2014 model years.

Though the 2014 Acura MDX is the model that received the Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS, Acura has recently announced that the 2015 model year is now available. Since it’s a carry over model, it’s likely that the 2015 MDX will also receive a Top Safety Pick+ rating. As for pricing, the luxury SUV starts at $43,460 including destination and in front-wheel drive form gets an EPA estimated 20-mpg city, 28-mpg highway rating. Available with the company’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) for $2,000 additional, that model gets 18 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. The Acura MDX is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine with 290 hp and 267 lb-ft of torque.

The American automaker’s fuel-efficient crossover is also one of the safest available. Starting from an affordable $25,315 price tag, the 2014 Chevrolet Equinox comes standard with front-wheel drive and a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 182 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque. With the four-cylinder engine under the hood, the Equinox is good for 22 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. Also available is a 3.6-liter V6 that can run on either gasoline or E85 providing 301 hp and 272 lb-ft of torque. The all-wheel drive model starts from $27,065.

Next on the list is the Mazda CX-5, which is priced from $22,375. Under the hood is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder SkyActiv engine with 155 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque while a more powerful 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is available providing 184 hp and 185 lb-ft of torque. The smaller powerplant is rated at 26-mpg city, 35-mpg highway in front-wheel drive form while the more powerful engine gets 25 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. Those looking to get the CX-5 with a manual transmission will only be able to get the 2.0-liter engine. It’s worth noting that only vehicles built after October 2013 receive the IIHS’s Top Safety Pick+ rating.

If you’re looking for a safe and luxurious SUV, the Mercedes-Benz M-Class should be at the top of your list. Only vehicles built after August 2013 are Top Safety Pick+ rated by the IIHS, but that shouldn’t be a problem if you’re shopping for a new vehicle. The base model ML350 starts at $48,715 and comes standard with a 3.5-liter V6 engine providing 302 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque while getting an EPA-estimated 17-mpg city, 22-mpg highway rating. Other variants to the M-Class lineup include the ML350 BlueTEC which features a 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine with 240 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque and the ML550 with a 4.6-liter biturbo V8 churning out 402 hp and 433 lb-ft of torque. Of course there’s also the ML63 from AMG that has a range-topping 5.5-liter biturbo V8 with 518 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque.

The Mitsubishi Outlander is two years running as an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ and comes standard with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 166 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque. The fuel-efficient crossover gets 25 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway and even the more powerful 3.0-liter V6 (224 hp, 215 lb-ft torque) gets 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. It’s also plenty affordable with a starting price tag of $23,845. Standard on the Mitsubishi Outlander are seven airbags and a 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty.

Updated for the 2014 model year, the all-new Nissan Rogue boasts plenty of best-in-class accolades. Its starting price tag of $23,650 narrowly bests the Mitsubishi Outlander, while its 26-mpg city and 33-mpg highway rating is also best-in-class. Powering the Nissan Rogue is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 170 hp and 175 lb-ft of torque and the vehicle also sports a best-in-class 39.3 cubic feet max cargo storage and 41-inch front headroom.

The Subaru Forester compact SUV is one of the most affordable, safest vehicles available in today’s market with an MSRP of $22,820. Pictured above is the more aggressive XT model that is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged Boxer four-cylinder engine with 250 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The XT model starts from $28,820, a $6,000 premium for more performance and standard features. As for the base model Forester, expect 2.5-liter Boxer four-cylinder engine with 170 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy of the less powerful engine is 24 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway while the turbocharged engine gets 23 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.

Applies only to optional front crash prevention models

The Toyota Highlander might be your choice if you’re looking for dependability and reliability with the 2014 Highlander LE starting from $30,075. Standard on the Highlander is a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine with 185 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque while a more powerful 3.5-liter V6 is available with 270 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque. As for fuel economy, the Highlander gets a respectable 20 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway with the four-cylinder engine while the V6 nets 19 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.

Lastly, and almost unsurprisingly, is the Volvo XC60 that doesn’t actually require any forward collision warning system in order to receive a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS. For the 2015 model year, Volvo updated its XC60 with the all-new Drive-E powertrains with the base model now coming with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 240 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The Volvo XC60 T5 Drive-E in front-wheel drive form starts from $36,675 and gets 24 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.