2012 Kia Sportage among the Best compact SUV for $25,000!

Compact SUVs are increasingly popular with U.S families, from couples starting out to empty-nesters. The good news for families on a budget is that these haulers are getting more affordable even as they offer more standard features and get better gas mileage. To see which offers the most value for a family, experts from USA TODAY, car-shopping site Cars.com and PBS' MotorWeek— plus a real Chicago family — compared six models that met a mainstream price limit and were EPA-rated at least 30 miles per gallon for our $25,000 Compact SUV Shootout.

To see just how much a family on a moderate budget can get in a compact SUV, we set the price cap for entries at $25,000 before shipping.

And with fuel efficiency increasingly important for the family budget, we required at least a 30-miles-per-gallon EPA highway rating. That left out a couple of well-known crossovers — Toyota's RAV4 and Nissan's Rogue — each at 28. But expect their coming redesigns to post higher mpgs.

The contenders

The 2012 Chevrolet Equinox; the 2013 Ford Escape (new); the 2012 Honda CR-V (new); the 2012 Hyundai Tucson; the 2012 Kia Sportage; and the 2013 Mazda CX-5 (new).

The testing and scoring

The six SUVs were tested over three days in and around Chicago, including:

•A 200-mile gas-mileage test from urban driving to interstates.

•A day of back-to-back testing by our five experts over the same course to score the features, cargo and storage space, technology and the driving dynamics, including ride, noise, handling, acceleration and braking.

•A day of testing by a family of four in the market for a compact SUV to replace their 2001 Chevy Tracker.

The winner got the most points out of 1,000, with the real-world gas mileage rank weighted to count for 10% of the total score, the five experts' scores for 75%, and the family's scores for 15%.

The expert and family testers

Our experts: David Thomas, Cars.com managing editor; Jennifer Geiger, an editor at Cars.com; Bill Jackson, a Cars.com senior editor; Fred Meier, automotive editor for USA TODAY; and Brian Robinson, auto journalist and a producer for PBS' MotorWeek program.

The family: Erin and Nicholas Ravelingeen of Chicago, and their children, Trudy, 4, and Mason, 2. In addition to the Tracker, they own a 2001 Oldsmobile Alero. They use the vehicles for errands and road trips, says Erin, a stay-at-home mom. Nicholas, who works in risk management downtown, doesn't use a car to commute. They put about 8,000 miles a year on each auto.

No. 3: 2012 Kia Sportage LX

Points: 774 (out of 1,000)

Price with shipping: $24,575

Observed gas mileage: 28.5 mpg (city/highway EPA rating 22/32)

Key features: Navigation system (only one). Heated mirrors. Cooling glove box (only one). Backup camera. Five-year/60,000-mile new vehicle warranty, 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain (tie for longest). Satellite radio. IIHS Top Safety Pick. 

What they liked: Navi and audio. "A full navigation system with an upgraded stereo at a price in the middle of our range was a huge win," says Thomas. Styling. "Definitely has attitude," says Geiger. "The edgiest-looking of the bunch." Storage. "A deep center console, coupled with underfloor bins in the cargo area, means plenty of places to stash stuff," says Geiger. Handling, ride. "Has the crisp handling of mechanically similar Hyundai Tucson," Meier says, "but its good ride and quiet interior are amazingly better." 

What they didn't: Rear visibility. The rakish roof "means you'll need its backup camera and wish for a blind spot alert," says Meier. Interior quality. "Doesn't seem on par with most recent Kias," says Robinson. Cargo area. "Too small with a high load floor," Thomas says. Navi screen angle. "You've got a great nav system and install it leaning backward toward the windshield? That leads to a lot of glare," Thomas says.

Bottom line: "The sticker price and features wowed me, the family and likely other shoppers," says Thomas. "If cargo space isn't a concern, the Sportage will be hard to ignore."

Source: USA Today