THERE, THERE, EVERYWHERE

Whether you're looking to start a family or break out on your own, these subcompact crossovers are your stepping stone to a new chapter.

- ANDREW KROK

IT'S TIME TO GROW UP.

Transitioning into the adulting portion of life comes with a lot of change. The First National Bank of Mom and Dad might be on permanent holiday. You may have found yourself with a fancy new job—that just so happens to be on the other side of the country. Maybe you fell in love along the way and started cross-shopping strollers in your downtime. No matter which path to maturity you may wander down, you'll probably want a fresh set of wheels to help usher in this new stage of the journey.

That's where this test’s seven subcompact crossovers come in. They're some of the most affordable vehicles on the market, they offer decent cargo capacity, and eager buyers can't help but scoop ‘em up left and right.

We put together a collection of recently refreshed or (in one case) introduced models and some longtime favorites, and we drove them into the heart of Detroit, hitting our 10Best evaluation loop along the way. Some of these SUVs prove better suited for, say, a single urbanite, while others cater to a budding family in the burbs. Here's how they stack up.

7th PLACE: SUBARU CROSSTREK

Associate news editor Jack Fitzgerald likened the Crosstrek to the student sitting in the middle of the classroom. The Subaru isn't the front-row star answering every question, but it's also not sitting in the back cracking jokes or going off to sneak heaters in the bathroom.