‘We’re ranking them by how often we see them broken in the shop’: Expert ranks top 14 small SUVs, has hard ‘nos’ for Ford Bronco Sport, Buick Envision

A mechanic works his way through a new ranking list of 14 small SUVs and offers his own opinion from experience.

The second opinion on the Edmunds list of Best Small SUVs of 2024 and 2025 came from Royalty Auto Service (@royaltyautoservice), a well-known creator of car-centric TikTok content that's become popular with Daily Dot readers.

This video, which went up last Sunday, racked up more than 189,000 views in its first six days on the platform. In it, a mechanic takes owner Sherwood Cooke, Jr., through the list of 14 SUVs in the Best Small SUVs portion of the list, reading from No. 14 to No. 1.

How Sherwood ranks small SUVs

A few of the earlier selections on the list get resolute "no" responses from Sherwood. For the first, the GMC Terrain, he flatly says "no." For the Buick Envision, his "no" comes quickly, even before Sherwood's co-host can get the "Envision" part of the same out.

"You just heard Buick?" he asked.

"Yeah," Cooke responded.

The Volkswagen Tiguan got a little more hesitation, with Cooke considering, "Big maybe on that one ... and that's leaning way towards 'No.'"

The Ford Bronco Sport gets a quick "no." And then he's presented with the Toyota RAV4, at No. 10 on the list. The RAV4 elicits the first "yes" from Cooke the list.

How does the rest of the list fare?

They go through the rest of the list, with the Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, and the top-rated Mazda CX-50 all winning approval. He also gives a qualified yes to the Nissan Rogue, noting, "Newer one, yeah, newer one, maybe, maybe, maybe. You know, we haven't seen them. We haven't seen any issues with those, with the new ones. A lot of those cars sold, and we haven't seen a ton of them."

Despite what Edmunds thought of the better-rated cars, Cooke still gave a thumbs-down to the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson. Both vehicles made Edmunds' top six. The Ford Escape, right below that, got a strong "absolutely not."

They clarify that while Edmunds is ranking based on how they are to drive and to live with, they're using a difference metric. "We're ranking them with how often do we see them broken in the shop in a fairly short amount of time."

Why Mazda tops the list

Edmunds noted, in its review of the CX-50, that it "is comfortable, spacious and well appointed, with an interior that looks and feels a cut above anything else in this class. It's quick and fun to drive, too."

The CX-5, priced a bit lower than its sibling, was lauded for its "high-quality interior, sharp handling and a competitive price." The review did take issues with its "rear passenger space, cargo capacity and fuel economy," but liked it on the whole.

The Honda CR-V also made the top three at No. 2, getting praise for "a smooth ride, ample interior space, and an appealing mix of features for your money." Edmunds also notes that many consider it to be the top choice for families when it comes to small SUVs.

All three cars landed at 8.1 out of 10 on Edmunds' rating scales, whereas the GMC Terrain, at the bottom of the list, mustered a mere 6.5.

What do commenters think?

Opinions flowed fast and free on the comments section of the video.

"Honda, Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda are all great," one noted. "But I like used cars and you can get some great deals on used Mazdas."

"LOL as a Ford Escape owner who got two transmissions in three years ….. that quick no is absolutely warranted," another shared.

A few took issue with criticisms of the General Motors cars.

Someone claimed, "Just traded in my Buick Envision after seven years and not one problem ever on it!"

"The new Terrain and Envision are good vehicles," another asserted, before admitting, "The old body styles weren’t that great."

Some commenters did think taking advice from a mechanic was sound. "As a former technician, I used to recommend for people to ask themselves would you consider buying it with 150k miles?" one said. "People that work on them love reliability."

"Definitely prefer a mechanic's opinion, especially if he's going to be the one working on it."

@royaltyautoservice Helps knowing how they are ranking them! ???? #suv #automotive #dealership #cartok #tips #viral #fyp #foryou #honda #toyota #chevy #ford #kia #hyundai #stitch #duet ♬ Pop beat BGM / long version(1283324) - nightbird_bgm

The Daily Dot has reached out to Royalty Auto Service via TikTok comment and online contact form and to Ford and GM via email.

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