If you’re like 450,000 other Canadians this year, you’ve set your sights on some sort of small crossover or SUV (sport-utility vehicle). Something like a Ford Escape, or Mazda CX-5.

2016.5 Mazda CX-5 

You might also be considering a Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, a Nissan Rogue, Jeep Cherokee, Mitsubishi Outlander, Volkswagen Tiguan, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Chevrolet Equinox or some other tall, smallish wagon.

Whew. There is a dizzying array of this sort of thing from which to choose. For good reasons that all boil down to this: this sort of versatile ride makes tremendous sense in Canada.

So Canadians are gobbling up little SUVs with amazing energy and urgency. Subcompact SUV sales have surged 23.2 per cent this year, while compact ones like the Tiguan and CX-5 have jumped nearly 11 per cent.

All the choice here is nice; you have options. But it can also be troublesome. Which models are the

2016.5 Mazda CX-5

newest designs with the best looks, technology, comfort, safety and convenience features? And where are the best deals?

A quick rundown, then. The Ford Escape, Kia Sportage and Subaru Forester are the newest designs in showrooms today, but a reinvented CR-V is coming almost immediately. Nissan made some small updates to the 2017 Rogue, as did Chevy to the Equinox and Mitsu to the Outlander. But like the RAV4, Cherokee and Tucson, the basics remain unchanged for this year in all cases.

2016.5 Mazda CX-5: the little infotainment/systems controller is useful and simple to use.

The safest of the lot are the Rogue, Forester, Outlander and RAV4, according to the latest testing from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or IIHS.

As for deals, leftover 2016 CR-Vs might be a steal. CarCostCanada.com reports that Honda and its dealers could be offering as much as $3,000 off, plus 0.99 per cent financing for five years on the outgoing CR-V. There’s urgency to clear lots for the 2017 version.

We also know that Mazda has a reinvented version of the CX-5 coming later this years, as does VW for the Tiguan. So deals on both fronts.

Take the CX-5 GT I just tested. CarCostCanada.com shows that if you finance – taking 0.0 per cent for three years or 0.99 for up to four years – you could claim as much as $2,400 in factory incentives, plus whatever extra you can deal for in the showroom.

2016 VW Tiguan

That means a monthly loan payment of about $400, if you get all the cash incentives and agree to Mazda’s 2.49 per cent finance rate for 84 months. If you do five years at 1.49 per cent, the monthly payment hits just about the $590 monthly average for a car payment in Canada today.

Tiguan? Well, a new version is on its way to Canada within months. But VW Canada is not going out of its way to lure buyers with big cash incentives and cheap loans. You might get $500 from the factory and 0.99 per cent financing, along with some dealer spiffs. But don’t look for VW to match Mazda.

2016 Tiguan

Indeed, the current Tiguan is in no way a match for today’s CX-5. This VW design dates back to around 2009 and it’s showing its age. That’s not to say the Tiguan is a terrible compact SUV, just unrefined and dated in just about every way imaginable.

The ride is a little noisy and the handling is a bit lumpy. The cabin, even in my fancier Wolfsburg Edition 4MOTION tester, is plain and uninspired. The infotainment interface is easy to manage, but has little of the visual appeal offered in more modern systems. The seats are flat and not particularly brilliant. And the bread-box shape looks old and is certainly not aerodynamic. In crash tests, the Tiguan is barely average.

2016 Tiguan

The CX-5, by contrast, may be old by marketplace standards, but it’s still a Top Safety Pick+ by the IIHS. This is a five-year-old design, but the look holds up well against even the newer Sportage and Escape, to name two.

Mazda clearly saves some money by making almost every cabin in every model a basic black experience, but that somewhat suits the overall sportiness of the CX-5. Car designers all dress in basic black, in fact. Ah, sportiness. The CX-5 remains one of the most entertaining small SUVs you can buy.

The 184-horsepower four banger in the GT version responds to the nudge of the throttle and shifts of the six-speed automatic are crisp and clean. Take to a curvy road and you will likely be surprised by how well this little rig manages a corner.

Inside, I’d like more supportive, better-padded seats. The infotainment interface is dead simple to operate, though a little dull visually, and the instruments are clear inside a tidy binnacle. Cargo and passenger space is about the same as all the little rigs in this class.

You will, however, find more options and technological offerings in the newer entries – like the Escape, Sportage and CR-V. You’ll pay for them, too.

So the verdict. The Tiguan, lacking any big discounts, really can’t compete in this group any longer. The CX-5, however, is not only a deal, but remains a very entertaining and stylish compact SUV. Dollar-for-dollar, this Mazda may be the best buy available in a small SUV.

2017 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN WOLFSBURG EDITION

Price as tested: $31,648. Freight and PDI: $1,795.

Engine: 2.0-litre I4, turbo (200 hp/207 pound-feet of torque).

Drive: all-wheel.

Transmission: six-speed automatic.

Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 12.0 city/10.0 using regular fuel.

Comparables: Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, Jeep Cherokee, Subaru Forester.

2016.5 MAZDA CX-5

Price as tested: $38,890, including $1,890 freight and PDI, and $2,100 in options.

Engines: 2.5-litre I4 (184 hp/185 pound-feet of torque).

Drive: all-wheel.

Transmission: six-speed automatic.

Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 9.8 city/7.9 using regular fuel.

Comparables: Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Volkswagen Tiguan, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, Jeep Cherokee, Subaru Forester.S.