SUVs are popular in part due to their elevated ride height, commanding view of the road, and roomy interiors. Yet many midsize and large SUVs feel cumbersome in city driving. Smaller and more agile vehicles are a great alternative to help make city driving less of a chore. Edmunds’ experts have brought together five city-friendly SUVs that are right at home navigating busy traffic and squeezing into curbside parking spots. All pricing below includes the destination charge.
City living can mean space is at a premium. With this in mind, car shoppers who want a spacious vehicle with a small footprint would be smart to put the Kia Soul on their shopping list. The Soul is Kia’s smallest vehicle, but its boxy shape allows for a generous amount of headroom and legroom in both the front and second rows. The 24.2-cubic-foot cargo hold is also commendable.
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This photo provided by Edmunds shows the Mercedes-Benz GLB. The GLB is a great prick if you want an upscale small SUV that's ideal for driving in the city. (Courtesy of Edmunds via AP)
This photo provided by Subaru shows the 2025 Crosstrek. The Crosstrek's outdoorsy design also works well for driving in the urban jungle. (Courtesy of Subaru of North America via AP).
This photo provided by Volkswagen shows the 2025 Taos. The Taos packs plenty of modern tech and safety features into a tidy package. (Courtesy of Volkswagen of America via AP)
This photo provided by Buick shows the 2025 Envista. The Envista is Buick's least expensive SUV but it doesn't lack style or comfort. (Courtesy of General Motors via AP)
This photo provided by Kia shows the 2025 Soul. The Soul's small size makes it easy to park and drive in the city. (Courtesy of Kia America via AP)
Edmunds singles out the Soul’s agile handling and fuel-sipping engine as reasons to buy one. Both should come in handy for urban driving. And considering city living isn’t inexpensive, it helps knowing the Soul is the least pricey of the five vehicles listed here. One downside to know about the Soul: You can’t get it with all-wheel drive.
Starting price: $21,665
It takes something a little extra to stand out in a city environment. This is why the Buick Envista earns a spot on this list. It has an eye-catching design that cuts a stylish path through traffic. Few vehicles are able to do this at such a budget-friendly price.
Inside and out, the Envista looks and feels like a more expensive vehicle than it really is. The touchscreen interface is attractive and easy to use, while available features like heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, a power liftgate, and rain-sensing wipers impart an upmarket appeal to Buick’s least expensive SUV. One trade-off is cargo space, the Envista’s swoopy shape means trunk volume is less than what many competitors provide.
Starting price: $24,795
The Volkswagen Taos is a compact SUV that Edmunds has found to feel a cut above many similarly sized rivals. The Taos is easy to maneuver, and its upright shape and large windows mean outward visibility is excellent. This matters a lot in the cut and thrust of city driving. Passenger and cargo space ranks among the best in its class, and the Taos’ engine is powerful enough for quick getaways at stoplights.
Every 2025 Taos comes with a user-friendly 8-inch touchscreen and wireless device charging. And since navigating city traffic can be tricky, it’s nice knowing that driver assist features such as rear cross-traffic warning, blind-spot warning and automatic emergency braking are all standard.
Starting price: $25,420 (2024 model year)
The Subaru Crosstrek has standard all-wheel drive and the rugged look of a vehicle bred for life in the wilderness. Thankfully, the Crosstrek is equally capable in an urban jungle. Subaru gives the Crosstrek an elevated ride height to help with off-roading, but that extra clearance also comes in handy when dealing with big speed bumps or steep parking garage entrances.
If you’re routinely in a hurry, Edmunds suggests sidestepping the 152-horsepower base four-cylinder engine and upgrading to the punchier 182-horsepower version. Subaru puts it in every 2025 Crosstrek except the base trim level. The interior is simple but durable, the controls are logically placed and within easy reach. At 19.9 cubic feet in capacity, the cargo area is on the smaller side among compact SUVs. Yet its low load floor and wide-opening hatch make it easy to get bulky items aboard.
Starting price: $26,540
The Mercedes-Benz GLB justifies its premium price with cutting-edge technology, a smooth ride and strong performance. The GLB’s upright shape is also practical. This pint-sized Mercedes has 22 cubic feet of cargo volume and an adult-friendly second row. There’s even an optional third row, but it’s suitable only for kids.
During testing, Edmunds noted the standard 221-turbocharged four-cylinder has enough grunt to get the GLB from zero to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. Want to further shorten your commuting times? A 302-horsepower sport-tuned model, the AMG GLB 35, is even more rapid and rides on a hunkered-down suspension. You can get GLB with some helpful tech features, such as a surround-view parking camera system, but be aware that adding a lot of options can send the GLB’s price soaring far above a city skyline.
Starting price: $46,950
These five small SUVs have modest proportions, sharp driving manners, and fuel-sipping engines that make them a savvy choice for city dwellers.
This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. Nick Kurczewski is a contributor at Edmunds.
This photo provided by Edmunds shows the Mercedes-Benz GLB. The GLB is a great prick if you want an upscale small SUV that's ideal for driving in the city. (Courtesy of Edmunds via AP)
This photo provided by Subaru shows the 2025 Crosstrek. The Crosstrek's outdoorsy design also works well for driving in the urban jungle. (Courtesy of Subaru of North America via AP).
This photo provided by Volkswagen shows the 2025 Taos. The Taos packs plenty of modern tech and safety features into a tidy package. (Courtesy of Volkswagen of America via AP)
This photo provided by Buick shows the 2025 Envista. The Envista is Buick's least expensive SUV but it doesn't lack style or comfort. (Courtesy of General Motors via AP)
This photo provided by Kia shows the 2025 Soul. The Soul's small size makes it easy to park and drive in the city. (Courtesy of Kia America via AP)
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — California was lashed by powerful winds Wednesday that fed a fast-moving wildfire, which destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of residents to flee as forecasters warned of the potential for “extreme and life-threatening” blazes.
Northwest of Los Angeles, the Mountain Fire exploded in size and prompted evacuation orders for more than 10,000 people as it threatened 3,500 structures in suburban communities, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo, according to a statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom. He said he has requested federal assistance for the area east of the Pacific coast city of Ventura.
The blaze was burning in a region that has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years. A thick plume of smoke rose hundreds of feet into the sky Wednesday, blanketing whole neighborhoods and limiting visibility for firefighters and evacuees. The fire grew from less than half of a square mile to 16 square miles (62 square kilometers) in little more than five hours.
Ventura County Fire Captain Trevor Johnson described crews racing with their engines to homes threatened by the flames to save lives.
“This is as intense as it gets. The hair on the back of the firefighters’ neck I’m sure was standing up,” he said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
Two people suffered apparent smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals, fire officials said. No firefighters reported significant injuries.
The erratic winds and limited visibility grounded fixed-wing aircraft, and gusts topped 61 mph (98 kph), said weather service meteorologist Bryan Lewis. Water-dropping helicopters were still flying.
First responders pleaded with residents to evacuate. Deputies made contact with 14,000 people to urge them to leave as embers spread up to 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away and sparked new flames.
“This fire is moving dangerously fast,” Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said.
Aerial footage from local television networks showed dozens of homes in flames across several neighborhoods as embers were whipped from home to home. Other footage captured horses trotting alongside evacuating vehicles.
Jade Katz, who said she is disabled and does not drive, waited for a friend to pick her up near her Camarillo Heights home with a suitcase full of medication and Bella, her Great Dane service dog. But the friend couldn’t reach her, so first responders sent a squad car to escort her to safety as she watched the neighborhood burn.
Officials said they were using all resources, including water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft dropping fire retardant, but it was still burning out of control Wednesday afternoon. Andrew Dowd, a Ventura County fire spokesperson, said he did not have details of how many structures had been damaged.
Gus Garcia, who owns a ranch south of the fire, said he's waiting to see whether conditions will change to decide if he should evacuate his horses and cattle. Around 12:30 p.m., his animals were still safe and he was trying to stay out of the way as others got their livestock out.
His ranch is surrounded by others with horses and alpaca, and Garcia said his neighbors in the canyon did not seem panicked.
"The horse community, they prepare for this because it’s always a possibility up here,” he said.
Meanwhile to the south, Los Angeles County Fire Department crews scrambled to contain a wildfire near Malibu’s Broad Beach as authorities briefly shut down the Pacific Coast Highway as flames burned near multimillion-dollar properties. Residents were urged to shelter in place while aircraft dropped water on the 50-acre (20-hectare) Broad Fire. It was 15% contained around 12:30 p.m. with forward progress stopped. Fire officials said two structures burned.
The National Weather Service office for the Los Angeles area amended its red flag warning for increased fire danger with a rare “particularly dangerous situation” label, and officials in several counties urged residents to be on watch for fast-spreading blazes, power outages and downed trees amid the latest round of notorious Santa Ana winds.
With predicted gusts between 50 mph (80 kph) and 100 mph (160 kph) and humidity levels as low as 8%, parts of Southern California could experience conditions ripe for “extreme and life-threatening” fire behavior into Thursday, the weather service said.
Forecasters also issued red flag warnings until Thursday from California's central coast through the San Francisco Bay Area and into counties to the north, where strong winds were also expected.
Utilities in California began powering down equipment during high winds and extreme fire danger after a series of massive and deadly wildfires in recent years were sparked by electrical lines and other infrastructure. On Wednesday, more than 65,000 customers in Southern California were without power preventatively, and upwards of 20,000 in Northern California.
Wednesday's fires were burning in the same areas of other recent destructive fires, including the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which killed three people and destroyed 1,600 homes near Los Angeles, and the the 2017 Thomas Fire, which destroyed more than a thousand homes and other structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Southern California Edison has paid tens of millions of dollars to settle claims after its equipment was blamed for both blazes.
Dazio and Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Ryan Pearson in Los Angeles, Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, and Olga Rodriguez in San Francisco contributed to this report.
Firefighters work against the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A television reporter stands in front of a burning home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A television crew stands in front of a burning home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A home burns in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A home burns in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A home burns in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A home burns in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter passes a burning home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter works in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Burned vehicles sit among a destroyed home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A political sign sits in front of a destroyed home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A burned vehicle sits among a destroyed home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Flames engulf a structure during the Mountain Fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Firefighters spray water on a burning structure during the Mountain Fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Flames engulf a structure during the Mountain Fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Firefighters spray water on a burning structure during the Mountain Fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
In this aerial still image provided by KABC-TV, shows Los Angeles County Fire Department crews scrambled to contain a small blaze fed by erratic wind gusts that pushed flames through dry brush near Broad Beach along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (KABC-TV via AP)
In this aerial still image provided by KABC-TV, shows Los Angeles County Fire Department crews scrambled to contain a small blaze fed by erratic wind gusts that pushed flames through dry brush near Broad Beach along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (KABC-TV via AP)
Powerful winds and low humidity raise wildfire risk across California
Los Angeles city workers remove the remains of a fallen tree blown over by intense winds that crushed a fence in a city park on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Powerful winds and low humidity raise wildfire risk across California
