America's 10 Best-Selling SUVs & Crossovers In September 2014

Timothy Cain
by Timothy Cain

After a brief one-month hiatus in which Toyota’s RAV4 took over the title, the Honda CR-V was back on top of America’s SUV/crossover leaderboard in September 2014. CR-V sales were up 11%, year-over-year, to 23,722 units, the CR-V’s highest September sales result in the history of the nameplate. The CR-V’s 2015 revamp brings with it more LEDs.

America’s second-ranked utility vehicle in September, the Toyota RAV4, is 28,093 sales back of the second-ranked Ford Escape on year-to-date terms. The RAV4’s quite helpful 43% year-over-year improvement last month equalled 6798 extra sales for Toyota during a month in which total Toyota passenger car sales (Lexus and Scion included) were down 9%. In addition to the RAV4’s big leap, sales of the Highlander rose 22% to 10,542 units and 4Runner sales shot up 76% to 5659.

In September 2014, for the third time in three months, the Ford Escape ranked third among SUVs and crossovers competing for sales in the United States. But while July sales jumped 19% and August Escape volume was up 9%, Escape sales in September slid 4% to 21,718 units, a three-year September low for the smallest Ford utility.

The Escape was joined in the top six by the Ford Explorer. Civilian Explorer sales were up 1% to 13,770 units in September; Police Interceptor Explorers were up 55% to 2025 units, 134% more than the total achieved by the Taurus-based Police Interceptor sedan.

RankAutoSeptember 2014September 2013% Change9 mos. 20149 mos. 2013% Change CR-V23,72221,43910.6%241,015229,0825.2% RAV422,72415,92842.7%202,069160,24226.1% Escape21,71822,607-3.9%230,162228,2900.8% Equinox17,26615,44311.8%184,805185,420-0.3% Rogue17,22911,35351.8%154,568124,66924.0% Explorer15,79514,9655.5%158,652145,9348.7% Cherokee14,639——128,133—— Wrangler13,95511,98416.4%134,068119,94111.8% Grand Cherokee12,85414,906-13.8%136,310128,6975.9% Forester12,58410,62018.5%117,94084,37239.8%

U.S. sales of the Chevrolet Equinox were up 12% in September. (Meanwhile, GMC’s Terrain, an Equinox twin, was up 16% to 8310 units.) The Equinox’s rise was part of a GM boost that saw the automaker’s September sales climb by 36,242 units – more than the totals achieved by Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BMW, or Mazda, for example – compared with the same period one year ago. The Equinox played a small role in this; the Silverado’s 54% leap was more certainly the more lucrative improvement.

At Nissan, where brand-wide sales have been steadily growing for a full year, Rogue volume jumped 52% in September 2014. Year-to-date, Rogue sales are up 24% to 154,568 units, 16% of the Nissan brand’s three-quarter volume. The Altima, Nissan’s best seller, accounts for 26% of Nissan’s sales. The Rogue slots in second, ahead of the Sentra (14%) and Versa (11%).

That Jeep, an SUV/crossover builder through and through, could land three nameplates in the top ten is not surprising. Although the Cherokee’s rise to the top of the Jeep heap has been steady, September does mark the first occasion in which the top-selling Jeep in America has in fact been the Cherokee. The new one, the one with the face.

Rounding out the top ten in September was Subaru’s best-selling model, the Forester. U.S. sales of the Forester have increased in 19 consecutive months. By the end of October, Subaru will have sold more Foresters in America in ten months than in all of 2013, a record year for the Forester.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures.

Timothy Cain
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  • Theswedishtiger Theswedishtiger on Oct 05, 2014

    Being a retarded piston head, I buy over the top road machines. My wife, being one who slots the car in importance somewhere between the dishwasher and the fridge, goes out and buys a CRV, to me the automotive equivalent of Novocain. However, when it comes to carting the relations, stuff and groceries around, it shines. Plus it breaks down less than the dishwasher. I have to wonder what the percentage CRV buyers are females?

    • EMedPA EMedPA on Oct 05, 2014

      And for some people that utility and reliability are paramount. I can't fault Honda for baking that into the CRV's DNA. I just hope that the CVT going into the 2015 models is as reliable as the rest of the vehicle.

  • VW4motion VW4motion on Oct 06, 2014

    Mazda CX5 does not even make the top ten for crossovers. Great SUV. But with a poor out of date dealer network and driving position does not meet what buyers want as a whole. There are a lot of women drivers buying these smaller SUVs and the sitting down position with decreases greenhouse effect compared to the top sellers equals lower sales. Go check out a Honda or Toyota dealer then go to a Mazda dealer. Mazda dealers are run down and look like crap compared to the other dealers.

  • 3-On-The-Tree I’m sure they are good vehicles but you can’t base that on who is buying them. Land Rovers, Bentley’ are bought by Robin Leaches’s “The Rich and Famous” but they have terrible reliability.
  • SCE to AUX The fix sounds like a bandaid. Kia's not going to address the defective shaft assemblies because it's hard and expensive - not cool.
  • Analoggrotto I am sick and tired of every little Hyundai Kia Genesis flaw being blown out of proportion. Why doesn't TTAC talk about the Tundra iForce Max problems, Toyota V35A engine problems or the Lexus 500H Hybrid problems? Here's why: education. Most of America is illiterate, as are the people who bash Hyundai Kia Genesis. Surveys conducted by credible sources have observed a high concentration of Hyundai Kia Genesis models at elite ivy league universities, you know those places where students earn degrees which earn more than $100K per year? Get with the program TTAC.
  • Analoggrotto NoooooooO!
  • Ted “the model is going to be almost 4 inches longer and 2 inches wider than its predecessor”Size matters. In this case there is 6” too much.
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