Don Adair

Last year, Toyota sold more copies of the 4Runner than at any other time in the SUV’s 35-year history. Which is remarkable, since overall SUV sales have fallen sharply with the rise of car-based crossovers. Moreover, the 4Runner ($35,110) is ancient by any standard; it hasn’t been refreshed in a significant way since the fifth-gen edition dropped in 2009. It seems buyers are responding to the authenticity of the 4Runner experience.

In the years following the Great Recession, automakers discovered an appetite for luxury among small-car buyers. Never blind to an opportunity to boost profits, they began stuffing their compacts with leather seats, genuine wood trim, terrific audio and assorted driver-assist and accident-avoidance tech. This trend dovetailed with the rise of the compact crossover. Today, small luxury CUVs comprise a quickly growing segment. Take Lexus’s newest, the UX subcompact crossover ($32,000).

Thanks to its uncanny Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD) system, Acura’s MDX won our love on a white-knuckle drive over Snoqualmie Pass several Christmases ago. Like most crossovers, the MDX ($44,300) is built on a front-wheel-drive platform. But here in snow country its torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system is a well-worth-it $2,000 option.