Small SUV With The Highest Ground Clearance?

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Last Updated on April 11, 2023 by Paul S.

Need a small SUV with high ground clearance?  There can be many benefits to these types of vehicles.

  • The first one is obvious; you get better ground clearance than a similar sized sedan.  This can get you to further places on dirt roads and even do some light off-roading in some situations.  They can also perform better when you need to get over piles of snow.
  • Second, they are cheaper than a large SUV. 
  • Third, you get better gas mileage than the larger SUVs.

As we make our way through the list here are some vehicle references for comparison purposes.  The Toyota Camry, one of the top selling sedans in the USA has a ground clearance of 5.7 inches.  On the opposite end, the Jeep Wrangler Sport has a ground clearance of 9.7 inches.  9.7 inches is the start of what kind of ground clearances are achievable as you get into more off-road capable vehicles.  

Now, here are some of the smaller SUVs that have higher ground Clearances!

2022 Toyota Rav4

The Toyota Rav4 has been around since 1995!  This long running smaller SUV has been growing its ground clearance ever since.  It started with 7.3 inches in 1995 and now for certain trims, they get up to 8.6 inches.

Here are the trims and their ground clearances:

  • LE: 8.4 inches
  • XLE: 8.4 inches
  • XLE Premium: 8.6 inches
  • Adventure: 8.6 inches
  • Limited: 8.6 inches
  • TRD Off Road: 8.6 inches
  • Hybrid: 8.1 inches

Jeep Renegade Ground Clearance

The largest ground clearance for the Renegade is 8.7 inches.  There are many different trims so in order to get that full 8.7 inches you need get the Trailhawk 4dr 4WD.  

The Renegade Trailhawk is more than capable of off-roading or getting through some heavy snowdrifts. 

Here are some other ground clearances of other trims for the renegade:

  • Sport: 6.7 inches
  • Red Edition: 8 inches
  • Altitude: 8 inches
  • Limited: 8 inches
  • Latitude: 8 inches

Subaru Crosstrek

The Subaru Crosstrek has a ground clearance of 8.7 inches across the entire trim range they offer.  Pair that 8.7 inches with their AWD system and you get a pretty decent offroad vehicle for backcountry dirt roads and even some very easy off-road trails.

Ford Bronco Sport Ground Clearance

The Ford Bronco Sport is the new kid in school, but it is capable of reaching 8.8 inches of ground clearance. 

This clearance is only possible in the Bronco Sport Badlands trim option.  The trim option also must be fitted with 235/65R17 All-terrain off-road tires to reach that goal. 

The thing that makes the Bronco Sport stand out from this list is that the roof and the doors can come off to truly get a feel of the outdoors while you are roughing it on the trails.

The other trim options that provide 7.8 inches of clearance are:

  • Base
  • Outer Banks
  • Big bend

2022 Subaru Forester Ground Clearance

Want to maintain that 8.7 inches of ground clearance but need some more cargo space than the Subaru Crosstrek?  The Forester does that for you.  It still gives you that great Subaru quality and AWD system but provides 20.8 more cubic feet than the Crosstrek.    

But here is some exciting news!  The Forester is now offering the Wilderness trim in 2022.  This boosts the ground clearance to 9.2 inches!  This is getting close to that Jeep Wrangler Sport we mentioned.

All other trims have the same ground clearance except for the Wilderness.   Those trims are:

  • Base Model
  • Sport
  • Touring
  • Premium
  • Limited

Subaru Outback Ground Clearance

If you haven’t noticed the ground clearances keep growing as we make our way down the list. 

The Subaru Outback can get up to 9.5 inches!  This is 0.2 inches away from the Wrangler sport.  But like the Forester, this clearance comes only with the Wilderness package.   

All other trims come with 8.7 inches of ground clearance.  Those trims packages are the following:

  • Base model
  • Onyx Edition XT
  • Touring
  • Touring XT
  • Limited
  • Limited XT
  • Premium

Check out some more cool specs and photos at the Subaru site here: Subaru Outback Wilderness

Conclusion – Small SUV with The Highest Ground Clearance

This list has provided many options to choose from when picking a smaller SUV that has the highest ground clearance.

Reviewing the list you can see that having a smaller vehicle doesn’t mean you can’t go to the woods and get dirty.  These vehicles will definitely allow you to explore places that a sedan just can’t get to. 

But! if you want to go big, the Subaru Outback Wilderness has the best ground clearance and everyone knows that Subaru has been in the game for a while. 

See you on the trails!

Are these SUVs too small for you?

Check out our post that covers larger SUVs and their ground Clearance. Click Here –>OFF Roader X – Ground Clearance

Or check out our post on Mid Size SUVs with High Ground Clearance.

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