It’s hard to determine what makes something popular, but we often tend to associate it with the person or object who gets talked about the most. When it comes to new cars, however, popular means whichever product gets purchased the most. Even though ‘popular but unnoticed cars’ may seem like a contradiction, it makes sense when you dig below the surface, which we’ll do now by examining which four cars shoppers love, but don’t get the same shine as other more trendy picks.

The Chrysler Pacifica proves minivans still have a market

No one really brags about having a minivan, unless they take pleasure in being totally different, and yet the Chrysler Pacifica seems to be a much-beloved vehicle. Just this year, the sales numbers have been swiftly rising, according to GoodCarBadCar.

In January 2023, it sold 9,510. In February, it dipped down to 9,129, but then jumped back up to 10,271 in March. It hit an all-time high in April with 15,173, briefly dropped to 14,589 in May, and once again hit 15,173 in June. Year to date, the minivan has moved just over 73,000 units.

The Chrysler Pacifica is popular amongst families thanks to the fact that it’s available as a hybrid. It’s also been the most-awarded minivan for the past six years.

The Kia Forte shows people want good value for their money

The Kia Forte is another popular model, although it doesn’t have the same sales numbers as the Chrysler Pacifica. The sales numbers for January were 8,190, February 10,445, March, 11,891, April 11,182, May 10,023, and June 10,330. March was the best month for the Forte up to this point. Year to date, the model has sold just over 62,000 units.

All Kias come with one of the top warranties in the industry, which makes this a stellar little sedan to buy. The GT trim comes with a turbocharged engine for only $25,285. For an extra $700, you can add a six-speed manual transmission.

The Mazda CX-5 breaks the mold of boring crossovers

The Mazda CX-5’s numbers are all over the place this year. January had the lowest month with only 9,833 sales. Things took off in February, and the Equinox sold 12,282. March was the top-selling month, with 16,612 vehicles sold. In April, it sold 14,333, in May 14,100, and 12,861 in June. This brings the CX-5’s year to date total to an impressive 80,021.

Mazda vehicles are fairly popular on the market, but they tend to be overshadowed by other Japanese brands like Honda and Toyota. Even so, the Mazda CX-5 regularly gets top-rated scores from critics, and offers a lot for the money.

Because of this, it tends to draw in plenty of shoppers, even if no one is screaming from the rooftops about their new CX-5.

The Equinox is quietly one of Chevy’s most popular models

The Chevy Equinox had the best sales numbers on this list, making it the best-seller, as well as arguably the most popular. There’s one other Chevy that gets more love, however, that’s the Silverado. This incredibly popular truck is one of the top-selling vehicles on the list, and seems to garner all the attention.

In spite of this, the Equinox more than held its own in the first half of 2023, and is the second-highest earner for the Chevy brand. 

In January, the Chevrolet Equinox sold 17,402 vehicles. February wasn’t as profitable, as only 16,706 vehicles left the lot. March was the best-selling month, with 18,794. In April, Chevy sold 17,879 Equinox, in May 17,191, and in June 17,879. Year to date it has sold over 100,000 units.

It has a five-star rating from the NHTSA, solid reviews, and a rather affordable price range of $28,595 – $33,795. So why doesn’t the Equinox get more attention?

Honestly, it’s a compact SUV in a segment filled with similar rivals. The Toyota RAV-4 and Honda CR-V are probably the most talked about, and they also had far greater sales. You can do much worse than a Chevy Equinox if you’re in the market for a compact SUV, however.