Today’s post is a guest post from Ant Bradshaw. He is currently working with AskAPrice.com.
Compact SUVs are becoming more and more popular as consumers look to combine their practicality with the driving dynamics of a smaller car. They’re also a lot cheaper than larger SUVs and boast lower running costs, in terms of fuel consumption and road taxes based on their CO2 emissions.
In fact, most compact SUVs aren’t that compact, they’re practical, versatile and offer rather good value for money compared to their luxury counterparts.
As a result, I’ve managed to come up with a list of, in my opinion, is the top 5 compact SUVs available on the market today:
Nissan Juke
The new Nissan Juke has only recently been released, but it has received excellent reviews across the board. Based on the success of its crossover sibling, the Qashqai, the Juke wasn’t likely to fail.
The appearance has a definite marmite factor – you either love it or hate it – to its appearance and it is mixed with a wide range of trim specifications and engine choices. As a result the Juke is fairly flexible in terms of its capability and pricing.
Prices for the Juke start at $14,816, which isn’t a million miles away from the hatchback models. This could prove to be tempting for those looking for something more spacious than the regular sized hatchback.
Based on pricing and overall performance, and not forgetting its rather strange appearance, it is a strong contender in this market segment.
Ford Kuga
The Kuga represents Ford’s first expedition in the SUV market, and what a success it has been. With only two engine options, the Kuga could be criticised for lacking the variety of say, a Juke, but in terms of driving dynamics, it offers everything you’d expect from a Ford model.
The engines available offer sufficient drive and performance to make a ride in the Kuga thoroughly enjoyable, especially when you consider the size of this compact SUV in comparison to some of the others.
As with many compact SUVs the interior quality gets nowhere near the levels of their luxury counterparts, but the Kuga lets nobody down in terms of quality – you’d hope not for the price its on the market for.
Prices for the Kuga start at $23,733, quite an increase from the Juke.
Volkswagen Tiguan
The Tiguan is another new compact SUV on the market, and like the Kuga, it is another welcome addition. However, it is probably more of a family car than the more established members of the compact SUV elite, but a good car nonetheless.
There are three engine options available on the Tiguan, with one 1.4 litre petrol engine and two 2.0 litre TDI diesels. Choose the 2.0 litre TDI and you’ll think the Tiguan is a great car, and you’d probably be right, however the 1.4 litre seems somewhat devoid of the appropriate pull and power to drive a compact SUV.
However, the quality once again picks up inside the VW, as you would expect of any car made by the giants from Germany. VW has tended to use an almost blanket approach to interiors with Golf’s successful appearance being recreated across a lot of its lines, but in this case… if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The Tiguan is not as cheap as the Juke but it is perched rather temptingly in the middle of the price range, starting off at $23,756.
Honda CR-V
The CR-V has probably been a bit more honest than some of the other compact SUVs in this top five, in fact that’s probably one of the reasons I’ve included it.
By that I mean that is acknowledged for its own capabilities and the obvious fact that it isn’t just people who need the car for its off-roading capabilities that are going to buy this car, thus making them irrelevant and unnecessary, which isn’t exactly a bad thing.
In stead, it is a more than capable soft-roader with plenty of space for passengers and luggage. It is one of the better looking vehicles in this segment and as is the case with the majority of Hondas, it is going to be very reliable.
However, it falls down on price. It is on a par with the Freelander thanks to its hefty price tag, and regrettably, the Freelander will always win that war.
Prices start at $24,323 for the new Honda CR-V.
Toyota RAV4
The Toyota RAV4 is a very well equipped vehicle with a superb build quality and reliability. It has managed to become one of the most successful small 4x4s since it was originally launched back in 1994, so much so, that it has inspired many more manufacturers to produce their own style of off-roader.
With new competition always springing up, it has had to constantly improve and as a result it is now one of the best compact 4x4s on the market today, helped by its excellent reputation for reliability.
There are two engine choices for the vehicle, one diesel (2.2 D-4D LE 5dr) and one petrol (2.0 VVT-I LE 5dr) engine.
The interior is neatly styled and is of a very good quality. It is also a very comfortable car with everyone getting a supportive seat and acres of space in the back for adults. That being said, three adults in the back could be a bit tight. Wind and road noise are kept to a minimum, even at high speeds, making it a more pleasant place to be.
Prices for the new Toyota RAV4 start at $26,343.
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