The Swedish guy
04-07-2007, 02:15 PM
Pan-European Auto,Motor & Sports Swedish branch tests 12 small compact SUV (all with the best engine: DIESEL of course!!)
This is the ranking ( and a short recap of what they say):
12: Jeep Compass 2,0 CRD; lousy build quality and noisy, small boot, old VW engine (PD-TDi engine), the "family-name" is one of the few pros..
11: Chevrolet Captiva 2,0D: better built then real "US-SUV", boring manual gearbox, feel "old" already
10: Suzuki Grand Vitara 1,9 DDiS: The "farm tractor", rough, raw, "too rugged feeling"
9: Nissan X-trail 2,2 dCi: feels like and old Volvo 745 , an looks like one too; good boot, awful steering, soft chassis, out dated
8: Hyundai Santa Fe 2,2 CRDi: roomy interior, nice materials used , a bit too much car for the engine…
7: Hyundai Tuscon: roomy interior, relaxing to drive, fit perfect with the engine,VERY small boot
6: Kia Sportage: “same” car as above so only odd is some service things: Hyundai want new cam, belt at 1200000 kms while KIA need it at 150000kms still same engine…, poor resale value
5: Toyota RAV4 2,2 D-4D: antiseptic as only a toyota can be , “barn door” in the back (right hinged ..), just to “flat” to make any impression what so ever..
4: BMW X3 2,0d: better comfort then previous model ( still who wants a SUV with Sport chassis??), fun to drive, inconsequent behaviour due to xDrive (under or over steer from time to time)
3: Land Rover Freelander TD4: expensive, best offroader, weak engine ( only single turbo while PSA cars have same engine with twin turbo…), Volvo feling on road ( soon to come as Volvo XC60..), in the end you get what you pay for..
2: Mitsubishi Outlander DI-D: brand new, a “looker”, nice build but to cheap feeling top the materials, impressive breaks, 3rd row seats sucks big time,
1: Honda CR-V 2,2 CTDI: like its predecessor but better, no weak spot anywhere top 3 in all test rounds, wonderful seats close to perfect seating comfort, excellent chassis,, razor sharp steering with good feedback, Usual top class drive train from Honda, pleasant sound levels, gigantic interior space, big plus for keeping the flat floor, BMW class on the interior IF they had gone for slightly better material But better finish then BMW in some buttons and switch ( to BMWs defence: its not German built….), large boot with 5 seat still good with only 2 seats, excellent gauges with good contrast (white on black), nice OBC, real rear hatch now, excellent resale value and a service record that’s VERY clean only down side is expensive parts ( due to low sales??), big question is what the competitors have to do to get ahead of Honda….
This is the ranking ( and a short recap of what they say):
12: Jeep Compass 2,0 CRD; lousy build quality and noisy, small boot, old VW engine (PD-TDi engine), the "family-name" is one of the few pros..
11: Chevrolet Captiva 2,0D: better built then real "US-SUV", boring manual gearbox, feel "old" already
10: Suzuki Grand Vitara 1,9 DDiS: The "farm tractor", rough, raw, "too rugged feeling"
9: Nissan X-trail 2,2 dCi: feels like and old Volvo 745 , an looks like one too; good boot, awful steering, soft chassis, out dated
8: Hyundai Santa Fe 2,2 CRDi: roomy interior, nice materials used , a bit too much car for the engine…
7: Hyundai Tuscon: roomy interior, relaxing to drive, fit perfect with the engine,VERY small boot
6: Kia Sportage: “same” car as above so only odd is some service things: Hyundai want new cam, belt at 1200000 kms while KIA need it at 150000kms still same engine…, poor resale value
5: Toyota RAV4 2,2 D-4D: antiseptic as only a toyota can be , “barn door” in the back (right hinged ..), just to “flat” to make any impression what so ever..
4: BMW X3 2,0d: better comfort then previous model ( still who wants a SUV with Sport chassis??), fun to drive, inconsequent behaviour due to xDrive (under or over steer from time to time)
3: Land Rover Freelander TD4: expensive, best offroader, weak engine ( only single turbo while PSA cars have same engine with twin turbo…), Volvo feling on road ( soon to come as Volvo XC60..), in the end you get what you pay for..
2: Mitsubishi Outlander DI-D: brand new, a “looker”, nice build but to cheap feeling top the materials, impressive breaks, 3rd row seats sucks big time,
1: Honda CR-V 2,2 CTDI: like its predecessor but better, no weak spot anywhere top 3 in all test rounds, wonderful seats close to perfect seating comfort, excellent chassis,, razor sharp steering with good feedback, Usual top class drive train from Honda, pleasant sound levels, gigantic interior space, big plus for keeping the flat floor, BMW class on the interior IF they had gone for slightly better material But better finish then BMW in some buttons and switch ( to BMWs defence: its not German built….), large boot with 5 seat still good with only 2 seats, excellent gauges with good contrast (white on black), nice OBC, real rear hatch now, excellent resale value and a service record that’s VERY clean only down side is expensive parts ( due to low sales??), big question is what the competitors have to do to get ahead of Honda….