The second-generation Renault Captur edges out its Alliance sibling, the Nissan Juke, for several reasons.
It's certainly fun and engaging, but perhaps not as easy to drive and to live with as you might expect a crossover hatchback to be. Corners are taken with surprising handling accuracy and poise, while the damping is particularly fluent and skilfully tuned if you avoid the sportiest trims.Īlthough cabin space and perceived quality are hardly class-leading, the Puma comes with some neat storage solutions, the cleverest of which is a hosable underfloor storage area for dirty boots and wet clothes called the Megabox.įor those looking for both space and excitement from their small hatchback, meanwhile, Ford added a Puma ST performance version late in 2020, which borrowed the engine and much of the running gear of the highly rated Fiesta ST. It shares its platform with the current Fiesta and shares plenty of its vital, engaging dynamic character with that supermini, too. The Puma line-up has a trio of 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engines, with 48V mild-hybrid technology enabling the top-level version to produce up to 125bhp.
The Puma has increased the temperature of that water, though, bringing plenty of the driver appeal for which its maker is known to a part of the market that badly needed some. Save money with new T-Cross deals from What Car?įord was slow to hop into the warm and inviting water of the compact crossover class, having initially ventured only the disappointing Ecosport (which didn’t make much of a dent, for reasons that will have been apparent to anyone who drove one). So overall, while perceived cabin quality isn’t quite as good as you might expect from Volkswagen, the T-Cross is easily good enough to be our class-leading recommendation. Practicality is very good for such a compact car, a standard-fit sliding rear bench adding versatility when you need to carry bulkier items. Refinement is good, economy likewise (both cars are well capable of 50mpg on a longer out-of-town trip) and ride and handling are nicely resolved, with a sense of pragmatic compliance and low-speed cushioning to the ride that should endear the car to owners.
We’ve driven both 94bhp and 113bhp tunes of the 1.0-litre TSI, and while the 113bhp model is a little bit faster and more drivable (thanks in no small part to having an extra cog in its manual gearbox than the 94bhp model), neither version feels slow. The engine range consists of a pair of 1.0-litre turbocharged three-pot petrols and a 1.5-litre turbo four-pot with 148bhp. Sitting right in the middle of the class on size and price, the T-Cross rises higher than some of its rivals and has more SUV-typical styling than others. Volkswagen has watched and waited as its rivals have rushed to cash in on the popularity of cars like this – and the firm’s first compact crossover, the T-Cross, feels very much like the sort of car that has been judged and executed with care. These are the 10 best compact crossovers money can buy, then, should you find yourself in the market. Mazda RX-9 hopes boosted by new rotary-engine technology.Mazda CX-3 removed from sale 'for the moment'.