18/03/10

This new breed of car is part off-roader and part MPV, with added dashes of estate car and small hatch. Here are the best

1: Skoda Yeti
Prices: £13,990-£22,635
When buying Skodas, cheapest is usually best and that’s never truer than here. It’s a plus not a minus, though: it's evidence of the top value that the make delivers. Like the Qashqai, the Yeti comes with front-wheel or four-wheel-drive and if you pay more for a 4x4 model it’ll be pretty decent in the mud .

For us, though, the entry 1.2 model is the most likeable. Its three-cylinder motor is perky and free-revving and pulls the car along sweetly. It’s an easy drive and smoothes the bumps confidently. Just as you’d expect, because it shares its underpinnings and running gear with the current Volkswagen Golf. The cabin is workaday but looks as if it’ll last and is tricked out with plenty of storage spaces. It’s spacious, too.

All told, there’s little to grumble at and much to like, while the value lower-end Yetis offer is strong.
Verdict *****

To read motors.co.uk’s road test of the Skoda Yeti, click here

2: Nissan Qashqai
Prices: £14,495-£23,545
Here, Nissan has fashioned a car that is high-riding and chunky like an off-roader. But, in spirit, it’s a real townie. Where a pukka 4x4 pushes power to every wheel and will have the cleverness to keep the wheels turning across the mud and snow, most versions of this car are no more gifted in the grip department than a regular mid-size saloon car. Unless you plump for the top-end models – and swallow a big hike in price – Qashqais come with front-wheel drive. Just like a regular car.

But its big wheels and chunky bumpers are a boon in the cut ‘n’ jam of city driving, where it’s a handy thing, eager and light to drive in the way that most Nissans are. The cabin is big for the car and notably tall inside while the boot is usefully sized and its opening is bigger than you’d get with a regular hatchback.

Qashqais come with five seats or there’s the ’+2’ model which – you’ve guessed – has seven seats. This is a touch longer but the rearmost seats are small and cramped, so comfy only for children. And when they’re in use, the boot space left is small.
Pick of the range is the five-seat, regular Qashqai in mid-level Acenta trim, front-wheel drive only and powered by a 1.5-litre turbodiesel. Verdict ****

To read motors.co.uk’s road test of the Nissan Qashqai, click here

3: Kia Soul
Prices: £11,495-£16,155
The Soul looks mad. If you opt for the range topping Burner, the seats and dash are coloured bright red, the gear knob is a hot rodder's delight and the lights around the big door-mounted speaker flash in time to the beat. Others are less extreme but, whichewver you choose, it's one distinctive car. But it is also very practical, too. That boxy cabin is tall and airy, packing enough room for five grown-ups into a road space no bigger than that taken up by a typical small hatchback like the Ford Focus or VW Golf. There's a good-sized boot, a wide-opening rear door, and the rear seats drop down whenever you need to free up the space of a small van. Power comes courtesy of 1.6 petrol or diesel engines - we'd go for the diesel because of its low-revs urge and excellent fuel economy - 50mpg or more is possible across a mix of journeys.

The chunky shape makes nipping it through town easy, while if you go for the Shaker model you'll get a reversing camera that projects its image on to the rearview mirror - a really neat idea. The steering is light as are the gears and pedals, making it an easy rather than involving drive, while its sometimes jolty ride is the car's one notable weak point. And, despite its tough looks it's front-wheel drive only and so it's no off-roader. On the plus side, however, is its seven-year maker's warranty from new - something it shares with all other Kias.
Verdict ****

To read motors.co.uk’s road test of the Soul and watch our video verdict, click here