Eastern excellence

KIA SELTOS 1,4 TDGI GT-LINE DCT vs. MAZDA CX-3 2,0 INDIVIDUAL PLUS AT vs. TOYOTA C-HR 1,2T LUXURY CVT

If you live in an urban area, you’d likely have noticed a T-Cross around each corner, parallel parked on every street and occupying every third bay at the mall. Volkswagen’s rigorously practical and pragmatic compact crossover has been an unmitigated success and the brand looks set to expand its reach even further with the local introduction of the mite larger T-Roc. What the T-Cross and T-Roc arguably lack, however, is a dose of eccentricity. There is no doubt they are excellent vehicles but they’re also stoically Germanic…

Let’s look further east to three T-Cross/T-Roc rivals with a bit more brio. Considered here are the flagship models in a trio of vehicle ranges which have achieved their own impressive levels of sales success and are smart, stylish and distinctive. Two form part of our long-term fleet – the recently launched Kia Seltos and Mazda’s perennially popular CX-3 – while our third entrant, the Toyota C-HR, is freshly returned from a light nip and tuck.

Mazda for me, thanks. It drives as well as it looks Terence Steenkamp

With a touch more torque, the CX-3 would be a serious contender in this segment Nikesh Kooverjee

Seltos offers the best mix of practicality, performance and value for money Ryan Bubear

They’re a hodgepodge of drive-train configurations; in the mix are two turbocharged