Noughts and crossovers
HYUNDAI CRETA 1,5 EXECUTIVE IVT vs. MAZDA CX-30 2,0 ACTIVE AT vs. NISSAN QASHQAI 1,2T MIDNIGHT EDITION XTRONIC vs. PEUGEOT 2008 1,2T 96 KW GT LINE EAT6
In the age-old strategic game of noughts and crosses, all that’s required is a couple of players, each equipped with a pencil and a nine-square grid drawn on a single piece of paper. In the booming SUV/crossover segment, myriad carmakers have committed to outwitting their competitors to make their mark on the grid. According to our Top 12 Best Buys awards (April 2021), the reigning champion is the Volkswagen T-Cross, with the German firm placing three winning crosses in a row for the last two years. However, which one of these crossovers – the new Hyundai Creta, Mazda CX-30, Peugeot 2008 or an older favourite, the Nissan Qashqai – will be able to outwit the Wolfsburger? Our road testers’ pencils are drawn. Let the games begin ...
The understudy
MAZDA CX-30 2,0 ACTIVE AT
Easily the best of the bunch to drive but priced far too close to the larger CX-5 Ryan Bubear
Dynamic and characterful but given this price, low standard spec hurts its case Nikesh Kooverjee
Involving to drive, yet, lacks the all-round capability of the Peugeot Marius Boonzaier
The Mazda is arguably the most dynamically involving crossover in this company. With the driver’s pew dialled to its lowest setting and leather-trimmed telescopic steering column adjusted as desired, the CX-30 – although riding 35 mm higher off the ground than the fourth-generation Mazda3 upon which it is based – offers a near hatchback-like driving position. Not possessed of such a commanding view of the road like its taller-riding rivals, it nonetheless offers its pilot a clear view of
