2017 Drive Car of the Year Best City Suv
Best City SUV 2017
Three new baby SUVs take aim at Suzuki's Vitara
The idea of a city-based SUV is quite an odd – even ironic - one if you view it through the prism of conventional SUVs and what they stood for.
But these days, people want the high seating position and the look of an SUV as much as they ever craved all-wheel-drive in the old days.
And that's where these cars have taken the market; they're funky to look at and they offer a commanding view of the urban jungle. And they're selling like crazy.
Winner: Suzuki Vitara Turbo 2WD
Looking at some of the entrants in this category, you could be forgiven for thinking that a sense of urban-chic style rules the roost.
And had the Suzuki Vitara been knocked from its two-times-champion perch this year, maybe that theory would have held true.
But the Vitara again came up trumps, showcasing that, often, the proven formula is best.
In this case, the formula for a successful city SUV includes keeping the tougher, more squared-off appearance rather than going for the trendy wings and trinkets treatment.
So, the Suzuki looks a bit taller than the others here, a bit simpler in its presentation and, crucially, still sits its passengers in a traditional SUV way with a high point of view and upright seating to make the most of the interior space.
That means a commanding driving position which is great for the urban shuffle, while the luggage area has thoughtful touches like a wet-gear storage area under the floor and deep side pockets.
The biggest omission in the Vitara is autonomous emergency braking which is a major oversight on a vehicle like this. Beyond that, the safety angle is covered and there's a decent amount of standard equipment including sat-nav.
Our judges had no problems with the interior layout of the Suzuki (including that big, central clock) but did note that the plastics from which the interior is moulded seemed a bit cold and hard.
The other thing the Suzuki does well is remembering that it's also a car, and offering a driving experience to match.
In fact, despite that jacked-up ride height, the Vitara remains an entertaining car to drive with sharp, accurate steering and a ride quality that really only shows up the vehicle's small footprint on smaller, jiggly bumps.
The engine and gearbox, too, are highlights with the 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo producing its power right where you need it and even offering a bit of character into the bargain.
With an official combined fuel consumption figure of just 5.9 litres per 100km, the Vitara should be cheap to run.
But it's worth noting that the service intervals of six months or 10,000km are the shortest of this group and need to be factored in to any cost-of-ownership calculations.
Verbatim: "It maintains what attracted people to SUVs in the first place." - Stephen Ottley
Suzuki Vitara
4 variants available
$26,490 - $37,490 MRLP
What we love
- Packaging and looks are spot on
- Entertaining driveline
- Sharp handling and steering
What we don't
- Interior plastics feel cheap
- No autonomous braking
- Short service intervals
2017 Susuki Vitara S-Turbo Price and specification
Price: $30,240 as tested
Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 103kW at 5500rpm
Torque: 220Nm at 5500rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic, AWD
Fuel use: 5.9 litres per 100km (combined)
Finalist: Hyundai Kona Elite
Hyundai is a brand that's really making waves right now, and the plan is for models like the all-new Kona to continue that trend.
Although it's based on the i30 hatchback, it's a completely different looking animal.
In fact, it's one of the busiest looking cars around right now, regardless of category and market segment, so you definitely won't miss it in the mirrors.
Inside, the points of difference continue with body-coloured seat-belts and some green anodised trim pieces that aren't overdone, but give the interior a real visual lift.
Plenty of thought has gone into the design, too, and despite the higher ride height, the loading lip of the luggage compartment is commendably low and there's a cargo net and a wet-storage area under the floor.
But the rear-seat accommodation is a bit tighter than its competitors, and you miss out on convenience touches like rear-seat air-vents.
Safety is well taken care of, however, with autonomous braking and pedestrian-avoidance built into that.
The Kona Elite is a front-wheel-drive vehicle and uses a conventional six-speed automatic transmission.
The 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated engine is capable, but doesn't really shine and if you start to rev it, it quickly becomes noisy and pretty intrusive. The 1.6-litre turbo/dual-clutch transmission/all-wheel drive combination in more expensive models is a better powertrain.
And there's no pay off at the pump for the relatively low-tech engine, either, and with an official combined fuel-consumption figure of 7.2 litres per 100km, it's the thirstiest of this group.
Which might be okay if it was significantly cheaper than its peers, but with the way Hyundai has priced the Kona range, it's not.
Verbatim: "It's okay in a lot of ways, but does it excel over any of its rivals?" - Andrew Maclean
Hyundai Kona
14 variants available
$26,600 - $65,290 MRLP
What we love
- Stand-alone looks
- Functionality and safety
- Excellent warranty
What we don't
- Tight rear seat
- Noisy engine
- Lifeless steering
2017 Hyundai Kona Elite Price and specification
Price: $29,390 as tested
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Power: 110kW at 6200rpm
Torque: 180Nm at 4500rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic, FWD
Fuel use: 7.2 litres per 100km (combined)
Finalist: Toyota C-HR 2WD
Diversification in the new car market is not restricted to genres and segments.
Even within those groupings, there's plenty of fragmentation occurring and Toyota's C-HR is a good example of that.
Where some entrants in the City SUV class have remained loyal to their original concept, the Toyota has turned its back on that to emerge as a heavily stylised version of the same thing.
Yes, it still has a higher ride height, but the angular lines that make up the C-HR's exterior are all about theatre rather than the off-road sensibility that gave us the compact SUV all those years ago.
The Toyota's packaging, too, is aimed at affluent youngsters rather than families, so you get plenty of safety including lane-keeping assistance and blind-spot monitoring as well as autonomous braking.
That said, the blind-spot monitoring will be needed because the sharply rising window-line and rear three-quarter styling means there's a fair old blind spot to be dealt with in the first place.
That same sense of style also imposes a few compromises on the rear-seat accommodation. The extremely shallow rear windows will not please all youngsters who will see the cocooning rear seat as either being cosy or similar to being locked in a cupboard. The roofline and small rear door openings will prohibit taller back seat passengers, yet the high rear door handles will be too high for some children to actually reach.
Dynamically, the C-HR could use more braking power and the stability-control program intervenes early and clumsily.
But with low fuel consumption and good value fixed-price servicing, the C-HR should be easy to own.
Verbatim: "It's polarising, bold even. Kind of looks like it's from outer space." - Kez Casey
Toyota C-HR
6 variants available
$30,915 - $37,665 MRLP
What we love
- Low projected running costs
- Definitely stands out from the pack
- Lots of standard equipment
What we don't
- Rear seat compromises
- Form over function
- Where's the Apple Carplay?
2017 Toyota C-HR Price and specification
Price: $28,990 as tested
Engine: 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol
Power: 85kW at 5200rppm
Torque: 185Nm at 1500rpm
Transmission: CVT automatic, FWD
Fuel use: 6.4 litres per 100km (combined)
Finalist: Subaru XV 2.0i-L
There's clearly no compulsion for a modern SUV – especially one designed with the city in mind – to have any form of off-road ability these days.
But that hasn't stopped Subaru from making its latest XV SUV more capable than pretty much anything else in its category.
Yes, the XV's all-wheel-drive platform is in line with Subaru's corporate insistence that all its cars have this feature, but beyond that, the XV really grabs the SUV formula and runs with it.
The high ride height is part of it, and so are the plastic wheel-arch extensions.
But the XV also retains much of its hatchback heritage (it's based on the new Impreza) to remain functional and relevant.
So, it has the biggest, widest rear seat in this group, plenty of luggage space and gets Subaru's clever `Eyesight' suite of safety technologies that include driver-assistance programs and autonomous braking that even works when the car is travelling in reverse.
The XV's interior is also well considered with leather pads augmenting the trim and even stitching in contrasting colours to break up the look.
That said, there's plenty going on in an information sense, and the various displays can start to look a bit cluttered on the run.
While the Subaru is a very relaxed tourer, it's also the quietest on the road thanks to low levels of engine noise.
But the engine itself can seem a little flat when you start using it hard and we have our reservations about the smoothness of the current Subaru CVT transmission (although this particular example seemed fine).
Verbatim: "It's a conservative approach, but it nails the formula." - Andrew Maclean
Subaru XV
6 variants available
$29,690 - $40,790 MRLP
What we love
- Smooth and quiet
- Great packaging and interior space
- Good safety levels
What we don't
- Busy information displays
- Lacks a little zing
- Missing sat-nav and rear air-vents
2017 Subaru XV 2.0i-L Price and specification
Price: $30,340 as tested
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Power: 115kW at 6000rpm
Torque: 196Nm at 4000rpm
Transmission: CVT automatic, AWD
Fuel use: 7.0 litres per 100km (combined)
Suzuki Vitara
Doors & Seats
5 Doors, 5 Seats
Power & Torque
103 kW, 220 Nm
Transmission
6 Speed, Auto
Fuel
Petrol (95), 5.9L/100KM
Hyundai Kona
Doors & Seats
5 Doors, 5 Seats
Power & Torque
110 kW, 180 Nm
Transmission
6 Speed, Auto
Fuel
Petrol (91), 7.2L/100KM
Compare All Specs
2017 Drive Car of the Year Best City Suv
Source: https://www.drive.com.au/drive-car-of-the-year/drive-best-city-suv-2017/