The archetypal small SUV dates all the way back to the 1940s with the Willys Jeep and Series 1 Land Rover. Some 80 years on, the formula is now as fashionable as it ever has been.
It’s easy to understand the appeal, with many small SUVs providing a commanding view of the road ahead, without the heft – or indeed cost – of traditional full-size Chelsea tractors. Radical-looking cars such as the Nissan Juke and Range Rover Evoque have also helped to push the envelope for small SUV design, drastically improving the kerb appeal of the entire ‘soft-roader’ class.
They might not be as good to drive as the equivalent hatchback or saloon, nor as fuel-efficient, but they often come close. For many people, that's good enough; the best-selling cars charts don’t lie.
So which are the very best small SUVs on sale right now? These are our picks of the bunch.
Is the Duster all the car you need? Added trinketry such as displays and lane keeping assistance bring a level of technology that some may find unnecessary for this latest generation.
But the answer is an unreserved yes because ultimately the Duster is at least as good as a Hyundai Kona while costing a few thousand pounds less. And that’s hard to argue with.
The interior is large and practical enough for a small family (it has physical buttons too!) and the ride is soft and plush. It can even off-road.
There are three engines to choose from, but none is a diesel. The lowliest is the 1.0-litre bi-fuel triple, which runs on petrol and LPG. Next up is the 1.2-litre mild hybrid, which can be optioned with four-wheel drive. Then there’s the full hybrid - a 1.6-litre auto. We would choose the 1.2-litre, and view the hybrid as an automatic option that doesn’t carry a fuel economy penalty.
Read our Dacia Duster review
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I've run an X2 2.0S-drive for the last few years and it's been flawless, autobox is good,and in sport mode it's quick enough,it's well built, mpg isn't great buy today's standards (37-40mpg) but I don't do big mileage, it's a base model but it's still well enough equipped, but the rise in price in the past three years to close to £40K is too much, so an X1 might be on the cards, as for the cars mentioned, none of them appeal, none of them get a glowing report here either.
Surely cars like the Qashqai, CX5, Q3, Tiguan, Tucson, Sportage etc are family size SUVs, not 'small' ones. Juke, T-Cross, Q2, Puma etc are the small ones.