Four budget compact SUVs rated and compared

It's no surprise that the SUV segment is prolific in the UAE. We have ample road space, fuel is relatively cheap and we're surrounded by sand and rocky terrain, which means there's ample scope for off-road excursions. There's also the fact that SUVs create a perception of safety owing to their elevated cabins and greater sense of mass compared to a compact hatchback or saloon.

All well and good if you can afford one, then, but what if you have Dh65,000 or less to spend? No need to fret, because there are several contenders that start below this price. Here’s a quartet of cheap and cheerful compact SUV combatants, with a handy comparative score out of 65:

Renault Duster (from Dh49,900)

The Duster’s rugged, boxy shape still looks good, even though it has been around for more than seven years. As is the norm for this class, it’s offered in front-drive and all-wheel-drive formats, with the latter more off-road capable than any other vehicle in this segment, thanks to 205 millimetres of ground clearance, plus the fact you can lock it into four-wheel drive mode (whereby drive is split 50:50 to front and rear axles).

You sit nice and high in the Duster, visibility is great and ride comfort is commendable. It also handles tidily, but it’s let down slightly by the anaemic 135hp 2.0L engine and olde-worlde four-speed auto.

The horn is awkwardly located on the end of the indicator stalk, which isn’t ideal for emergencies. The extra-long transmission lever also looks comical.

Other than this, the Duster is a versatile package that’s fun to drive and economical to run. The cabin is a bit dated, but top-spec models come with 16-inch alloys, satnav and a reversing camera.

Driving experience 7/10

Looks 7/10

Engine/transmission 5/10

Versatility/load space 8/10

Comfort/cabin layout 7/10

Value for money 12/15

TOTAL 46/65

* Gautam Sharma

Haval H2 (from Dh55,000)

This Chinese carmaker is relatively unknown here, yet pumps out more SUVs a year than Land Rover. Its budget salvo is the H2, which looks decent enough, although it’s a mishmash of styling cues borrowed from the likes of the BMW X3 and Volkswagen Touareg.

The interior has some flair, although the faux-metal trim on the dashboard looks dodgy. It also needs a better stereo. Despite this, the cabin isn’t a bad place to be, with a comfortable driving position and good visibility.

The H2 is let down by its wheezy 1.5L turbo engine, even though its 150hp and 210Nm outputs look OK on paper. The six-speed auto is also slow to kick down, further sapping performance. That said, the Haval is OK once you’re up to cruising speed. Ride and handling are tidy, but there’s noticeable wind noise from around the A-pillars and door mirrors.

The H2 is good value given that it comes with one year’s free insurance, servicing for three years/50,000 kilometres and a five-year/250,000km warranty.

Driving experience 6/10

Looks 6/10

Engine/transmission 5/10

Versatility/load space 6/10

Comfort/cabin layout 6/10

Value for money 12/15

TOTAL 41/65

* Gautam Sharma

Mitsubishi ASX (from Dh59,900)

Like the Duster, the ASX has been around since 2010, but its pert packaging and competitive pricing ensures it continues to sell steadily. The ASX has pleasing proportions, but a recent facelift is a retrograde step to my eyes – the new face (dubbed “Dynamic Shield” in Mitsubishi-speak) looks overly fussy and contrived.

The ASX’s cabin is nicely presented, offering more modernity and plushness than the class norm. It also rides with great compliancy and is relatively quiet at cruising speeds. On the minus side, it handles like a blancmange and woolly steering feels disconnected from the front wheels.

The Mitsubishi’s 150hp 2.0L engine is acceptably willing, but it’s hooked up to a CVT (continuously variable transmission) that causes the motor to drone monotonously when you push the throttle. It feels like a manual gearbox with a slipping clutch.

The ASX is an OK buy, however, because the price includes one year’s insurance, free servicing up to 10,000km and complimentary tinting and scratch-guard.

Driving experience 5/10

Looks 7/10

Engine/transmission 5/10

Versatility/load space 6/10

Comfort/cabin layout 8/10

Value for money 9/15

TOTAL 40/65

* Gautam Sharma

Nissan Kicks (from Dh63,500)

Nissan’s funky new contribution to the compact SUV rat race is a pleasing-looking thing, particularly in our test car’s burnt-orange paintwork. Indeed, with its 17-inch tyres resplendent with dinky alloys, squint and you can almost imagine that this is a baby Patrol.

The interior is basic on first look, with no central console and lots of hard plastic, but nuances such as a start button and a reversing camera with around-view cameras drag it away from budget basement and firmly into 2017.

There's enough headroom to make average-height folks feel a bit Gulliver's Travels. The Kicks' 1.6L engine is light on grunt, at 118hp, though, and prone to revving so high before upwards gear changes that you will be checking to see the accelerator hasn't got stuck under the floor mat.

Ride is decent and manoeuvrability fantastic, making tight car parks a breeze, although the feather-light steering’s flip side is that the Kicks feels fidgety at highway speeds. Despite those misgivings, it’s a tempting tiny package for dashing around town. Good enough that you can almost forget this is the company behind the nightmarishly styled Juke – and take our test title.

Driving experience 7/10

Looks 8/10

Engine/transmission 6/10

Versatility/load space 6/10

Comfort/cabin layout 8/10

Value for money 12/15

TOTAL 47/65

* Adam Workman

aworkman@thenational.ae

Follow us @LifeNationalUAE

Follow us on Facebook for discussions, entertainment, reviews, wellness and news.