SUVS that aren’t really SUVS make sense
Stop sneering at urban SUVS and enjoy the elevation, writes David Linklater.
for the record) and visibility, then something like the UX works really well.
You don’t feel like you’re driving an SUV at all.
Yet you can also drive directly over vehicle entrances or angle-park the nose against is a great idea. You get the benefit of a higher H-point for getting in and out, but don’t have to feel like you’re behind the wheel of a baby truck when you’re in the driver’s seat.
In fact, you can divide compact-suvs like the UX neatly into two groups: raised hatchbacks, or crossovers that aim to be much more like a smaller version of genuine offroad vehicles (higher bonnets and roof lines, upright driving position, the impression of size – whether that’s real or not).
Among the UX’S immediate rivals, the Mercedes-benz GLA fits into that high-hatchback mould, while the Jaguar E-pace and Volvo XC40 seem to be much more like traditional SUVS, just scaled down.
Audi and BMW take a bet each way: the hatchy Q2 and X2 respectively for the former group, or the Q3 and X1 for the latter.
There’s a similar dichotomy among mainstream compact SUVS.
The Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro, Mazda CX-3 and Toyota CH-R seem much more like high hatches than the likes of the Holden Trax, Honda HR-V or Seat Arona.
Perhaps the ultimate highhatch is the (also rather excellent) Subaru XV – because it’s literally an Impreza with extra ride height and plastic bits on the exterior.
Standard AWD gives it a bit more crossover-cred, although the lower-set Impreza has that too.