MASTERS OF NONE

In the growing fiefdom of premium SUVS, this trio is tailored for very different tastes. Which, if any, proves the standout on a 700 km road trip into the Klein Karoo?

JAGUAR F-PACE 25D AWD CHEQUERED FLAG vs. LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT D180 R-DYNAMIC HSE vs. MAZDA CX-5 2,2DE AWD AKERA

Celebrated travel author Paul Theroux once wrote: “Travelling makes one modest – you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” In one sense, I believe the same applies to vehicle testing. Evaluating a car on your daily commute and through standardised testing is brilliant for building up archival data but often there is more to be learnt by adjusting your context and seeing what impression a vehicle forms on you between those indefinable bookends of Here, There and Back Again. When our (former) longterm Mazda CX-5 was required for a Getaway travel story out in Barrydale, we roped in the Jaguar F-pace Chequered Flag and Land Rover Discovery Sport to form an unlikely trinity of road trippers.

A bit like TV cooking shows where contestants must use the same ingredients but somehow infuse their individuality into a dish, we’ve long thought an indepth appraisal of the Discovery Sport and F-pace – to see which makes the best use of its shared JLR componentry – would make for interesting reading. Likewise, for as long as we can remember, the Mazda CX-5 has been one of the segment’s most accomplished offerings, taking our Top 12 Best Buys prize for midsize SUV/ crossovers on numerous occasions. We always felt it could punch above its weight and take on premium competition costing more. Well, now is its chance.

As it stands, the top-of-therange CX-5 2,2DE AWD Akera will set you back R666 100, while the D180 R-dynamic HSE Landy we have here is a dearer but not unreasonable R951 966 when you factor in the high level of specification. From there, the price curve traces a steep upward trajectory to our F-pace 25d Chequered Flag edition at

R1 182 804. So, with the price differences noted, let’s go …