All-round winners
We put two multi-talented crossovers head-to-head to see which is better second-hand
Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dci
Years: 2014 to date Engine: 1.5-litre 4cyl, 109bhp Insurance grp: 14 Official econ/co2: 74mpg/99g/km Why? It’s a top seller for a reason: the Mk2 Qashqai is spacious, comfortable, refined and decent to drive.
Prices from: £12,795 IF you’re after a midsize crossover, chances are you’re already considering buying a Nissan Qashqai. The original was widely credited with kicking off the crossover craze, and the Mk2 model is more popular and talented than ever.
It’s smart to look at on the outside, and inside, the Nissan is slightly ahead of its rival in terms of design. Standard equipment is generous, too, and although the 430-litre boot trails the Kia Sportage’s on paper, it’s well shaped, plus rear passengers have more space to play with.
The Nissan shines on the road as well. It blends decent agility with strong refinement and comfort, and while the 1.5-litre diesel is a bit down on power here it still feels urgent enough. Efficiency figures are also great, although we’ve struggled to match them in the real world; the Sportage gets closer to its official claims.
Surprisingly, the Qashqai finished in a disappointing 131st place in our Driver Power 2016 satisfaction survey, with owners critical of reliability and build quality on early examples.
Kia Sportage 1.7 CRDI
Years: 2010 to 2016 Engine: 1.7-litre 4cyl, 114bhp Insurance grp: 13 Official econ/co2: 52mpg/143g/km Why? The Sportage definitely has looks on its side, while 2014 updates improved the cabin quality.
Prices from: £12,065 EVEN though it’s recently been replaced by an all-new model, the previous Sportage is still a good used buy. It benefited from a minor update in mid-2014; while this didn’t change the sharp styling much, it really improved cabin quality.
The big Kia isn’t quite as nice to sit in as the Qashqai, but the layout is intuitive and there’s reasonable space on offer. The boot is large, at 564 litres, although the Nissan beats it for outright capacity with the seats down.
On the road, the Sportage doesn’t deliver quite the same impressive ride and handling balance as the Qashqai, but it’s decent to drive and the diesel engine is punchier than its rival’s. And while the official economy leaves it looking dated compared with the Nissan, in the real world the cars are closely matched.
This previous-generation Kia ranked a reasonable 73rd in Driver Power 2016, with a strong score of 46th for reliability. If you do have any issues, there’s always the standard seven-year warranty to fall back on.