Ford Puma, Toyota Yaris Cross GXL 2WD Hybrid and Skoda Kamiq 85TSI - we compared the 3 best small SUVs in Australia
How does each vehicle here behave behind the wheel? There were some surprises.
First there was Puma. My first impression of this car was a little clunky. You seem to be sitting high and almost above the front axle, a feeling that is paired with ultra-straight and jerky steering for the first few minutes that hardly inspire confidence.
The steering in the Puma starts out ultra-straight and jerky. Image: Rob Kamerier.
However, after a while, I got used to his eccentricity and found that he was actually much more relaxed and fun than my first moments in the car. You can really feel the Puma's extra power over its rivals in this test, and I was also happy to find that its dual-clutch automatic transmission was largely free of the jerk and lag that often comes with this style of transmission.
You can really feel the Puma's extra power over its rivals in this test. Image: Rob Kamerier.
Once I became confident in the Puma's level of grip, I found it to be the most fun in the corners, and the heavy but quick steering makes it easy to get this car's joyful face exactly where you want it to be. The rear wheels, far back in this car's frame, seem to really help with handling, with barely noticeable tire chirp in our stud test.
Puma is the most fun in corners. Image: Rob Kamerier.
It also turned out to be the quietest car here. While the Skoda and Yaris Cross are a bit quieter at low speeds, the Ford performed better overall and by far the best on the freeway. That little engine noise you hear was also most satisfying, as the small Ford SUV made a distinct purr under load, befitting its name.
Puma was the quietest car. Image: Rob Kamerier.
Interestingly, the Puma was the hardest to park out of the three cars in this test. Its relatively heavy low-speed steering and more limited visibility made it the hardest in our three-point street reverse parking test.
Next is Skoda. There are no two options in this, Skoda as a whole seems to be the most prestigious and well-balanced of the three SUVs when it comes to driving.
You can instantly hook into its low, hatch-like feel, and the light yet sure-footed steering is a pleasure. Visibility is excellent thanks to the Kamiq's relatively large windows, and the interior ambience is really enhanced by all of this car's city features and fixtures.
It's easy to connect with the low hatch-like Kamiq. Image: Rob Kamerier.
The engine is almost never audible, being the quietest of the three we tested, but unfortunately we found that tire roar penetrated the cabin more than the Puma's at most speeds. The culprit here is pretty obvious: huge 18-inch Kamiq alloy wheels and low-profile tires. I really think it will easily outperform a Ford with 16" or 17" wheels.
The Kamiq engine is almost never heard. Image: Rob Kamerier.
You could really feel the Kamiq's power drop compared to the Ford when driving back to back, with a bit of turbo lag applied when you hit the accelerator pedal. This is not aided by the dual-clutch automatic system and the stop/start system, which can contribute to slow and clumsy exits from intersections. However, after the launch, we had no complaints.
You can feel the drop in power from the Kamiq compared to the Ford. Image: Rob Kamerier.
Despite the sport tires on those huge wheels, we found the Kamiq approaching the limits of its confidence more easily than the Puma in the arpin test, but its ride was excellent and smooth, even over hard bumps and bumps.
Kamiq landed in the middle of three of our cars. Image: Rob Kamerier.
The Kamiq landed in the middle of three of our cars when it came to the three-point back-street parking test.
Finally, we have the Yaris Cross. Again, it's hard not to be disappointed in this car's qualities when comparing it to the other two in this test. Yaris Cross was the cheapest to drive.
Yaris Cross was the cheapest to drive. Image: Rob Kamerier.
That's not to say Toyota's hybrid drive isn't impressive. In fact, the hybrid system is the best feature of this car, giving it a certain lightness and instant torque transfer thanks to its electric motors, which the other two SUVs struggle with with their dual-clutch automatic transmission. It also makes it the best in stop-and-go traffic and by far the easiest to park in tight quarters in our three-point street reverse parking test - the front camera helped a lot with that too.
The hybrid system is the best feature of this car. Image: Rob Kamerier.
Like any Toyota hybrid, it also turns fuel economy into an addictive mini-game where you can constantly monitor your driving condition and efficiency to really get the most out of it - and if you've read our fuel section, that part is obvious. the system works, we have by no means tried to outperform it, so the hybrid technology is really set and forgotten.
Like any Toyota hybrid, the Yaris Cross turns fuel economy into an exciting mini-game. Image: Rob Kamerier.
The disappointment comes in several areas, though. While the electric motor responds instantly, you really feel the lack of power in the Yaris Cross combo system, and its three-cylinder engine has to rev hard to keep up.
It has a rather obnoxious tone and is by far the loudest of the three cars here. This gives it a far from quiet cockpit on the open road and really takes you out of the electric drive dive.
The combined Yaris Cross system lacks power. Image: Rob Kamerier.
The steering in the Toyota is light and supple, and the ride is decent, but not as smooth as other cars, with a noticeable rear axle harshness over bumps.
It was interesting to find, as its Yaris hatchback sibling excels in ride quality, as evidenced by our recent hatchback comparison, which you can read about here.
The ride is accompanied by a higher tire roar than the other two cars, which was a disappointment, especially since the Toyota has the smallest wheels.
So, to sum up our driving experience: our testing found the Puma to be surprisingly fun, justifying the good looks; Skoda showed the best balance among cars, with a sense of prestige behind the wheel; and the Yaris Cross proved to be very city friendly and economical, but dynamically not quite up to speed with the two Europeans here.
Kamik 85TSI | Yaris Cross GXL 2WD Hybrid | Puma | |
Driving | 8 | 7 | 8 |
