Advice on mini SUVs please?

isadora127

@theoretica, thanks, that looks very useful.

Herzlos

Alanp said:

Skoda yeti…?

Yeti is a great choice. We had a Yeti and a Mokka and the Yeti is so much more practical.

I will say though, that if your criteria is fitting bikes, you'll save a fortune by getting a bike carrier - you can get a roof carrier for about £100 + £30 per bike, or a towball carrier for about £600. The extra bonuses there are that you don't need to fold seats down, dismantle bikes or worry about them being covered in mud.

Goudy

What about a Suzuki Vitara 2015 onwards.
My other half has a 17 plate one and it's great, it's been no bother, 100% reliable and it drives really well.
It's pretty good on fuel, will average around 50 mpg at motorway speeds, not bad for a petrol SUV.

It's really quite big inside, with the seats down it's massive but it's really no bigger than a Golf or Focus for length and width.

It has pretty much everything, sat nav, front and rear sensors (with a rear camera), adaptive cruise, autonomous emergency braking and so on.

The interior is more hard wearing than plush so you'll have a job ruining it getting bikes in and out but it is quite comfy with a good driving position.

There's a couple of decent engines to choose from.
The 1.6 non turbo is the same engine as the old Suzuki Swift Sport and comes with 120hp which is more than enough as these are quite a light car.
There's the 1.4 Boosterjet, around 140hp with a turbo, same engine as the new Swift Sport which is plenty and then some.
Then there's a 1.6 diesel sourced from Fiat, so probably give that a miss.

All can be had with 4 wheel drive (Allgrip) or fwd, manual or auto.

Later cars come with a 1.0 Boosterjet and mild hybrid but I think they are from around 2019/20.

isadora127

Thanks for the recommendations.

Has the Suzuki Vitara improved much over the years? I remember them from years gone by and they didn't impress me much back then.

Goudy

Yes.
The older Vitara had a big heavy ladder chassis with a body bolted to it.
They were pretty thirsty as they were heavy and handled like a heavy SUV.

The newer car from 2015 has an all new monocoque (chassis and body in one) that they've made very light but strong, they drive far better than the old ones ever did. They feel and handle like any other hatchback really.

I know you were considering a diesel but the petrol engines are great.
The 1.6 non turbo is smooth with a hint of growl when the pushed hard, it has plenty of power because the chassis is so light and offer decent mpg.
The 1.4 Boosterjet is found mainly in the Vitara S model and makes the car feel almost like a "warmish" hatchback, again the chassis/body is light and strong so it aids mpg and handling.

Some of the trim on them can feel a bit hard and scratchy, but you'll have a hard time breaking it.

Ours has had a bit of abuse since we had it.
Used it as a van and lugged a load of stuff to southern Italy, carried vomity kids, dragged a trailer, thrown bikes in the back, driven up and down farm tracks etc. The bumpers have seen the odd wall or bollard (not me honest) and just popped back out and it hasn't given any problems and nothing has broken. throw a bucket of water over it and it still looks new.

We even hired one on a trip to Iceland (not the supermarket) and it had obviously had a hard life with mega miles on it but it drove like new still.

Cheap to insure, cheap to service and cheap to run.

The S Cross from 2013 onwards is almost an identical car to the Vitara except it's not as high riding.
They have the same chassis and engines, even made in the same factory.
The only thing against them is the later facelift models have a pig ugly chrome grill!

Exemplar

Ford Puma!

Grey_Critic

Got a Nissan Juke as we wanted something a bit higher. Nice motor and economic - only problem small boot

Bigphil1474

I like the look of the Ford Puma, though don't know the specs. I drive a Peugeot 2008 - nothing special but I find it ticks all my boxes. Engine is a 1.2 petrol but I've never had any issues with lack of power. Would have gone for a 3008 but didn't have the budget. I like the newer range of Peugeot's - worth a look IMO.

isadora127

Thanks @Goudy, that's a great report for the Vitara.

@Grey_Critic, shame about the boot size as I've been looking online at the Juke just recently and was starting to like it.

Thanks @Exemplar and @Bigphil1474, I'll take a look at the Puma.

Alanp

I have a puma, brilliant car, mega box is fantastic, if you are getting a used one, try and seek out a first edition, it has all the kit….