Nissan Qashqai vs Hyundai Tucson vs Kia Sportage SUV 2017 review | Head2Head

Crossovers. They're all the rage. And no wonder. You get cool SUV-like looks and space, but costs and road manners of a normal family hatchback. But which one should you choose between the Kia Sportage, the Hyundai Tucson and the best-selling Nissan Qashqai? To help you decide I'm going to compare their design. What the heck has Kia done? Test what they're like to drive. It does really good economy. Well, if you believe the figures. See how practical they are. I could probably live in here. And find out what you get for your money. An iPad it is not. So let's start with the styling. After all these cars are all about making a fashion statement. They're for people after a sensible family car that also delivers a feel-good factor. And in a crowded market you sometimes need to be brave to stand out. And the Sportage certainly does that. When I first saw pictures of the new Sportage I was like, what the heck has Kia done? But you know what, this design has actually really grown on me and it helps make the Sportage stand out. There's a real wow factor to the Sportage, though it's definitely a love it or hate it affair. I love it. But for many it'll be a case of nice arse, shame about the face. The Hyundai Tucson however isn't anywhere near as divisive, yet manages to be just as head-turning. Big bold grille, large lights and clear strong creases. It looks fresh, modern, clean and desirable. Everything a crossover should be. As for the Qashqai, well by comparison its design is as plain as milk. It just looks a little semi-skim next to the full fat Koreans. Yet while its middle of the road approach may not excite, it also won't offend. It's the same story with the interior. The layout is all very sensible, the build quality is good and all the major touch points are soft and yielding, but it's all a bit yawnsville. And then there's the infotainment system which is just clunky. An iPad it is not. The display is dull and low resolution and while you can select menus with the shortcut buttons, loading times are slow. Also the door bins are small and what would be the perfect place for your phone is just too titchy for most devices. So does the Hyundai's fare any better? Yes. Its infotainment system is more responsive and the screen brighter with crisper graphics. Also you get two 12v sockets and a USB input in a useful phone sized cubby. The door bins are big too. Unfortunately the interior design is the dullest here and there are cheap feeling plastics on the instrument binnacle. The Sport R shares many of its parts with the Tucson so it has the same useful cubby spaces, big door bins and snappy infotainment system which can also connect to your phone's hotspot for internet functions. The Kia's dash though has a much sportier design than the Tucson and the Qashqai and gets an upmarket stitched effect. Both Koreans put the boot into the Nissan in terms of load capacity. In fact Hyundai says its Tucson has the biggest boot in its class. I reckon if it all went wrong for me I could probably live in it. The boot has enough space for a family's needs. It's well thought out with features like a retractable and adjustable parcel shelf that you can't lower the floor if you have the four size spare wheel installed. The Sportage comes with a space saver instead so you can lower its floor. Other than that though it's just as practical as its sister the Tucson with a large flexible load space. The Qashqai is also a great load lugger and it's more than up to the task for families. However its boot's not quite as roomy with the seats up as with the Koreans nor quite as well thought out or as easy to use. And it's the same story with rear passenger space. The back seats will be perfectly fine for most people most of the time but it doesn't feel quite as spacious in the back here than in the other two. The rear seats don't recline like they do in the Hyundai and the Kia and while kids and most adults will be happy enough those over six foot will struggle and it's not very good if you want to carry three people in the back at once. The Tucson and the Sportage do feel roomier and they are both definitely better for rear passengers. Even tall people will have enough space plus with three in the back they are more bearable than the Qashqai. It's also easier fitting a baby seat in the two Korean cars as their doors open very wide and it's dead easy to connect to the ISOFIX location points. The Qashqai's doors don't open quite so wide and you'll have to remove the ISOFIX covers first which well you'll probably lose. So far then the Koreans are giving the Japanese a bit of a hammering. But things change the moment you hit the road. The Nissan Qashqai is just a nice, easy, simple car to drive. It won't set the world on fire but it just goes about its business with zero fuss. For me it has the edge over the others in terms of comfort just. The only problem I have with it is that at speed you do get a bit of wind noise from the wing mirrors. This one's got the 1.5 litre diesel engine, it's the most popular. When you pull away from a stand still it can feel a little bit slow but once you're moving it's got just about enough punch. And it does really good economy, well if you believe the figures. So Nissan says it'll do over 70 miles per gallon but yeah you'll be lucky to get that. I'm actually averaging well 49. Hmm that's okay but what will I get from the Kia? It's only supposed to do 61 miles per gallon. But in the real world I'm getting 45 miles per gallon here and I'm not really going to get much more from the Nissan. So I would not let that influence your choice. The engine, I think the performance from this 1.7 litre diesel is actually pretty good. It's punchier than the 1.5 in the Qashqai but it doesn't half like to shout about it. It is noisier. Now while this Kia may look a little bit like a Porsche Cayenne on the outside it doesn't feel quite like a Porsche to drive. To be fair it does have a sportier edge than the other two and I quite like that. But the ride is firmer than say on the Qashqai. You do feel the bumps just a little bit more but it's never uncomfortable. The Hyundai actually shares its chassis with the Kia and so it feels rather similar. However Hyundai's engineers have actually used different dampers and springs on the suspension of their car and as a result it feels ever so slightly different to drive. It is more on the side of comfort than sportiness but to be fair both cars are comfy and I personally prefer the more responsive feel of the Kia. So next time guys if I were you I'd just copy your colleagues over at Kia. This Hyundai has the exact same engine as the Kia and unsurprisingly has very similar economy. I managed 46 miles per gallon. And this brings us on to costs. The Nissan may have the lowest emissions here but really the financial saving in terms of road tax is negligible. However when you compare what you get via cash the Kia with its 7 year warranty wins out. Really it's a bit of a bargain. This car costs just £22,595 whereas the similar spec'd Hyundai is £23,765 and has a 5 year warranty while the Nissan only has 3 years. And this car is £25,005 though it does have a round view monitor and auto emergency braking. And that glass roof. So where does this leave us? Well the Nissan is great to drive. The Hyundai looks fabulous. But the Kia Sportage is the best all rounder and value for money. It's perfect for families who want to stand out. Click over there to watch in depth video reviews of each of the cars in this test and if you enjoyed this video please like it, share it and subscribe to our channel. Now did you know that out of those three cars the Nissan is the best seller and then the Kia. In fact those two are in the top ten best sellers in the UK.