With fuel-sipping hybrid power, these small SUVs promise to keep running costs low. Let’s see which one is more likely to float your boat
Photography: John Bradshaw
Toyota Yaris Cross
1.5 Hybrid Design
List price £26,545
Target Price £25,201 Not only is the Yaris Cross the most economical car we’ve ever tested, but it’s also well equipped and competitively priced.
It’ll be hard to beat
NEW Nissan Juke
1.6 Hybrid N-Connecta
List price £28,210
Target Price £24,974 Nissan’s big-selling small SUV has finally gained hybrid power; it packs more punch than the Yaris Cross, but can it match its rival in other areas, such as efficiency?
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onsidering that Nissan was an electrification pioneer, stealing a march on its rivals with the first-generation electric Leaf hatchback, it’s surprising that the Japanese brand has taken so long to electrify its most popular models. Only relatively recently has the top-selling Qashqai family SUV gained hybrid power, and now it’s the smaller Juke’s turn.
The headline claims are beguiling. With a hybrid set-up borrowed from Renault E-Tech models such as the Clio and Captur (consisting of a 1.6-litre petrol engine, two electric motors and a four-speed automatic gearbox), Nissan claims the Juke Hybrid delivers a 25% increase in power over the regular petrol-powered version and a 20% reduction in fuel consumption.
Those are the kind of figures that make you wonder why Nissan didn’t electrify the Juke sooner – especially when the competition in the small SUV category is so fierce. Take our second contender, for instance. The Toyota Yaris Cross is a similar size to the Juke, but on paper at least, it looks to be just as practical and even more fuel efficient.
Unlike the Juke, the Yaris Cross can be specified with traction-boosting four-wheel drive if you live in a part of the country that frequently experiences adverse weather. However, here we’re testing the front-wheel-drive version in mid-range Design trim, because we feel this represents the best value in the Yaris Cross range.
DRIVING
Performance, ride, handling, refinement
The Juke’s 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is quite a bit more powerful than the 1.5-litre three-cylinder in the Yaris Cross (141bhp versus 114bhp), but because the latter is much lighter, both cars feel pretty evenly matched off the line. Mash the accelerator pedal into the carpet and both will reach 62mph from a standstill in just under 11 seconds – respectable, though hardly rapid.
Indeed, it’s only when you start to approach motorway speeds that the extra power of the Juke makes itself known. In an overtaking situation, for exam
