► Citroen DS4 Crossback takes on the premium brands
► Established Audi Q3, BMW X1 and RR Evoque
► Big aspirations and tough competition
If it quacks like a duck…
Citroën DS4 Crossback: Citroën CEO Carlos Tavares reckons it takes 30 years to become a successful premium brand. So, does this constitute a start, or simply identity theft? At this rate, there’ll soon be nothing left to badge Citroën.
Audi Q3: Among the first of the up-market down-sizer SUVs, and still a leading park-brain default purchase. Carefully wrought, less-brash-than-BMW brand image tarnished by ubiquity and a mysterious tendency towards tailgating.
BMW X1: The original X1 was largely worthless, save as a demonstration of the brand power of the blue propeller. How else could such a woeful effort outsell the X3 in the UK? This has to be better.
Range Rover Evoque: Combine the evergreen stature of Julian Thomson’s design with a green oval brand powerful enough to price a Freelander as a Range Rover, and it’s easy to see why the Evoque’s 2016 model-year changes are so hard to spot.
With feathers all stubby and brown?
Citroën DS4 Crossback: A marketing department’s Statutory Urbane Vehicle. 40mm higher ride than the standard car, with only the faintest whiff of added rugged. Would surely look much better if the designers had all sat in one room.
Audi Q3: How much more can Audi muck about with the Big Grille before it lands a role in a Sci-Fi B-movie? Modest remoulding leaves this one remarkable only for its unremarkableness – an ocular exercise in body-temperature bathing.
BMW X1: Given the limitations of a box with kidney bean bows, a huge styling improvement over the first iteration. Properly proportioned front end, and the dent marks visited on the sides by F Giles’s telehandler all but removed.
Range Rover Evoque: Hard to believe how well this silhouette has stood the test of time. Happily, the overall exterior design is strong enough to withstand the trivial, largely pointless tinkerings here visited upon it. Money better spent on board…
Essentially sound, or just swanning around?
Citroën DS4 Crossback: Driving position and seat comfort better than Cactus. Sliding sun visors pointless once windscreen dirty. Cramped, diminutive pedals. Acceptable room astern, but rear door profile styled on Charles de Gaulle’s hooter prohibits opening windows. Lunacy.
Audi Q3: Exceptionally well screwed together cabin and the finest environment here, particularly after dark. Inadequate rake adjustment south requires chasing the helm north, but otherwise outstanding seat comfort and ergonomics. Spacious rear seats with good visibility.
BMW X1: Typical post-Bangle BMW interior; apologetically inching back the good stuff after his ugly American furnishings apocalypse. Seats firm but not uncomfortable, yet strangely tricky to get entirely comfortable behind the wheel. Stacks of room astern.
Range Rover Evoque: The strength of the Evoque’s interior lies in the visual power and homogeny of the architecture. Its weakness lies in poor front-seat ergonomics, somewhat chthonic, cramped and hard-arsed rear accommodation, and behind-the-curve technology.
Eider duck down or down and out…
Citroën DS4 Crossback: Less than half the price of the Evoque. It shows. Far from premium in terms of switchgear, instrumentation and even interior lighting. Multimedia system boasts adequate toys, but lurks behind low-rent touchscreen visuals and tactility.
Audi Q3: Multimedia system still last generation, and all the better for it; fast and intuitive. As ever, £6500 worth of options needed to ladle on all the toys, but far cheaper than X1 and wallet-melting Evoque.
BMW X1: Depends on whether or not you enjoy iDrive operation, electronic indicators and all other stock BMW paraphernalia, here including a whopping £9855 worth of optional extras. And that probably depends on the colour of your braces.
Range Rover Evoque: Despite an upgrade boasting better graphics and easier operation, the multimedia system remains simply not good enough for a car of this price. Grubbiest tech by far, however, is a head-up display cheaply crafted from papyrus parchment.
Indian running duck or waddling goose?
Citroën DS4 Crossback: Not the powertrain we would choose in this company. 178bhp diesel with automatic transmission aspires to near performance parity, but that unit feels somewhat coarse and noisy, and the transmission lacks smoothness.
Audi Q3: Gives away 47bhp and 52lb ft to the X1, but doesn’t feel that much slower through the gears. Manual gearchange tolerable, but somehow feels a chore. £1580 spend recommended to afford more apt automatic transmission.
BMW X1: Fastest, most powerful offering here, pleasingly eager and quick, with silken power delivery through faultless 8-speed ’box. Engine noise almost totally overwhelmed by excessive tyre roar until door mirror wind noise takes over.
Range Rover Evoque: JLR’s slightly mooo-prone turbodiesel is the sole fundamental of the Evoque overhaul. 9-speed ’box hunting like a rabid spaniel, it conjures near-identical performance to its larger predecessor, but better mpg and CO2 figures.
The swan can swim whilst sitting down….
Citroën DS4 Crossback: Straight line ride pretty comfy, but not entirely composed at speed. Lowest car here, but most roll through bends. Brakes like an on/off switch. Steering lightest, but absolutely horrid – as rubbery and inert as overcooked squid.
Audi Q3: Feels lighter on its feet than the BMW, with sharper turn in. Also fidgets less at low speeds. Less informative steering, though, and less firmly planted as speed rises, with more body movement and cornering roll.
BMW X1: Low-speed ride unusual, and fidgety. But settles extremely well with speed into poised, firmly planted progress with classy body control and little roll. Meaty, accurate steering a little low on information. Highest grip levels here.
Range Rover Evoque: God they’re going to miss Mike Cross when he goes… Toughest low-speed ride here is more than compensated for by the beguiling meld of imperious motorway dismissal and eyebrow-disrupting handling alacrity.
Verdict
Citroën DS4: Crossback Hopelessly adrift in this far pricier company. Premium aspirations require that you actually make a good car first. And this isn’t it.
Audi Q3: Incredibly easy to live with, incredibly hard to find fault with. Is to the segment what London was to Dr Johnson.
BMW X1: Most powerful, most engaging drive of the group and infinitely superior to its predecessor. But many of you bought into that clunker anyway, didn’t you..?
Range Rover Evoque: Ageing well. But far more money must be invested in on-board technology in an over-expensive car that remains technologically behind the curve.
The spec sheet
Citroen DS4 Crossback Blue HDi 120 6-Speed
Price: £23,495
As tested: £24,545
Engine: 1560cc 16v turbodiesel 4-cyl, 118bhp @ 3500rpm, 221lb ft @ 1750 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Performance: 10.9sec 0-62mph, 117mph, 72.4mpg, 103g/km CO2
Weight: 1465kg
On Sale: Now
Rating: **
Audi Q3 2.0 TDI quattro S line 184PS
Price: £31,285
As tested: £37,965
Engine: 1968cc 16v turbodiesel 4-cyl, 181bhp @ 4000rpm, 280lb ft @ 1800-32500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual, all-wheel drive
Performance: 7.9sec 0-62mph, 138mph, 53.3mpg, 138g/km CO2
Weight: 1605kg
On Sale: Now
Rating: ***
BMW X1 xDrive 25d 2.0 (winner)
Price: £36,060
As tested: £45,915
Engine: 1995cc 16v turbodiesel 4-cyl, 228bhp @ 4400rpm, 332lb ft @ 1500rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Performance: 6.6sec 0-62mph, 146mph, 54.3mpg, 137g/km CO2
Weight: 1650kg
On Sale: Now
Rating: ****
Range Rover Evoque HSE Dynamic Lux
Price: £47,800
As tested: £51,650
Engine: 1998cc 16v turbodiesel 4-cyl, 178bhp @ 4000rpm, 317lb ft @ 1500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Performance: 8.5sec 0-60mph, 121mph, 55.3mpg, 134g/km CO2
Weight: 1690kg
On Sale: Now
Rating: ***
