Put up your Juke

THE HYBRID YARIS CROSS THROWS DOWN THE CHALLENGE TO NISSAN’S SEGMENT-PIONEERING CROSSOVER: LET’S TAKE THIS OUTSIDE

- DANIEL GARDNER

ALLOW me to start this comparison with an admission. Despite having driven many compact SUVs, I’ve never really warmed to any, regardless of the make or model. Clearly, nationwide sales suggest I’m a minority, as the small SUV segments accounted for 17.5 percent of all new vehicles sold in Australia to the end of May this year. But I feel that’s like arguing not eating fast food at least once a day is wrong simply because a lot of Australians do exactly that.

I’m not suggesting that the now-departed Holden Trax will fur your arteries like a triple cheeseburger, but it was one of the most fundamentally frustrating cars I’ve ever driven. Nor am I implying that the Haval H2 isn’t perfectly capable as a means of transport; it just lacks the zest and depth of engineering that most car lovers look for.

However, the cars you see here are box-fresh, kit-packed and carrying the colours of two of Australia’s favourite brands. And, most surprisingly, one has started thawing my cold heart. Which one? Read on.

In the blue corner is the tiniest SUV from Toyota positioned in the Japanese family below the also-quite small C-HR, taking the platform of the Yaris compact hatchback. The Yaris Cross arrived to the already busy local market late last year and received a warm reception – it’s currently the nation’s second-favorite light SUV.

The same cannot be said for its opponent here. When the Nissan Juke first landed locally in 2013, it failed to muster the attention its maker had forecast and, even though it wears a more long-standing model name, this new model is outsold by the Yaris Cross about three times over.