Medium SUV's 2014 Review

Carsguide reviews the best of the medium SUV pack from Jeep Cherokee, Mazda CX-5, Nissan X-Trail, Mitsubishi PHEV.

On the school run, on sports day and at the shopping mall, medium SUVs are action central, as monthly sales figures just keep confirming. Petrol, diesel or electric power are just the beginning of the options in the segment where the action is. 

Then there are front or all-wheel drive, or seating for five or seven. Jeep has made it interesting with degrees of genuine off- road ability. We've let our test teams loose on the new arrivals and the segment benchmark.

VALUE 

The cheapest of this gaggle of SUVs is the newest to market. Jeep's Cherokee in 4WD Limited guise is available only with 4WD and a nine-speed automatic for $44,000. it adds 18-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control, heated seats, touchscreen infotainment with Bluetooth phone and audio link, two USB, SD and auxiliary inputs, power driver's seat and tailgate, leather trim and steering wheel.

Mazda's CX-5 GT turbo diesel automatic asks $44,180 and comes with 19-inch alloys, sunroof, keyless entry and start, dual-zone climate control, infotainment with satnav, power driver's seat and leather trim.

We drove the Nissan X-Trail ST-L - at $36,190 for the five-seater with front-drive and constantly variable transmission — but the AWD Ti is more on par with the others three at $44,680. The ST-L has 17-inch wheels, keyless entry and ignition, dual zone climate control, heated front seats, halogen headlights, seven-inch touchscreen with satnav.

Topping the price chart of the plug-in petrol-electric hybrid Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV at $47,490, with 18-inch alloys, keyless entry and start, Bluetooth touchscreen with satnav, sunroof, dual zone climate control.

TECHNOLOGY

A runaway leader is the Outlander — a plug-in hybrid that can run on electricity only and takes real provocation or a near-flat battery to stir the petrol engine into action. The latter's primary duty is to charge the 300-volt 12 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which otherwise tops up overnight from a home (15-amp) charger.

Two 60kW electric motors use that charge, producing 137Nm at the front and 195Nm on the rear axle. Mazda's 2.2-litre Skyactiv turbo diesel (129kW/420Nm) has a quick stop-start that doesn't need the starter motor or batter.

Jeep's V6 (200kW/316Nm) turns a nine-speed auto with effectively four overdrive gears to keep it as frugal as possible — just don't expect to hit 8th or 9th unless you're really gunning it.

The Nissan's suspension is its hi-tech highlight — Active Ride Control detects undulations in the road surface and alters the suspension damping to compensate. Digital radio is part of the X-trail's easy-to-use infotainment setup, which puts the Outlander's labour-intensive job to shame.

DESIGN 

The Outlander is a slab-sided squared-off wagon that doesn't break any barriers. The interior is no more adventurous but has ample space and good outward vision.

Its polar opposite in exterior terms, the Cherokee sports a new nose, though the seven-slot grille remains — it looks better in the metal. Jeep makes up ground in the cabin — ergonomics, space and materials quality are all a solid step forward, with good storage and comfortable seats.

Some Nissan SUVs look like whales but the bigger new X- Trail's exterior styling departs from this to deliver a sharp snout. The cabin is a good place to be, with vents for the sliding middle row that's set high but still has good headroom and cargo space.

Droop-nose styling hasn't hampered CX-5 sales but the Mazda loses points for lack of rear vents and a small boot. The best design feedback came during photography at an Adelaide school — the kids all spouted “You bought a Jeep” dialogue (marketing money well spent) but the (mostly) mothers voted the Cherokee tops for looks.

Jeep's Cherokee claims 700Lof bootspace which equates roughly to 120 soccer balls but that number is apparently measured to the roof. Taking it the beltline the Jeep offers 382L -- or 66 soccer balls -- with its sliding row at its most rearward point.

The Outlander claims a useful 463L, or about 80 soccer balls; the X-Trail claims 450L (78 balls) and the Mazda 403L (69 balls).

Nissan wins the cupholder comp, with warming or cooling for the front two, as well as two in the rear and four bottle holders in the doors; the others have four cupholders and bottle holders in the door pockets.

SAFETY 

This quarter has or expects five-star ANCAP safety ratings. The X-Trail is yet to be crashed-tested but is highly likely to trump the superseded car's four stars.

Common to all are stability and traction control, reversing camera and at least six airbags (Mitsubishi and Jeep add a driver's knee airbag), automatic headlights and rain- sensing wipers, but the Nissan's 360-deg camera system offsets the absence of parking sensors, present on the rump of the Outlander and both ends of the Mazda and Jeep.

The Outlander lacks a spare of any sort, the Nissan and Mazda get temporary spares while the Jeep gets a full- sizer.

DRIVING 

Drivetrains might be drawn from different realms but common traits include good, elevated driving positions. The Outlander has the thinnest windscreen pillars, improving the view forward.

Ease of access is another theme, which is why SUVs are the chariots of choice for parents with small kids — they don't need to stoop to put babies in capsules or toddlers in boosters. Flexible seating and cargo arrangements are the forte of all. There are underfloor cubbies and, in the Jeep, storage under the front passenger's seat.

The Outlander is clearly the quietest and claims to be the most frugal — that said, the trip computer showed 12.5L/100km as overnight charges weren't always viable, calling the petrol engine into action, but there's more potential there.

Work judiciously with the variable regenerative braking system and return charge to the battery, but throttle work needs to be precise and pray no one tailgates — such is the level of deceleration it would be wise of Mitsubishi to fire up the brake lights in this mode.

The Mazda doesn't have much off-road pretence, it is clearly the most nimble on a twisting country road. The CX-5's diesel is one of the best in any segment and makes the Jeep's V6 look a little underdone and almost dipsomaniac.

Despite displacing only 2.5 litres and missing direct injection, the X-Trail makes the most of its outputs, shown to the driver via a digital speed readout. The enthusiasm is also due to a well-calibrated CVT (with Engine braking function) that is sadly offset by overly light and dead steering. The Nissan's satnav infotainment (with digital radio) is user-friendly, as is the storage in the boot.

Medal for most improved goes to the Cherokee, for its big steps forward in quality and layout of the interior (but still no driver's footrest). Its Pentastar V6, a punchy powerplant, is a bit thirsty — its Achilles' heel will be the styling and small boot, which is not to all tastes.

Overall segment sales leader, the CX-5 is still the dynamic benchmark. Its slightly smaller dimensions, meaty steering and clever auto contribute to its nimbleness and its diesel is a gem, one of the best anywhere. Its drawbacks are few — the boot is too small (but its clever luggage cover is integrated into the tailgate) and there are no vents for rear occupants. More than one driver experienced infotainment issues.

The tech-head wagon, the Outlander, falls short on cabin features — no rear vents, manual seats — but has good interior and boot space. Whisper-quiet in electric mode but a little coarse if the petrol engine is overworked, it's a metropolitan machine (ride comfort bias to the suspension and light, dead steering) that prefers the stop-start grind to put charge into the battery. The satnav-equipped infotainment system is labour-intensive.