People that are OK with driving something about the size of a Nissan Qashqai, but still require a premium badge and materials, should consider looking to BMW, Jaguar and Volvo, among other brands.
The small premium crossover segment has grown (in numbers), and the X2, E-Pace and XC40 are some of the latest models to throw their hats in the ring. In order to find out which is best, What Car took these three 2.0-liter diesel versions out for a test run, and at the end, the verdict was quite conclusive.
While we’ll let you find out who won for yourselves, we will say that each car stood out for somewhat different reasons. The BMW X2 was the sportiest to drive, though not necessarily fun. It was the lightest and it leaned the least in the corners, and while it was also the quickest in a straight line, the fact that it had a relatively heavy steering feel during low-speed parking maneuvers was marked as a negative.
The Jaguar E-Pace was also found to be surprisingly sharp in the corners, despite weighing more than the X2. One issue was that it wasn’t any more comfortable than the BMW, and the fact that it had the least horsepower didn’t help its case either.
As for the Volvo XC40, while it was considered to be the least sporty car of the group, the reviewers found it to be the most comfortable, both on the road (over potholes and bumps) as well as inside.