{"id":24890,"date":"2020-03-05T15:07:22","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T19:07:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=24890"},"modified":"2020-03-05T15:09:24","modified_gmt":"2020-03-05T19:09:24","slug":"payne-ford-mazda-and-mitsubishi-scrap-for-small-suv-best-value","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/payne-ford-mazda-and-mitsubishi-scrap-for-small-suv-best-value","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Ford, Mazda and Mitsubishi scrap for small-SUV best value"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Payne:<\/p>\n

These are interesting times.<\/p>\n

Where Americans once coveted soap-bar smooth sedans, now they crave the boxy, five-door SUV. Give me a game show where contestants have to identify utes by their profile and contestants would be stumped. When I arrived at my aunt\u2019s house driving a BMW X4 she asked if it was the latest Chevy SUV. Oh, dear.<\/p>\n

Brands have been working hard to break the monotony with coupe-like roofs and daring fascias. Peel back the top of these tin cans, and it gets more compelling:\u00a0dazzling digital displays, remote rotary-controllers, high-tech driver-assist features. And that\u2019s on vehicles that cost $30,000\u00a0and less.<\/p>\n

Take the three small SUVs that I\u2019ve been flogging:\u00a0the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, Ford Escape Hybrid\u00a0and Mazda CX-30.<\/p>\n

Throw out the rule book. Traditionally, Mitsubishi would be the budget play here. But technology and SUV segments\u00a0are moving so fast that the Japanese model is not only a generation behind the Ford and Mazda on tech smarts \u2014 it also trails in value.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the compact-segment Escape Hybrid gives so much bang for\u00a0$30,095\u00a0that it is priced competitively with the two subcompact entries here even as it offers considerably more cargo space and a fancy-pants hybrid powertrain.<\/p>\n

The subcompact\u00a0$28,720 Outlander Sport is the junior version of the compact Outlander, and it is fully loaded for our three-way comparison. It features modern amenities like push-button start, blind-spot assist, Apple CarPlay\/Android Auto with Google navigation, heated leather seats, sculpted wheels\u00a0and all-wheel drive.<\/p>\n

Except for all-wheel drive,\u00a0the bigger Escape matches the Mitsubishi feature-for-feature. Then it jumps ahead a whole generation.<\/p>\n

The Escape styling is smooth and\u00a0car-like. Where the Outlander still sports the chunky, upright grille of classic SUVs, the Escape looks like a Porsche Macan \u2014 itself a rendition of the Porsche 911 sports car. The Ford is easy on the eyes.<\/p>\n

The styling contrast continues inside where the Outlander Sport is layered in hard plastic and an uninspired center console capped with aluminum. The Escape has soft-touch materials in all the right places (despite geeking out on dimpled door inlays).<\/p>\n

The center console is a delight with a safety-conscious\u00a0rotary shifter that automatically spins to Park if you accidentally open the door in the mall lot while still in Drive. It also opens up lots of console storage space.<\/p>\n

The Escape is a student of the digital age with a 12.3-inch instrument cluster and iPad-like infotainment display. Instrument details include fuel-economy numbers, a hybrid energy indicator and dazzling\u00a0drive-mode graphics.<\/p>\n

The interior of the Outlander Sport is conventional with fixed, round instrument dials and minimal information in between. The Escape bristles with modern ergonomics. The heated front seat controls, for example, are operated by button compared to the Outlander\u2019s clumsy rocker switch.<\/p>\n

Safety technology is really where the Ford makes its mark.<\/p>\n

Blind-spot assist and automatic headlight high-beam assist come standard on all Escapes \u2014 matching the loaded Outlander Sport GT trim\u2019s offerings. These are conveniences so useful\u00a0you can\u2019t go back once you\u2019ve experienced them.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the Ford has has thoughtful touches like a double-pull hood lever so you won’t burn your hands searching under the hood for the latch. The rear seats fold flat,\u00a0making for good load capacity when necessary \u2014 but only the Escape\u00a0gives my knees breathing room with sliding rear seats.<\/p>\n

The Outlander Sport feels nimble thanks to its subcompact proportions. But despite gaining 250 pounds on the Mitsubishi, the larger Escape is easy to drive with good torque from its hybrid electric motor.<\/p>\n

Add it all up and the upsized, sophisticated Ford comes in at just $1,375 more than the Mitsubishi. Add in the hybrid\u2019s 60%\u00a0better fuel economy (41 mpg compared to 25 mpg) and the Escape will earn back the difference in fuel savings in just three years.<\/p>\n

But …<\/p>\n

We have one more player in our test: the Mazda CX-30. What a revelation this little dumpling is.<\/p>\n

The CX-30 combines the best of the Ford and Mitsubishi and then cooks them into a nice recipe seasoned with Mazda\u2019s signature handling. Like the Escape, it offers the latest electronic features standard \u2014 and more.<\/p>\n

The result? For $28,700 (same price as the Outlander Sport) the CX-30 offers all-wheel drive like the Mitsu, looks like the Escape, and has equivalent interior features: heated leatherette seats, blind-spot assist, lane-keep assist, automatic windshield wipers, Bose audio, eight-way seats and so on.<\/p>\n

And then it ups the ante with a luxe-like interior and state-of-the-art adaptive cruise control.<\/p>\n

Adding adaptive cruise control \u2014 which I would argue is one of the most important safety systems out there today \u2014 on the Ford Escape adds another $2,900 to the bottom line. AWD? Another $1,500 for $34,490 total.<\/p>\n

You can see where I\u2019m going with this.<\/p>\n

Standard electronic features are not only making it hard to justify the 15-grand jump from mainstream to luxury brands \u2014 it\u2019s making it hard to justify the 5-grand jump between mainstream segments.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, I think Detroit automakers like Ford will offer the same standard features now found on the pioneering Japanese brands like Mazda.<\/p>\n

But as the CX-30\u2019s handsome lines and interior betray, there is more premium here than just electronics.<\/p>\n

I enjoy the hybrid Ford\u2019s smooth driving experience courtesy of its hybrid drivetrain. But the CX-30\u2019s 6-speed automatic is buttery smooth, too, and more compelling than the Ford\u2019s dry CVT transmission. And its 186\u00a0ponies are just 12\u00a0shy of the bigger Escape.<\/p>\n

On road, the Mazda is in its own league when it comes to handling.<\/p>\n

Some of my motorhead peers have scoffed at the idea of nimble SUVs. The irascible Jeremy Clarkson from \u201cThe\u00a0Grand Tour\u201d\u00a0writes that there\u2019s a reason SUVs aren\u2019t exciting to drive: \u201cPeople who buy medium-sized SUVs don\u2019t want to hammer along as if their hair is on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

And my fast friends at Car and Driver wonder why anyone would want a high-riding CX-30 when its lower, nimbler Mazda 3 hot-hatch twin is available.<\/p>\n

Fair points. I covet the Mazda 3, too.<\/p>\n

But for those on a budget who need an SUV because it\u2019s easier for entry\/egress and offers a taller command of the road, the CX-30 compromises little of the 3\u2019s sporty character. And lack of compromise is the theme of this comparison,\u00a0after all.<\/p>\n

For $30,000 or less, you can have it all in a SUV: looks, tech, fun, utility. Especially if it\u2019s got a Mazda badge.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"2020<\/div>\n
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