- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.4i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
125kW, 218Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 10L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Compact soft-roader:Holden Captiva v Honda CR-V v Mazda CX-7 v Mitsubishi Outlander v Subaru Forester v Toyota RAV4
Perfectly behaved
One of the great ironies of modern motoring is that most people who buy off-road vehicles spend 99 per cent of their time on the bitumen.
Sophisticated four-wheel-drive systems, developed at great cost, hang like expensive ornaments from the underside of popular off-roaders.
Manufacturers sell vehicles on the dream of the great outdoors adventure, all the while knowing that the reality is the peak-hour crawl. For years people have bought it, handing over large amounts of cash for technology they don't need.
But buyer tastes are coming full circle. After jumping out of cars and station wagons into 4WDs during the late '90s, Australian motorists increasingly want their 4WDs to behave more like the cars they abandoned.
Compact soft-roaders have always been more car-like than their bigger cousins but the latest models have taken the focus on road manners to new heights.
New-generation soft-roaders are more about space, versatility, driving position and road handling than ground clearance and differential locks. They are giving people more of what they want and less of what they don't need. And they seem to have hit the mark with buyers.
Sales of medium and large off-roaders nose-dived last year but sales of compact soft-roaders grew. Competition in this market segment is fierce. In the past 12 months, seven new compact 4WDs have been launched.
There are new versions of two pioneers, Toyota's RAV4 and Honda's CR-V, while Mazda has launched the CX-7, a sports-focused soft-roader powered by a turbo engine.
Late last year, Mitsubishi released a new Outlander and Holden introduced the Captiva.
Drive has run the ruler over all five and included a perennial favourite, the Subaru Forester, for good measure.
For this test, we've chosen the makers' mid-range models, priced about $40,000.
The Verdict
There's nothing like competition to improve a breed and this segment is as tough as they get. Which means that none of the vehicles we tested were below par. The Captiva was, however, a little out of its depth in this company. It is honest enough but it doesn't have the confidence on the road nor the cabin refinement to mix it with the best in class.
The Forester and the Outlander are both a step up from the Captiva. The Forester is quick and capable and a solid option for people who don't need lots of space, while the Outlander is great value, if a little rough around the edges. But both fall short of excelling in this company.
The Mazda CX-7 is great value and lots of fun to drive on the open road. For many, it ticks all the rational boxes and adds a few emotional ones that the CR-V and RAV4 don't. But its unhealthy thirst for premium unleaded lets it down.
That leaves the Honda CR-V and the RAV4, which both have the best balance of comfort, practicality, economy and space that soft-roader buyers want. Some will go for the Honda's classier cabin and better road manners, others for Toyota's renowned reliability and resale values.
For us, though, the CR-V wins because it delivers the consistency of a RAV4 with a little more personality.