You’ve probably read or heard it too many times by now: SUVs, SAVs, crossovers; whatever you choose to call them, they are taking the world by storm, to the point that some manufacturers are dropping their sedans altogether in favor of high-riding vehicles.
Mass manufacturers are the ones who established the small SUV segment, and it might have taken some time, but premium brands jumped into it and created their own niche.
So, here are three of the models you’re likely to have on your shopping list if you’re out for a small premium SUV: the much praised Volvo XC40, BMW’s coupe version of the X1, the X2, and the E-Pace, Jaguar’s third, and smallest, crossover.
While they all target the same customers, you’d be hard pressed to find a trio of cars that have so many differences between them.
The X2, for example, is stretching the borders between a crossover and a hatchback. It’s the lowest of the three by a remarkable margin, has the lowest driving position and, although it looks very good on the outside, the interior is too generic BMW and pretty drab, as well as the least roomy at the rear.
On the other end of the spectrum we find the XC40. It’s tall, imposing, the roomiest of all, and instantly recognizable as a Volvo despite not being a shrinked version of the larger XC60 or XC90.
And what about Jaguar’s new entry?
The E-Pace falls somewhere in the middle. It fuses elements of the F-Type sports car and the F-Pace compact SUV but somewhow manages to look a bit blobby, it’s roomier than the BMW but not as spacious as the Volvo, and being based on the same, ageing architecture as the Range Rover Evoque means it’s the heaviest of the three.
The same is true when it comes to their driving dynamics. The BMW is the sportiest, the Volvo the most comfortable, and the Jag is, once again, somewhere in between.
All are available with a plethora of engines and trim levels along with a long list of options. Any of them would make for a very good choice, but there can only be one winner. To find out who that is, and learn more about the three SUVs, you can watch Carbuyer’s extensive review in the video right below.