The Best Crossovers And Hatchbacks

Monday, February 13, 2017 - 16:57
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Exchange and Mart, the online classifieds motoring specialist, reveals the best family hatchbacks for used car buyers and the best new crossover cars.  “The fastest growing market segment in the motor industry right now is the Crossovers, which offer family hatch-based designs with a touch of rugged SUV attitude,” says Exchange and Mart’s used car expert Jonathon Crouch’s.

“However, on the used car market, the family hatchback still delivers good mileage and practicality, making it hard to beat. We’ve picked out the best from each sector, showing there’s something for everyone.”

The Best New Crossovers

Dacia Duster

For new car buyers after a small and very affordable small Crossover, the least expensive option is Dacia’s Duster, priced from under £10,000. But that’s really more of a utilitarian SUV and is pretty crude to drive. A budget brand alternative that’s more sophisticated is SsangYong’s Tivoli, priced from around £13,000.

Suzuki’s SX4 S-Cross

The Nissan Qashqai offers more space, but it comes at a price, so the Suzuki SX4 S-Cross is the next best thing. This car recently improved with the addition of efficient 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet engines. And when it comes to efficiency the SKYACTIV engine technology inside the Mazda CX-3 is a good option. But if style and fashion matter, then the Fiat 500X or Jeep Renegade are good options, but expect to pay more for a Jeep.

Audi Q2

For a premium brand, Audi’s new Q2, offers the best value prestige badge at around £20,000. Given that prices for the next Audi ‘Q’ model up in the range, the Q3, start at around £27,000, that looks good value, but the Q2 comes with smaller engines and compromises on size The Infiniti QX30 is a good Q2 alternative, offering a more rugged version of the Japanese brand’s Q30 hatch.

Finer Family Hatchbacks

Seat Leon

On the used car market, the family hatchback is still hard to beat and the third generation SEAT Leon offers a very complete package. It looks good, delivers a sporty drive with super-efficient engines and plenty of hi-tech equipment. A post-2012 era model starts at £7,800, rising to £11,000 for a later ’15-era car. For a sportier model, choose the 1.8 TSI FR at around £16,000 for a later model 5-door hatch.

Honda Civic

The Honda Civic offers a bit more character, with a ’15-era 1.4 litre model starting at around £10,000, rising to £12,200 for a later ’16-era car. Add on a premium of £400 for a car fitted with the Honda Connect infotainment system with sat nav.

Volkswagen’s Golf

For the used car buyer looking for something more stylish, the seventh generation VW Golf is more efficient, spacious and delivers a dynamic driving experience. Volkswagen’s reputation and brand image, together with its reluctance to offer large discounts to fleet customers has propped up this MK7 Golf model’s residual values quite well.

The most affordable MK7 Golf is the 1.2 litre 85PS petrol version, which goes for around £7,700 on a ’12-plate, rising to £12,300 for a ’16-era car. Most Golf customers though, are going to want a diesel – probably the 90PS 1.6 TDI variant, which is priced from around £8,000 on a ’12-plate, with values rising up to around £13,000 for a ’15-era car. That’s for a base ‘S’-spec car, which will feel a bit spartan. For buyers with the budget, the ‘Match spec models start at around £11,500, rising to around £15,200 for a ’16-era car.

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