Toyota C-HR vs. Hyundai Creta vs. Nissan Qashqai: Which one offers the best value?

 

There's something to be said for the generosity of the Japanese and Korean brands. Unlike the Germans that give you an expensive options list as long as your forearm, the Asian manufacturers pride themselves on giving you a car that's properly specified. They're are also getting more adept at building visually appealing cars, and they're big on in-car technology.Here's a quick look at pricing, some select specs and the various service plans to make your decision a little easier. We've selected three mid-spec models that are closest in price. 

 

Spec for spec...

If you have a quick glance at the specs below,  it almost seems like six of one and half-a-dozen of the the other, as all 3 offer good value for the price; however, each model also has its pros and cons. The C-HR has only 2 airbags, but it has traction and stability control, as well as standard navigation. On the downside, it has the smallest boot of the trio.

The Qashqai is ultra safe with 6 airbags, but compared to the other two, it lacks in-car tech, and is the most expensive. The Creta, again, is without traction/stability control but has six airbags, as well as man-made leather seats, while the other two come with cloth. 

In the end it will come down to what you feel is most important. Do you really need Satnav if you can use Google Maps or Waze? Of course, if you are willing to pay considerably more for the higher spec models, you can have your salmon roses and eat them too. For example: The top-spec C-HR 1.2T Luxury model (R434 800) has a whopping seven airbags and a semi-autonomous parking function, and the top-of-the-range Qashqai 1.5 DCI Tekna has surround view cameras and rear cross traffic alert.

 

Verdict

From a true value perspective, it looks like the Creta wins this race. It also has that 7-year drivetrain warranty to put your mind at rest. And the fact that it's automatic also helps its cause; who likes having to ride the clutch in heavy traffic? But if it were up to me, I would still choose a car with stability control, especially if I'm going to be travelling on gravel or dirt roads often. Should you suddenly need to swerve (this goes for dirt as well as on tar), stability control can be a life-saver; so much so that European-spec cars aren't allowed to be built without it. 

• Also read 3 New choice SUVs to take for a test drive , which includes the new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, one of our current favourites. 

 

	Toyota C-HR 1.2T Plus	Hyundai Creta 1.6 Executive Auto	Nissan Qashqai 1.2T Acenta
Price	R376 600	R379 900	R385 900
Engine	1.2-litre turbo-petrol	1.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol	1.2-litre turbo-petrol
kW/Nm	85/185	90/150	85/190
0-100km/h	10.9	12.1 sec	10.9
Transmission	6-speed manual	6-speed auto, FWD	6-speed manual
ABS	yes	yes	yes
EBD	yes	yes	yes
BA	yes	no	yes
Traction/stability control	yes	no	yes
Airbags	2	6	6
Touchscreen	yes	yes	no
Bluetooth	yes	yes	yes
Steering wheel buttons	yes	yes	yes
Fuel consumption (average, claimed)	6.3	8.4	6.2
Hill start assist	yes	no	yes
Cruise control	yes	yes	yes
Rear park assist	no	yes	no
Rearview camera	yes	yes	no
Front park assist	no	no	no
Cornering lights	no	yes	no
Satnav	yes	optional	no
Leather seats	no	man-made	no
Cloth seats	yes	no	yes
Boot size	328 litres	402 litres	430 litres
Warranty	3 years/100 000 km	5 years 150 000 (vehicle)/ 7 years/200 000 drivetrain	6 years/150 000 km
Service Plan	6 services/90 000 km (every 15 000 km)	5 years/90 000 km (every 15 000 km)	3 years/90 000 km (every 90 000 km)