When one looks for a compact utility vehicle (CUV), he or she doesn’t look at a particular marquee. All the buyer wants is to acquire a CUV that conforms to one’s individual needs and whims. Whether it’s from a Japanese or European brand is merely incidental. That is the reasoning behind C! Magazine’s first grand CUV comparo, a culling of the best CUV wheat and a trimming of the rest of the CUV chaff. Seven of the best locally available CUVs answered C!’s call for participation - the BMW X3 2.0d, the Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4, the Lexus RX350, the Mercedes Benz GLK 280 Sport, the Mitsubishi Outlander GLS Sport 3.0L AWD, the Subaru Forester 2.5XT, and the Volvo XC60 D5.

 

Now, one may wonder why certain units didn’t make the cut (such as Toyota’s RAV4,  Honda’s CR-V or Ford’s Escape) while the Forester and the Outlander got free passes to join the gathering. This is because both the Forester and the Outlander consistently topped C!’s last two CUV comparos.

 

One may also wonder why both are up against what the premium brands have to offer, given that their pricing is much lower than that of the European CUV segment (and that of the Lexus RX350’s as well). As mentioned earlier, a buyer doesn’t look at the brand behind the CUV. One looks for the satisfaction – immediate or otherwise – delivered by the CUV, not because it was sourced from a European or Japanese manufacturer. Further, if one wants to enjoy more out of one’s CUV (such as awesome audio entertainment, immense cargo loading ability or handy off-road power), she or he will have to shell out additional pesos.

 

Participants (read: the writers) for this comparo spent ample time in each of the units, testing the following criteria - power and acceleration (including off-road acceleration, of the 0-60 km/h variety), handling and cornering, fit and finish, comfort and ergonomics, room and space,audio entertainment, cargo loading, interior noise levels, features and kit, running costs, and pricing – with every categorysubject to the participants’ individual tastes and viewpoints. Testers rated their impressions of each aforementioned aspect of each participating SUV on a scale of one to ten, with the latter being the highest possible score.

Spirited forward driving performance was tested within the friendly confines of the Subic International Raceway (SIR)’s weekday setup, with C! senior editor Kookie Ramirez recording two to three hot laps in all units (and providing his notes on both units as well). 0-100 km/h acceleration times and 100-0 km/h brake distance testing was done on SIR’s front straight. 0-60 km/h off road acceleration times were performed in an undisclosed location somewhere within Clark Air Field. Rookie's brother, George and fellow PTCC racers Dennis Uy and Dominic Uy were also on hand to give their respective driving and riding impressions on all participating CUVs.

 

Testing audio entertainment was done by having each of the participants spend at least 15 minutes in the unit, playing two tracks (Steely Dan’s Do It Again and Duran Duran’s Wild Boys) known for their excellent balance between treble and bass, and subject to each participant’s ears. Testing for cargo loading was done utilizing seven large bags and containers (including a watertight Pelican case used for storing SLR camera and video camera equipment), discerning if loading all seven bags/containers within the seven units – with their respective rear row backrests upright – was stressful or smooth. Cargo loading testing was also done by observing how many of the same seven bags/containers can be loaded into the CUVs’ rearmost areas without going past the rear rows’ headrests, so as to not block rear view mirror vision.

 

However, there was a problem. Two of the units – the Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 and the Mercedes Benz GLK 280 Sport - were spanking new vehicles. Meaning, they were either spoken for (read: purchased) or were just delivered to the dealer. Hence, the instructions from Land Rover Philippines and CATS Motors Inc. to strictly limit the mileage travel (up to 20 km) on both units. Due to this conundrum, only the brothers Ramirez were allowed to drive the units, and only for a limited time (since both CUVs had to be returned to Manila in one day). As a result, driving and riding impressions were severely limited, and more often than not their grades were of the “incomplete” or of the “zero” variety due to their limited participation.

 

But enough of the technicalities. Let’s get to know the combatants in this comparo, and find out who topped this gathering of CUV greats.