Just the other day I have driven the new SUV by JMC, and if
you follow me on twitter or facebook, you would know, because I said thank you,
you also would have seen me made an ass of myself on the internet.
Now one thing I try not to be is
biased, or unfair, but let’s just start off with this. What I wanted to do is a
fair comparison between the Ford EcoSport, Renault Captur, and Citroën C4 Cactus. You know
that type of comparison you get in proper glossy magazines with pictures and
bullet points, and facts.
But that’s not happening today, as my research ability is
limited to staring at a blank expel page, and wondering why the hell the cactus
is squinting.
Exterior
All three cars are roughly the same size, with the C4 Cactus
and EcoSport featuring roofracks as extra space, the Captur grabs the title as
the best looking of the three. The clever bit of the squinting Cactus is the
plastic bit running the whole length of the car, dubbed “Airbump” which is
designed to resists parking lot incidents, such as bumps and those stubborn
runaway trolleys that reach speeds up to 4 km/h. The EcoSport however, although
still attractive, looks a bit like a plus sized model forced to wear a size 0.
 |
| Renault Captur |
 |
| Ford EcoSport |
 |
| Citroen C4 Cactus |
Interior
Featuring airbags, a big steering wheel with loads of buttons
and an infotainment system that seemingly needs an IT degree to operate, the
EcoSport comes in lacking. Both the Captur and C4 Cactus has satnav as
standard, including rear view camera on the Captur. The seat covers can be
removed from the Captur and C4 Cactus for easy washing as an optional extra
depending on the model. In this department, the Capture once again reigns
supreme when it comes to design and attention to detail. The C4 Cactus,
although innovative, and having the largest seats, is still equivalent to the
EcoSport.
 |
| Ford EcoSport |
 |
| Renault Captur |
 |
| Citroen C4 Cactus |
Power
The EcoSport wins hands down. With the base model weighing in
at 82kW, with a standard non-turbo 4 cylinder engine. The C4 Cactus comes close
with its 3 cylinder 1.2 turbo equivalent pushing 81kW with its top model, and
the Captur however, pushes out 66kW, unless you are willing to pay 60 000 rand.
That is the difference in price for essentially a few extra gizmos and a little
more than 20kW extra
Features
This is where the EcoSport drops out on the base model, and
frankly the C4 Cactus does not fall far behind. Both cars will jump from an
average base price of 220,000 to a whopping 280,000 to get a few extra features,
that, let’s be honest offers little extra. This is once again where the Captur
makes an appearance. The base model has most of the features as standard, expect
when it comes to power.
All three vehicles has Hill start assist, something that helps
lazy drivers get up a hill from standstill without rolling back. The C4 Cactus
claims its sofa like seats as a selling point, but rumour has it the Captur is
not far behind when it comes to comfort. The EcoSport also offers comfort as
standard.
Warranty
The Captur wins again, offering a 5 year / 150000km warranty,
with 24 hr roadside assist, 3 year /45000 service plan and a 6 year corrosion
plan. The EcoSport is very close to the Captur having a 4 year/120 000km
warranty, and a 4 year / 60 000 service plan and also offer a 5 year corrosion
warranty, and roadside assistance for 3 years. The Cactus has the same,
roadside assist, but the standard warranty is only 3 year /100 000, but with a
very impressive 12 year corrosion plan. I was unable to get information about a
service plan on the website, so I called them to find out.
After holding for several minutes the agent came back with a
reply that said it does indeed have a service plan as standard. A 5 year / 100 000
plan is on offer.
Conclusion
The ford EcoSport is the wiser choice, if you, like me, are a
bit scared of the French, and it got the sales figures and dealerships to back
up their claims – coming in at number 12 for the top reported sales in august
2015, selling a total of 1027 units.
However, the days of Renault being unreliable is a thing of
the past, and with a proper warranty to back you up, this truly is a difficult
decision. Coming in at number 33 with a total of 262 units for August 2015, places
it second. I would still recommend going out and driving it though, as it just
might surprise you.
And finally the C4 Cactus. It does not feature on the list of
top 100 cars sold, and I will put it down to it being a newcomer. In all
honesty I wanted it to fare better in this useless test. That does not mean it’s
bad though, it has a lot going for it, and I would not exclude this car from
your lists if you are looking to buy!
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