What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

56 April 2020 whatcar.com

fi rmer than the Kamiq, fi dgeting

more over imperfect asphalt, even

though it lollops around far more

over undulating road surfaces. As

a result, the Puma gets the silver

medal for comfort, even though it

has the fi rmest suspension here.

That’s because it quickly recovers

its composure after negotiating a

bump, whereas the Captur wobbles

around for a second or two after.

The Puma is also the best

through corners, with plenty of

grip balanced evenly front to rear,

not much body lean and a real

feeling of agility. Impresively,

the fi rmer ST-Line models handle

even more sharply with little

impact on ride comfort.

The Kamiq leans a little more

than the Puma but has plenty

of grip and good balance, so it

handles tidily. While the Puma’s

steering gives you a slightly better

sense of connection to the front

tyres, the Kamiq’s is far better than

the Captur’s, which is overly light

and vague. The Captur also has

the least front-end grip and the

most lean, discouraging you from

trying to drive it quickly.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

Driving position, visibility,

build quality

The Kamiq feels rather vertically

challenged from behind the wheel,

with the seat placing you barely

any higher off the ground than

you’d be in a regular hatchback.

Jump into the Puma and you

certainly sit higher, even with the

seat in its lowest position, but it’s

the Captur that feels the loftiest.

All of our contenders have

steering wheels that adjust up and

down as well as in and out, plus

height-adjustable driver’s seats.

Although the Puma and Kamiq

come with adjustable lumbar

support, this isn’t available at all

in the Captur. All said, the Puma

edges the Kamiq for the best

driving position, with the Captur a

distant third.

The Kamiq’s huge windows

give it by far the best visibility.

Factor in standard rear parking

sensors and bright LED headlights

(matched by the Captur) and it’s

a clear winner here. The Puma

and Captur suffer from windows

that narrow towards the rear of

the car and a much smaller rear

screen. At least both have rear

parking sensors as standard, while

all three have the option of front

sensors and a reversing camera.

In terms of quality, the Kamiq

comes out on top, with lots

of squishy plastics and a few

attractive trims. Its interior is by

no means fl ashy, but it’s solidly

built and very grown-up.

The Captur looks far glitzier

COMPARISON

FORD PUMA

RENAULTCAPTUR

SKODAKAMIQ

Although the 8.0in touchscreen’s

graphics look a bit crude, this is

actually a pretty good system.

Sat-nav plus Apple CarPlay

and Android Auto smartphone

mirroring are standard, while

the screen is mounted high, so

you don’t have to look too far

away from the road when you’re

operating it. It’s responsive to

inputs and has big icons that are

easy to hit on the move. Physical

shortcut buttons are handy, too.

Although you get a 9.3in screen

on top-spec Capturs, Iconic

trim makes do with a relatively

small, 7.0in one. The graphics

aren’t particularly sharp and

it can be sluggish to respond

to commands. Sat-nav, Apple

CarPlay and Android Auto are

all standard, but there are no

physical shortcut buttons, so

jumping between functions is

tricky on the move, not helped

by some small icons.

Standard 8.0in touchscreen is

the best of the bunch when it

comes to usability, with big, clear

icons, clear graphics and logical

menus. Android Auto and Apple

CarPlay are standard – handy,

because sat-nav isn’t, unless

you upgrade to a 9.2in screen

(£1230, combined with a digital

instrument panel). Physical

shortcut and volume buttons

would be better than the touch-

sensitive ones, though.

INFOTAINMENT

INFOTAINMENT

INFOTAINMENT

2 You can control a lot

from the steering wheel,

but there are too many

small buttons

2 Our test car had

the optional 9.2in

touchscreen and fully

digital dials  tted

2 Dials look like they’re

from the 1990s and

the central information

screen is rather small

3 Titanium doesn’t get

digital instruments, but

the analogue ones with

an info screen are clear

3 Metal-effect trims lift

what could have been

a drab interior. Ambient

lighting is available

3 Audio controls are

hidden behind the

wheel, so you have to

operate them by feel

2

2

2

3

3

3

1

1

1

1 This is a great gearbox,

but we’d prefer the lever

to be mounted a little

higher for swift changes

1 Leather on handbrake,

gearknob and steering

wheel feels the highest

quality here by far

1 Gearknob is too

bulky, plus it feels a

bit cheap, with its faux

leather and metal trim

BEST

DRIVING

POSITION

BEST

SYSTEM