Comparison | Ford EcoSport VS Renault Captur VS Citroën C4 Cactus

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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