Downloadable Destination Guides..
You asked for it, so here it is: access to the first 12 months of all our popular Australian getaway...
On location, hunting for dinosaurs! While waiting for a massive Sauropod to wander across the barren...
Vehicle Tests > Middleweight Match-up
Middleweight Match-up
On test the Suzuki was the lightest drinker returning 15L/100km, the Hyundai Santa Fe wasn't too far off that returning 15.7L/100km. The Escape, however, guzzled 16.2L/100km (blame its high-revving in the sand for that). A strict blacktop based test would have probably seen the Escape come out on top.
In the end it's a pretty close call. The Escape has plenty of go, is comfortable enough and is excellent on the open road, which is where these cars will spend most of their time, anyway, but it lacks the class and offroad ability of the other two. So it's not the winner.
Then there's the Hyundai Santa Fe, which is the biggest, and best looking soft-roader of the trio. But because of its limited ground clearance and its weight it's not the winner either.
Nope, it's the little big man Grand Vitara that takes home the silverware today. And that's really because it's more of an all-rounder than the other two. It's not as quick as the Ford and it's not as snappy looking as the Hyundai but it is the cheapest ($30,990), yet it doesn't feel it, and it's just more capable.
read on below advertisement
