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Top 10 European SUVs we want to see in Canada

The Nissan Qashqai came from Europe and is a sales success – so how about these little ’utes?

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BORMIO, Italy – Earlier this year in January, just as the North American International Auto Show was about to open in Detroit, Nissan was busy in Windsor, Ontario, unveiling an all-new — at least to Canada — small SUV, the Nissan Qashqai (dubbed the Rogue Sport south of the border). And it’s already a hit. Qashqai sales officially started in May and yet 1,557 units of the compact crossover were sold in August alone. Yes, Canadians sure do love crossovers.

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But though the Qashqai is new it to us, its success is old news in other major international markets, with a total of 3.3 million sold in 137 markets since 2006. Indeed, just last year, the Qashqai  — pronounced Cash-Ky — was once again being proclaimed the most popular SUV in Europe.

And, in fact, Europe is fairly exploding with compact SUVs that we don’t get here in the Great White Frozen North. So, while touring Italy and Switzerland last month, Driving.ca compiled a list of the continent’s most popular compact crossovers and wondered which of these urban cuties might be best suited to Canadian roads. Here is a list of our best for the most — and least likely — to make their way across the Atlantic.

10) Toyota Urban Cruiser: We already (sort of) have it

Toyota Urban Cruiser
Toyota Urban Cruiser
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Although we never got Europe’s Toyota Urban Cruiser — aka the Toyota ist (yes, in lowercase characters) in the Japanese market — we did see variations of it in North America. Built on the Yaris II platform and powered by either a 1.3-litre gas or a 1.4-litre diesel, the Urban Cruiser shared its underpinnings with the now departed Scion xD. More importantly, the Urban Cruiser’s successor is the Toyota C-HR that is already a sales success here in Canada. With a wheelbase of 2,460 millimetres and an overall length of 3,930-mm, “Le Rav4 de poche” — the “pocket” Rav4 as it was know in France — was about the size of our Honda HR-V or Mazda CX-3. It was discontinued last year, anyway.

9) Renault Kadjar: Almost no chance of seeing it here

Renault Kadjar
Renault Kadjar
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Renault-Nissan is one of the rare — if not the only — successful merging of manufacturers in the automotive industry. Why? Perhaps, it’s because the two auto giants don’t step on each other’s feet. So the chances of Renault returning to our shores are pretty slim. But if the quintessentially French brand was returning, one of the prime candidates for North American success would be the all-new Renault Kadjar. For one thing, even though it shares an (almost) identical wheelbase of 2,640-mm as the Qashqai, it offers more, shall we say substantial, powertrains. To wit: While the Nissan is powered by a 141-horsepower, 2.0L inline four, its French counterpart offers two turbo engines — a 1.6L version with 165 zesty horses and fuel sipping 1.2 little number with 130 hp. Even this cheaper version gets a seven-speed dual-clutch trannie rather than the CVT transmission Nissan favours.

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8) Renault Captur: Ditto

Renault Captur
Renault Captur

Much the same observation — as in there’s almost zero chance of seeing it this side of the ocean — applies for the smaller Renault Captur, except in this case its Nissan cousin is the Juke. And as the French might say, c’est  dommage. Launched in 2013, the Captur is undeniably more stylish than the Juke. And there’s another reason it will probably never see our shores. Based on the front wheel-drive Renault Clio IV, there’s no AWD system available, ultimately making it unsuitable for much of the North American market. It would also need a bigger engine than the 0.9L three-cylinder turbo base motor, or even its topline 1.2L turbo four. The former generates 90 hp and the latter, 120 hp, the first not nearly adequate for domestic use and the second just barely enough. Such minimalism doesn’t seem to bother Europeans: Despite being at the end of its product cycle, the Captur was the second most popular SUV on the continent last year, relegating the fabled Volkswagen Tiguan to the 3rd position. 

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7) Dacia Duster: Don’t be left in the Dust … er

Dacia Duster
Dacia Duster

Since the 1999, Romanian automaker Dacia has been integrated into the Nissan/Renault portfolio. So, just like the two Renault SUVs listed above, we probably won’t see Dacia’s Duster on Canadian roads. That might not be such a bad thing, since it really hasn’t been updated since 2010. That said, the Duster does have a certain rugged appeal with decidedly all-terrain styling. Engines in Europe range from a 1.2L turbo to a 2.0L four as well as a wide range of diesels. They’re mated to a new automated manual Easy-R (not to be confused with CVTs or dual clutch transmissions). The Duster, were it to hit our shores, would be an alternative to Subaru’s Crosstrek and the Jeep Renegade. With its 2,673-mm wheelbase (versus respectively 2,635-mm and 2,570-mm for the Japanese and the American competition), it would also grant more spacious interior.

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6) Hyundai ix35 CRDi: Kinda already here

Hyundai ix35 CRDi
Hyundai ix35 CRDi

Truth be told, we have the Hyundai ix35 in North America, with the third generation of the Hyundai Tucson, which is now, by the way, also now named Tucson in Europe. But over there, the popular compact SUV offers two diesel engines — a 1.7L and and the range-topping 2.0L with 185-hp — offerings that we’re unlikely to see in Canada (thanks again, Volkswagen). As Crowded House sang in 1986: Hey now, Hey now… Don’t Dream it’s over! At least, we have the Hydrogen Fuel Cell version in Canada, although in very limited quantity. 

5) Skoda Yeti: Yes, please!

Skoda Yeti
Skoda Yeti

Speaking of Volkswagen, its Czech subdivision, Skoda, has been selling the compact Yeti — a distant cousin of the Tiguan built on the last generation Golf platform — since 2009. Despite its age, the Yeti is still an attractive little crossover, blending the allure of a miniature Land Rover with the functionality of a small commercial van (think Ford Transit Connect). Indeed, despite having a wheelbase shorter than the Subaru Forester and Mini’s Countryman, the Yeti’s cabin is one of the most spacious of the category. Even better, its AWD system — a fifth-generation version of the famed Haldex system — is extremely sophisticated with a unique Off-Road button. Powertrain choices are a range of four-cylinder VW TSi gas engines — from 1.2L to 1.8L — with a maximum of 160 horsepower. In short, the Skoda Yeti would be perfect for our Canadian winters: No wonder we saw so many of them in the Italian Alps.

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4) Smart Forfour: Will 4 be the lucky number?

Smart Forfour, with the Smart ForTwo in front of it.
Smart Forfour, with the Smart ForTwo in front of it.

This is, well, Mercedes’ fourth attempt at a successful Forfour. The first one was Dutch, built in the Netherlands on the Mitsubishi Colt’s platform and sold in Europe for only two years (2004-2006). A second Forfour — actually to be named ForMore — was supposed to be built in Brazil on a Mercedes-Benz C-Class platform and would have been sold in North American. A third generation of the four-door Smart was announced by the manufacturer for 2011, this time exclusively for North America, and was to be built on the Nissan Micra platform in Mexico. But again, it was never produced (remember a certain financial crisis?).

So, theoretically, this is the fourth generation Smart ForFour — this one is built in Slovenia — that we’re not getting. It’s built on a platform shared with the Renault Twingo and is powered by a three-cylinder 1.0L and a 0.9L Turbo (neither of which were well recieved in our Smarts). Still, wouldn’t it be a good time for it to reach North America, since all our Smarts are going to be electric powered? The fourth-gen Forfour would be a perfect, somewhat smaller, competitor to the Chevrolet Bolt, Kia Soul, Mitsubishi i-Miev and Nissan’s ubiquitous Leaf. By sheer coincidence, we photographed the Smart in Verona, Italy, just a stone’s throw from Romeo and Juliet’s legendary — but, in actual fact, completely fictional — balcony: Oh ForFour, Forfour! wherefore art thou Forfour?

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3) Peugeot 3008: With links to Montreal

Peugeot 3008
Peugeot 3008

The last time Peugeot offered a vehicle on our continent was the 405 in the early ’90s. Ever since — in fact, seemingly every couple of years — there have been talk about a North American comeback. In fact, PSA bought a minority share last fall in Montreal’s car-sharing enterprise, Communauto. So maybe the time is ripe for the second generation of the Peugeot 3008 — which shares its architecture with the Peugeot 308 sedan — to be sold in Canada. In its most powerful iteration (a four-cylinder 1.6L turbo good for 165 hp), the 4,500-mm long crossover would compete against other ‘big compacts’ like the Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen’s Tiguan. A future plug-in hybrid version — promised for 2019 — could even compete with Toyota’s Prius V.

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 2) Peugeot 2008: Closing in on Canada?

Peugeot 2008
Peugeot 2008

The same logic applies for Peugeot’s even smaller crossover, the 2008, which is, year after year, among the best selling SUVs in Europe. With its architecture based — you guess it — on the Peugeot 208 sedan, the French crossover launched in 2013 would compete here in one of our fastest growing segments, along with the Honda H-RV and the Toyota C-HR. That said, it’s up to 200-mm shorter than the above mentioned Japanese competition and would play in the Nissan Juke and Fiat 500L sandbox. Like the Toyota C-HR, the Peugeot 2008 is not offered in AWD. Of course, if it ever comes to us, it will not be with the small 110-hp, three-cylinder 1.2L turbo. But maybe we could accept the upgraded 130-hp version of the same engine, the 165-hp 1.6L or the numerous diesels Peugeot offers.

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1) Fiat Panda Cross: The safest bet …

Fiat Panda Cross
Fiat Panda Cross

If there is one of these Euro-crossovers that will come to us sooner rather than later, it’s Fiat’s Panda Cross. Based on the Fiat 500 (which, of course, we already get) it would be logical to see the small crossover join — or even replace — our Fiat 500L and Fiat 500X, which, thanks to faces only a mother could love, sold just 1,069 units last year combined. In comparison, Jeep sold almost four times as many Renegades  — built on the same platform, also in Italy — last year. Of course, if the Panda Cross came to our shores, it would probably be powered by bigger engines than those available in Europe — a two-cylinder 0.9L gas engine and a 1.3L diesel four banger. With a wheelbase of 2,300-mm and an overall length of 3,705-mm, it would be competing against the likes of the Kia Soul and the Nissan Juke.

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