Behind the wheel
·
Ford: 5/5
·
Nissan: 3/5
·
Peugeot: 2/5
·
Renault: 3/5
The Fiesta is streets ahead on driver
comfort. Its driving position is pretty much perfect, and the part-leather
Recaro sports seats (standard with this range-topping ST-2 model) hold you
tightly in place during hard cornering. The only slight issue is the head
restraints. They’re angled forward, and can prevent you relaxing back in your
seat.
You also get a good driving position in the
Clio. Unfortunately, its seats don’t offer as much lateral support as the
Fiesta’s, and over-the-shoulder visibility is the worst of all the cars.
The
Fiesta is streets ahead on driver comfort.
Like lesser 208s, the GTi has an unusually
small steering wheel that you’re supposed to look over (rather than through) to
see the instrument dials. If you’re under six feet tall or short in the body,
however, you’ll probably find the wheel blocks your view of the speedo. The
208’s seats are comfortable enough, but the side bolsters don’t hold you in
place well through bends.
Like
lesser 208s, the GTi has an unusually small steering wheel that you’re supposed
to look over (rather than through) to see the instrument dials.
The seats in the Juke are much better,
being both comfortable and supportive for all types of driving. You may find it
impossible to find a comfortable driving position, because the Nissan’s
steering wheel adjusts only for height (not reach), but the high-set seating
gives a great view ahead.
The
seats in the Juke are much better, being both comfortable and supportive for
all types of driving.
Audio, connectivity and sat-navy
Infotainment systems
·
Ford: 2/5
·
Nissan: 3/5
·
Peugeot: 2/5
·
Renault: 4/5
All of the 208’s infotainment functions are
controlled using a touch-screen that’s positioned in the center of the
dashboard. It’s one of the worst systems we’ve come across; the menus are
hopelessly complicated and there are no shortcut keys to take you directly to
individual functions. To make matters worse, you have to drag your finger
across the screen to perform certain tasks – something that’s tricky to do
accurately or safely while you’re driving.
The Clio also relies on a touch-screen, but
thankfully it’s much more user-friendly. Not only are the icons more clearly
marked, but the menus are more logical and the system is quicker to respond to
your commands. It’s just a pity that the onscreen buttons in some of the sub
menus are quite small, making them tricky to hit on the move.
Our test car was fitted with Renault’s
optional RS Monitor. This system gives you a live feed of performance data,
including lap times and engine power output. You can even plug in a USB stick
and download telemetry data. However, to get the RS Monitor you first have to
upgrade to Lux trim (which includes a more feature-packed R-Link infotainment
system) and then fork out a further $442.
The Juke’s touch-screen system isn’t as
quick to respond as the Clio’s and the small size of the display means that
some of the icons are inevitably quite small. More positively, there are some
shortcut keys to make it easier to flit between functions, and the menus are
also fairly intuitive.
Only the Fiesta does without a
touch-screen, and this has allowed Ford to position the display high on the
dashboard – closer to your eye line. Sadly, the controls are an ergonomic
nightmare; the center console is plastered with buttons of every conceivable
size and shape, and you have to scroll through the on-screen menus using a
clunky TV remote-style directional pad.
All four cars come with Bluetooth and a USB
socket, while the Nissan and Renault also have sat-nav. Navigation is an option
on the Ford and Peugeot, and is worth considering on both cars because it adds
just $600 to the price.
Surprisingly, Renault and Nissan don’t
offer a DAB digital radio, even as an option, whereas the Ford and Peugeot get
one as standard.
Ford
Fiesta Instead of a touch screen, there's a small display. On the plus side it's
at eye level, on the minus, it's linked to a clunky controller
Nissan
Juke You'll need good eyesight to distinguish one icon from another on small
touch-screen, but menus are at least fairly intuitive
Peugeot
208 The complicated menus and lack of shortcuts for the 208's infotainment
system make it distracting to use when driving
Renault
Clio We'd prefer stereo controls on wheel rather than separate stalk;
touch-screen is quick to respond and features mainly big icons
Quality and reliability
·
Ford: 3/5
·
Nissan: 2/5
·
Peugeot: 5/5
·
Renault :2/5
Even humdrum versions of the 208 are
seriously smart inside, and the interior of this range-topping GTi model is
even pusher. The leather-wrapped dashboard makes the car feel more like a
premium coupé than a hot hatch, while the chrome-ringed instruments wouldn’t
look at all out of place in an Audi.
Even
humdrum versions of the 208 are seriously smart inside, and the interior of
this range-topping GTi model is even pusher.
The Fiesta doesn’t make nearly as good a
first impression. There are plenty of touch-soft plastics on the dash, but you
could just as easily be in a 1.0 Titanium model.
The Clio’s cabin has a little bit more
pizzazz, with color-coded inserts on the steering wheel and around the gear
selector and heater vents. However, the overall quality leaves a lot to be
desired.
The
Clio’s cabin has a little bit more pizzazz, with color-coded inserts on the
steering wheel and around the gear selector and heater vents.
It’s a similar story in the Juke. Dash
plastics are poor, and some of the switches and dials feel rather flimsy. On
the plus side, the steering wheel is trimmed in plush man-made suede.
None of these cars featured in the 2013 JD
Power ownership satisfaction survey. However, more standard versions of the
Fiesta and Juke did, and got above-average marks for mechanical reliability.
The 208 was too new to feature, but its predecessor (the 207) had an
above-average score for reliability. The same was true of the previous Renault Clio.
