Head to Head

Funky, spunky and unique. These three words best describe our duo for this week's head to head. We're not talking about sports cars. In fact, the cars we've put together are also practical and family friendly. This week's head to head is all about subcompact crossovers.

The first contender is the Nissan Juke. With its radical styling that gets a lot of people talking, it has been a hit for Nissan since it debuted last year. Challenging the Juke is the SsangYong Tivoli XLV. Like the Juke, it tries to appeal to a different kind of audience with styling that helps it stand out from the crowd. How do the two stack up? Let's take a look.

Groovy subcompact crossovers from Nissan and SsangYong are the highlight of this week's head to head. Facing off the Juke is the upstart from Korea, the Tivoli XLV. Let's see what sets them apart from each other.

Under the hood of the Nissan Juke is a 1.6 liter inline-4 that produces 116 PS and 154 Nm of torque which is the sole engine choice for the crossover. It is front wheel drive and transfers its power with the brand's Xtronic continuously variable transmission. The SsangYong Tivoli XLV also comes with just one engine choice only. It gets motivation via a 1.6-liter turbodiesel engine that produces 113 PS and 300 Nm of torque. Ssangyong's crossover also benefits from all-wheel drive and shifts with a six-speed automatic transmission.

The two also differ when it comes to their respective rear suspensions. Being two wheel drive, the Juke uses a torsion beam set up at the rear while the Tivoli XLV with all-wheel drive comes with a multi-link suspension. Both the Juke and Tivoli XLV use McPherson struts at the front.

Stepping inside, the Juke, follows a rounded theme from the dash to the motorcycle-inspired center console. The Juke comes with fabric seats with extra bolsters plus a leather wrapped steering wheel. Keeping with the sporty theme, the interior is trimmed in black and has hooded dials. Meanwhile, the instrument panel houses a multi-information display.

For comforts and conveniences, the Nissan Juke is equipped with steering wheel mounted audio controls, remote start and a touchscreen infotainment system. As a bonus, the Juke's climate control system also doubles as the car's vehicle information display that monitors fuel economy, range and more. Plus, the Juke also comes with cruise control for long highway treks.

Moving to the Tivoli XLV, it follows a more angular approach for its interior. Upright air-conditioning vents and a wraparound dash are seen at the front. It too features automatic climate climate control, as well as steering wheel mounted controls. In the entry-level model, the interior is a gray and black affair while the top-spec variant gets black and red trim.

The Nissan Juke has a party piece seen by the automatic climate control screen. The automaker calls it I-Con wherein the display not only serves for climate control, it also shows vehicle status such as drive mode, throttle input and eco mode. That, along with the infotainment system which features bluetooth and more, means theres a lot you can play around in the Juke while stuck in traffic.

In the Ssangyong Tivoli XLV, it's a more conventional affair. Infotainment is provided by a touchscreen that features Android technology. It comes with Bluetooth, smartphone connectivity, as well as navigation. Other applications are also available, as well as internet connectivity via the smartphone's hotspot ability. This also means one can browse the internet as long as conditions permit.

For their exteriors, both feature out of the box styling which both manufacturers say is guaranteed to turn heads. Looking at the Nissan Juke, the front fascia features the marque's signature V-Motion grille. The rest of the front end is rounded off, featuring a unique light arrangement with daytime running lights at the corners of the hood, round lights that serve as the main beam and foglights at the bottom. At the rear, it gets a sloped roofline with 370Z-inspired tail lights. On to its side, it gets flared fenders finished off in a rounded shape.

Whereas the Juke is rounded, the Tivoli XLV is more angular. It features a narrow grille, complemented by a pair of large, upswept headlights with integrated daytime running lights. It to its side, it has a flat roofline and has a blacked out A-pillar, giving it a sporty look. Towards the rear, it has large tail lights and an integrated tailgate spoiler.

Standard safety equipment found in the Nissan Juke includes anti-lock braking system with electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist, dual front airbags and a rear-view camera when reversing. The Tivoli XLV also features all the safety tech seen in the Juke plus the benefit of optional all-wheel drive.

Prices for the Nissan Juke starts at Php 980,000 while the limited Juke N-Style starts at Php 1,080,000. Moving to the Ssangyong Tivoli XLV, the range is kicked off by the EXD 2WD at Php 1,080,000 while the range-topping ELX AWD retails for Php 1,245,000.