Urban Reviews

New city cars aren't over yet, as the latest version of Volkswagen's nine-year-old Polo proves. Tested in mid-range 85TSI CityLife guise, the German alternative to the Suzuki Swift, Mazda2 and MG3 has evolved into a roomy, comfy and practical hatch. Great economy and driving dynamics are further bonuses. But there are issues, prompting us to ask if the VW is good value.

For decades Volkswagen Golf has been the generic term for high-quality small hatchback. And as much as the high-riding SUV configuration has become the new car default for compact car buyers this VW still attracts devoted fans. They say quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten but does this modern classic's value equation stack up?

Sports coupes are rare nowadays, but Honda returns to old pastures with the Prelude. Yet the reborn 2+2 seater is anything but retro, with crisp styling, Civic Type R components and a performance-tuned hybrid system promising excitement with economy. An odd combo perhaps, but even a brief drive reveals engineering refinement and dynamic athleticism that transcend the sum of its parts.

Tragedy strikes, as our Inster from chapter one gets side-swiped. Thankfully, not while I was driving it, and also, the damage, mechanically, was fairly minimal even though the torn-off bumper looks a bit dramatic. So, what happens next? The car goes back to Hyundai to be repaired and in the meantime we were offered up a Standard Range version in its place. It’s the perfect opportunity to see the difference between the two grades, and evaluate whether it’s worth spending the extra to get into the Extended Range we started with. The price separating the two cars? Just $3500 with the main difference being the battery size. The regular Inster we’re hopping into has a 42kWh battery, which according to the more accurate WLTP standard offers 327km of driving range, while the Extended Range gets a 49kWh battery pack, offering a 360km range. However, the Extended Range also comes with bigger wheels, and can optionally have the brown houndstooth interior the previous car had. I kind of prefer the black pack interior on the Standard Range model we've substituted into, and I even think you’re better off with the smaller wheel and larger tyre package, as it makes the ride noticeably more comfortable and probably contributes to additional driving range despite the smaller battery. There is also a slight difference in the tune of the electric motor, with the Extended Range scoring slightly more power to compensate for its modest weigh increase. For what it’s worth, the increase in power is barely perceptible due to the change in weight. I do wonder what the point of having both grades is in Hyundai’s range, as the battery sizes and even the prices are so close together. It’s not as though anyone considering even the more expensive version of the BYD Atto 1 at $27,990 is going to be convinced to buy an Inster at nearly $10,000 more. Then again, there are some things which you should be thinking about at this entry-level part of the EV market. For example, as alluded to in my first chapter, the underpinnings of the Inster feel far more sophisticated than pretty much any city car I’ve driven in the past, with robust steering and good suspension calibration. And there are finer technical details which should make this car age better than some of its contemporaries. The primary one is its liquid-cooled battery, where the Atto 1 gets only an air-cooled unit (with some assistance from the air conditioning). If you’re not across the differences, liquid cooling is generally associated with much better battery ageing over time. The older-generation Nissan Leafs (Leaves?) and Mitsubishi Outlanders had air-cooled units which cut their range in half after 15 or so years. Plus, the relatively tame tech in the Inster is actually to its benefit. Sure you can get bigger, fancier screens and software in a whole list of new Chinese cars at this price point, but a lot of them are quite annoying to use in the real world. For all its last-gen visual appeal, there’s something to be said for simple software and an array of physical buttons and dials which just work. Back to the difference between the two Inster grades, and I’m quite surprised to find I don’t miss the Extended Range version at all. I’m using the Inster in a way I assume it was intended to be, either as a city-exclusive vehicle, or as a second car. In the midst of a fuel crisis, it’s very nice to be able to hop into something and not have to think about how much it is costing you just to drive to the shops which are otherwise just outside of walking distance. I prefer driving the Inster anytime I’m in or around the denser parts of the city where I know parking will be at a premium. It’s great to leave my personal Forester, or any other vehicle I might have on loan which is larger, at home when I know I’m going to be hunting for kerbside parking. In this context, the Extended Range version of the car starts to make less and less sense. I’m doing comparatively so few kilometres and charging so infrequently despite the lesser range. When it comes to charging, Hyundai’s spec sheet earmarks an impressive 120kW charging ability, but the fastest I’ve seen, even on a 150kW stack is around 70kW. With such a small battery though, you turn around and it’s half charged. It won’t be convenient on a road trip, perhaps, but most people buying this diminutive hatch as a second car won’t notice because they’ll spend most of their time charging it seamlessly overnight. Other benefits of the Standard Range include better ride quality, as previously mentioned, and still plenty of pep, with the lack of weight (for an EV) and skinny tyres making it chuckable around corners. It also uses a bit less energy. I’m seeing 11.4kWh/100km on the dash, compared to the Extended Range, which was doing closer to 14kWh/100km. As to what others are thinking of the Inster, it’s a real love/hate divide, with the styling make-or-break for family and friends who seem to either love it or hate it. Nobody is a fan of how plasticky the interior feels, however I’m yet to receive a complaint that the screens are too small… In good news for me, the Extended Range version will be returned to me for next month’s chapter after being repaired. I did 457km in the Standard Range, only needing to charge it twice, and get this, according to my calculations, I was going to get exactly the claimed range of 327km from a full charge. I don’t think that’s happened before. Tune in next month for our farewell chapter and video. Acquired: March 2026 Distance travelled this month: 467km Odometer: 5207km Average energy consumption this month: 11.4kWh/100km

The Audi Q3 195kW quattro is the current flagship of the new range. The 150kW is priced from $81,900 for the SUV and $84,400 for the Sportback and comes with adaptive LED headlights, ambient interior lighting, keyless entry and ignition, leather-appointed upholstery, a 10-speaker sound system as well as adaptive dampers and 19-inch alloy wheels. Powered by a 2.0L turbo-petrol four-cylinder, producing 195kW/400Nm, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with quattro (all-wheel drive), it is the most powerful member of the current Q3 range. But the extra power brings extra fuel consumption, with the 195kW quattro rated at a relatively thirsty 8.1L/100km. Audi claims this is the safest Q3 ever, with more safety equipment than before to ensure it meets modern customer demands. There’s a 360-degree camera set-up, reversing camera, adaptive cruise control and a host of other active safety features. But perhaps more importantly than just having these systems, they are locally tested and calibrated for local conditions. The Q3 is covered by Audi Australia’s standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. This includes five-years of roadside assistance too.

MG’s getting rather good at building cars that don’t feel so… cheap. For some time after Chinese state-owned manufacturer SAIC Motor took over the historically British brand, MG’s passenger cars seemed destined to be driven into the ground and replaced, but that’s not the case now. Not only has the brand’s formerly ‘cheap and barely cheerful’ MG3 become a decent hatchback, MG has started building properly good electric cars. The 2026 MG S5 EV, as much as Audi might have an issue with that name, is one of them. The small electric SUV is not only affordable when you consider what you get (as in many such cases with Chinese cars), but it’s also quite a decent drive. For $48,990 drive-away, you can have the car pictured, the top-of-the-range S5 EV Essence 62. It’s named as such because, you guessed it, it has a 62kWh battery rather than the smaller 49kWh unit also available in either this or the lower-grade Excite. That’s four grades all up, but we’re sticking at the top. That means the S5 is approaching the price of one of CarsGuide’s favourite electric cars, the Kia EV3 – even if it’s the base EV3 and the features list is somewhat shorter. The Essence 62 has a claimed WLTP rated range of 425km, which isn’t groundbreaking considering similar-sized electric SUVs have been doing this for the better part of a decade – the Hyundai Kona Electric had it beat five years ago with a similarly-sized battery. The Essence 62 also gets the same extensive list of features as the Essence 49, aside from the (90km) longer range. Inside, there’s a 10.25-inch driver display and a 12.8-inch multimedia touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a six-speaker sound system, a wireless phone charger, surround-view parking camera, heated front seats and steering wheel, V2L capability, keyless entry and start and rain-sensing window wipers. It’s a practical space inside that still retains physical controls for the climate along with buttons on the steering wheel, while the native operating system within the touchscreen is clear and easy to navigate. Its LED daytime running lights, 18-inch alloys, power tailgate, a panoramic sunroof and tinted privacy glass are all giveaways from the exterior, but they’re not my biggest point about the S5’s exterior. Yes, the big thing that very much turns me off the S5 EV is its design. MG’s design language has struck me as a little hodge-podge for a while, and the S5 feels like one of the best examples of why. It has these soft curves and lines that, in a lot of ways, are fairly restrained. There isn’t a lot of unnecessary trim or just lines for the sake of breaking things up. But then there’s the face. The DRLs and headlights create these sharp, angular eyes and an almost war-paint-like shape underneath. Why does this small, family-friendly SUV look so aggressive from the front? It’s got 125kW and 250Nm. Fortunately, it doesn’t feel aggressive from behind the wheel. Those 125kW and 250Nm are put to better use than you might think, but the delivery is progressive and still gives you that little shove as you put your foot down, which you’ll be familiar with if you’re an EV person. It doesn’t feel incredibly urgent and you won’t be spinning the rear wheels (yes, it’s rear-wheel drive!) unless it’s pouring rain… and oil, perhaps.  Its steering is arguably too light and lacks communication, but it’s accurate enough and once you’re used to it becomes a bit of a non-issue. The suspension, similarly, is nothing necessarily to write home about, but it’s a big improvement on where your expectations from previous MGs might land. It can be unsettled at times, usually during fast cornering on rough roads, but you wouldn’t expect most people to be doing this in a small electric SUV anyway. It wafts a little after big bumps or undulations in the road, but collects itself quickly enough to not feel sickening as some EVs are prone to. At the same time, it’s not too stiff. Comfortable, practical, a relatively well-judged setup overall. Practicality continues post-purchase, MG’s 10-year/250,000-kilometre warranty includes the battery and you shouldn’t really be worried by that distance limitation. You do need to service with MG to keep the warranty going, though. There’s also a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2025, plus seven airbags and a long list of active driver-assistance tech that actually seems rather well-calibrated given the overbearing nature of many systems, particularly those from Chinese brands.  

The Audi Q3 150kW quattro is the mid-range model of the new small SUV range. The 150kW is priced from $70,200 for the SUV and $72,700 for the Sportback and comes with adaptive LED headlights, ambient interior lighting, keyless entry and ignition, leather-appointed upholstery, a 10-speaker sound system as well as adaptive dampers and 19-inch alloy wheels. This model is powered by a 2.0L turbo-petrol four-cylinder, producing 150kW/320Nm. It is paried to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with quattro (all-wheel drive). Fuel economy for the 150kW quattro is a claimed 7.3L/100km. Audi claims this is the safest Q3 ever, with more safety equipment than before to ensure it meets modern customer demands. There’s a 360-degree camera set-up, reversing camera, adaptive cruise control and a host of other active safety features. But perhaps more importantly than just having these systems, they are locally tested and calibrated for local conditions. The Q3 is covered by Audi Australia’s standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. This includes five-years of roadside assistance too.

The entry-level model in the new-for-2026 Audi Q3 range is now known simply as the 110kW. It is priced from $61,600 for the SUV and $64,600 for the Sportback variant. Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights, ambient interior lighting, keyless entry and ignition, leather-appointed upholstery and a 10-speaker sound system. It is powered by a new 1.5-litre four-cylinder mild-hybrid, turbocharged petrol engine, which makes 110kW/250Nm and sends all that performance to the road via the front wheels through a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. Fuel economy is rated at 5.8L/100km for the 110kW model. Audi claims this is the safest Q3 ever, with more safety equipment than before to ensure it meets modern customer demands. There’s a 360-degree camera set-up, reversing camera, adaptive cruise control and a host of other active safety features. But perhaps more importantly than just having these systems, they are locally tested and calibrated for local conditions. The Q3 is covered by Audi Australia’s standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. This includes five-years of roadside assistance too.

The new, third-generation Audi Q3 arrives with big expectations. It’s the best-selling model for the German brand in Australia, so it needs to retain all the elements that have made it a sales hit while trying to expand its appeal. We drive the new Q3 110kW, 150kW and 195kW models to see if Audi has done enough to keep its small SUV ahead of rivals from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Volvo and more.

The 2026 Mini Aceman could be the perfect Mini - not too big and not too small - and with a fully electric powertrain. But what's it like at urban duties?