Hatchback Reviews

At a once-in-a-lifetime turning point toward SUVs and electrification for car buyers globally, what does VW's long-running Beetle replacement still have to offer?

The GTI continues to be the Golf's core hot hatch, sitting above the regular range with an MSRP of $53,100.

Small cars may be falling out of favour as the SUV wave continues to flood the local new car market. But there are still plenty of worthy contenders, and Kia has just upped the ante with a revised version of its Cerato hatch and sedan.

The Golf R-Line is the top of the non-performance Golf range, featuring sportier highlights at an MSRP of $37,490.

Ford's latest special edition Mustang is aimed at those who want a sharper, more dynamic driving experience. Does it live up to its lofty ambitions?

Ford's Focus redefined how good a hatchback could be over 20 years ago. It's still doing it, too. The Focus Active is an attempt to cash in on the ongoing sales dominance of SUVs without having to go full SUV. It probably shouldn't work, but Ford is good at this sort of thing.

Nissan was one of the first car brands to champion electric cars in Australia, launching its first Leaf way back in 2012. Over a decade later , competition is stiffer than ever, with more and more brands committing to tailpipe emissions-free models, but Nissan is hoping its Leaf e+ will be enough to keep rivals at bay.

Up until recently, the Nissan Leaf was the best-selling electric car in the world. But with a crop of fresh EVs entering the market, it needs to step up again. Enter the new long-range Leaf e+. It certainly improves the formula, but not quite enough.

Hyundai has progressively improved the i30 over three generations , with the current model launched in 2017 providing a broad spectrum of choice to suit different needs. With its turbo petrol engine and independent rear suspension, the N-Line provides rousing performance and fine dynamic qualities, without spilling into hot-hatch territory. In Premium guise there's plenty of luxury to enjoy, too.

Hyundai's Ioniq range is nothing if not a flex in the face of Toyota. Sure, Toyota has a dominating position in the Australian market, with its well-received range of hybrid models, but what happens after hybrid? Hyundai takes on the blocky Prius formula with not only a directly competing hybrid model, but a plug-in and a fully electric version, too. This expansive range is as though Hyundai is trying to demonstrate it's ready for any future, near or far, and guess what, Toyota? Anything you can do; the Korean juggernaut thinks it can do better. These cars aren't really designed to sell so much as they are offerings for early adopters, but a few years after its launch, with a host of rivals set to take it on, and an entire sub-brand based on the Ioniq just around the corner, is Hyundai's top-spec Ioniq electric  worth a look? I took one for a week to find out.