Hatchback Reviews

  Fiat has launched a turbocharged petrol version of its light Punto hatch that is in a word a little ripper.We can't get over the difference this power plant makes to the feel of the car, with its lively performance and sporty dynamics.The good looking Punto is the car that heralded the return of the Fiat passenger car brand to Australia two years ago.But at the time the hatchback was available only in diesel form.The three-door Sport Turbo, priced from $25,990, is essentially the same car as the 1.9-litre turbodiesel Sport, but with a different engine and transmission.Where the diesel is heavier and more expensive, the petrol version feels lighter, nippier and more fun to drive _ and it's $2000 cheaper.Weighing in at 1155kg, it is 50kg lighter than the diesel and you'd have to reckon that most of that weight would have come out of the front end.The new engine is a light pressure turbocharged version of Fiat's 1.4 litre Star-Jet engine.The low inertia turbo lifts power from 57 to 88kW and torque from 115 to 206Nm, with an amazing 200Nm of torque available from just 1700rpm.The engine is hooked up to a relatively pedestrian five-speed manual transmission.It would have been nice to see the six-speed from the diesel, but having said that the five is slick, easy to use and delivers the goods.By boosting the engine Fiat has managed to shave four seconds off the car's 0-100km/h time which is now a very respectable 8.9 seconds.At the same time it uses an average of 6.6 litres of fuel per 100km and that's not too far behind the diesel at 5.8.As the cost of fuel continues to rise motorists will start looking to smaller cars with smaller engines to save money.With petrol costing $1.60 and diesel $1.80 a litre, many motorists are finding the cost of filling up the family car topping the $100 mark.That's going to take a bit of getting used to.Punto takes 95 strength premium (although it will run on standard) and we were getting 7.6 litres/100km from the 45-litre tank, with a bit of hard stuff thrown in.Many people will take one look at the 1.4 litre capacity and dismiss the engine as too small.But you'll be surprised.The boost kicks in early with a flat torque curve that generates strong peformance across the range.Even in top gear it sales up hills and will still accelerate even if the revs are allowed to drop.Punto comes with a five-star safety rating, six airbags, anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control.It's a middle of the road car in the Fiat scheme of things and this is reflected in the plainer, more conservative styling inside.The standard of finish is also not up to the standard of the more recent Ritmo and 500 models.Also, you'll find a re-inflation kit instead of a spare or space saver under the luggage area.Still, it's a very appealing little car if you want to get away from the usual Japanese fare.

The hot diesel arrives in Australia in October and will cost about $40,000. It blows most of the small-car oil-burners out of the water in power and torque and marginally tops the current benchmark, the Golf GT TDI ($39,990).ENGINE AND ECONOMYThe engine is the same as in the Laguna, new Koleos SUV and Trafic van, but with improved engine mapping, earlier turbo boost and mated to a more aggressive six-speed manual. The five-door Megane pumps out 127kW of power and 360Nm of torque, compared with the Golf's 125kW/350Nm.Meanwhile, RenaultSport claims it sips fuel at just 6.5 litres per 100km, against Golf's 6.6, proving you can have your gateaux and eat it too.While its power may be down on the turbo model's 165kW, it more than makes up for it with a huge dollop of peak torque from just 2000rpm. ON THE ROADThat makes it fun to drive; not just off the mark but heading towards the 5000rpm limit. Its acceleration and feeling of power is more akin to a petrol car than a diesel. And the 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine is very quiet, only giving away the hint of clatter at idle. There's also a tasty exhaust note that resembles a bigger petrol car.Brakes are big and Brembo, so there is plenty of stopping power on board. On a short blast through the Parisienne countryside, the little diesel displayed predictable driving manners and despite all that low-down torque and heavy diesel engine there was minimal misbehaviour such as wicked torque steer or massive understeer. Indeed, turn-in is very good, although the electronic steering is somewhat numb.CHASSIS RenaultSport has fitted the engine to the chassis originally developed for Megane Renault Sport 2.0 Turbo. It features independent steering-axis front suspension and a 20mm-diameter anti-roll bar, but RenaultSport has stiffened the front springs and damper settings to cope with the extra 80kg weight of the diesel engine and gearbox.The rear suspension is based on a programmed-deflection flexible beam with torsional stiffness of 80Nm which is equivalent to the Cup chassis version of Megane Renault Sport 2.0T.TRIM LEVELRenault Australia senior communications manager Craig Smith says trim level will be similar to the current three-door model with leather upholstery as an option.Inside and out there are several RenaultSport plates, badges and seat stitching, but it doesn't look like a tacky “boy racer”. However, missing from the badges is the word “diesel”.“We did not want to put a diesel badge on the back,” Smith says. “The 2.0-litre diesel is the main stay of our range. This diesel shows what it is capable of.”It certainly is a more attractive car than the standard Megane, the dual pipes and big rear diffuser shaving some vital kilos off the notoriously fat bottom.And with safety features the same as those on all Meganes which scored five stars in EuroNCAP crash tests, it makes good sense. Smith says they're expecting to sell about 70-100 a year. 

Safer, better equipped and more fuel-efficient than ever, the two models will appeal to those looking to make the switch to a smaller vehicle, but who are unwilling to sacrifice quality or creature comforts.Leading the charge in the economy stakes is a diesel in the A Class range for the first time, the A180 CDI that uses as little as 5.0 litres of fuel per 100km.The major upgrade sees the debut by Benz of a number of innovative fuel-saving technologies, but the way it pans out it’s more a case of what we miss out on that what we will actually get.The big news is the addition of a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered model in the B Class range that, it is claimed, can slash running costs by 50 per cent.The problem as far as we’re concerned is that the necessary infrastructure for refuelling the vehicle does not currently exist outside of bus depots, so it's not going to be appear on the shopping list any time soon.A fuel-saving “ECO” engine cut-out system has also been introduced as an option in both ranges, that kills the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop, for example at traffic lights – helping to reduce fuel consumption.The system has been shown in tests to cut fuel use by as much as nine per cent, but unfortunately it is available only with manual petrol models at this stage.And, because Benz sells very few manuals here, it too is of little interest at this stage – but this could change soon as the technology is rolled out to include auto and diesel models.We also miss out Benz’s Blue Efficiency package, a new trademark for particularly economical and environmentally compatible cars, featuring lightweight construction, lower air and rolling resistance and more efficient energy management.It is packaged only with the smaller A160 diesel that the company doesn’t offer in Australia.It’s not all doom and gloom, however, because we will be getting the new Active Parking Assist system.Like similar systems offered by other manufacturers, it will virtually reverse park the car for you, checking if a parking space is large enough and guiding the vehicle into the spot after the driver selects reverse gear – without the need for the driver to touch the steering wheel.It will be a boon for those drivers who would rather do a second lap of the block, than tackle the daunting task of reverse parking their car with traffic waiting.The new A and B Class ranges including the new A180 CDI diesel are due to arrive in September, but we were invited to preview the cars this week at the international launch in Berlin.A departure from the rear wheel drive sedans that the company has traditionally produced, the front-wheel drive hatches have proved enormously popular since their introduction – the A Class in 1997, the B eight years later in 2005.Many people including industry insiders dismiss the cars as pretend Benzes, but this view is short-sighted and overlooks their intrinsic practicality.At 4273mm the B Class is 39cm longer and a few millimetres wider than its smaller sibling.Both ranges have been overhauled inside and out, with the obligatory new lights, bumpers and radiator grilles featuring a more prominent three-pointed star.Engines and transmissions remain pretty much the same but have been further refined to produce better fuel economy and less harmful emissions.Combined the A and B Class now make up 18 per cent of Benz sales in Australia and at the moment almost 25 per cent of Benzes sold here are now diesels.The A180 CDI will be available in five-door form only with a six-speed manual standard and uses the same 2.0-litre four cylinder common rail turbo diesel that has powered the B180 for some time.It has been added in response to strong customer demand for an A Class diesel.Personally we have always found the A Class a mite small for our tastes and believe the larger B Class is better suited to our roads and environment.It’s the car that Benz should have built in the first place.Sales speak louder than words and the B Class has quickly outstripped the smaller hatch.The B180 with its 2.0-litre direct injection turbo diesel is an old favourite.With 80kW of power and 250Nm of torque on tap, claimed fuel consumption is 5.2-5.4 litres per 100km, down from 5.8 previously, giving it a range of over 1000km.The car is an ideal size for the city, able to seat four adults in comfort, with plenty of rear legroom and a good sized luggage area.We’d like to see a little more power from the engine and there is in fact a more powerful version available with 103kW and 300Nm.But Benz says the small gain in performance would not justify the extra cost of the car, so we’ll have to be content with the one we’ve got.The lighter A180 with the same engine turns in an even better result at 5.0-5.2 litres/100km, but because of its smaller size is noticeably noisier inside.In the entertainment department, a 40 gig hard disk based navigation and music system is available as an option with both ranges.The navigation system offers a three-dimensional view and the system offers a full range of media inputs including Bluetooth and USB via a variety of connecting cables through a port located in the glovebox.Prices for both ranges are expected to increase slightly, the new A Class more so because it has additional equipment.Prices for A Class currently start at $35,000 and for the B Class at $45,800. 

Safer, better equipped and more fuel-efficient than ever, the two models will appeal to those looking to make the switch to a smaller vehicle, but who are unwilling to sacrifice quality or creature comforts.Leading the charge in the economy stakes is a diesel in the A Class range for the first time, the A180 CDI that uses as little as 5.0 litres of fuel per 100km.The major upgrade sees the debut by Benz of a number of innovative fuel-saving technologies, but the way it pans out it’s more a case of what we miss out on that what we will actually get.The big news is the addition of a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered model in the B Class range that, it is claimed, can slash running costs by 50 per cent.The problem as far as we’re concerned is that the necessary infrastructure for refuelling the vehicle does not currently exist outside of bus depots, so it's not going to be appear on the shopping list any time soon.A fuel-saving “ECO” engine cut-out system has also been introduced as an option in both ranges, that kills the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop, for example at traffic lights – helping to reduce fuel consumption.The system has been shown in tests to cut fuel use by as much as nine per cent, but unfortunately it is available only with manual petrol models at this stage.And, because Benz sells very few manuals here, it too is of little interest at this stage – but this could change soon as the technology is rolled out to include auto and diesel models.We also miss out Benz’s Blue Efficiency package, a new trademark for particularly economical and environmentally compatible cars, featuring lightweight construction, lower air and rolling resistance and more efficient energy management.It is packaged only with the smaller A160 diesel that the company doesn’t offer in Australia.It’s not all doom and gloom, however, because we will be getting the new Active Parking Assist system.Like similar systems offered by other manufacturers, it will virtually reverse park the car for you, checking if a parking space is large enough and guiding the vehicle into the spot after the driver selects reverse gear – without the need for the driver to touch the steering wheel.It will be a boon for those drivers who would rather do a second lap of the block, than tackle the daunting task of reverse parking their car with traffic waiting.The new A and B Class ranges including the new A180 CDI diesel are due to arrive in September, but we were invited to preview the cars this week at the international launch in Berlin.A departure from the rear wheel drive sedans that the company has traditionally produced, the front-wheel drive hatches have proved enormously popular since their introduction – the A Class in 1997, the B eight years later in 2005.Many people including industry insiders dismiss the cars as pretend Benzes, but this view is short-sighted and overlooks their intrinsic practicality.At 4273mm the B Class is 39cm longer and a few millimetres wider than its smaller sibling.Both ranges have been overhauled inside and out, with the obligatory new lights, bumpers and radiator grilles featuring a more prominent three-pointed star.Engines and transmissions remain pretty much the same but have been further refined to produce better fuel economy and less harmful emissions.Combined the A and B Class now make up 18 per cent of Benz sales in Australia and at the moment almost 25 per cent of Benzes sold here are now diesels.The A180 CDI will be available in five-door form only with a six-speed manual standard and uses the same 2.0-litre four cylinder common rail turbo diesel that has powered the B180 for some time.It has been added in response to strong customer demand for an A Class diesel.Personally we have always found the A Class a mite small for our tastes and believe the larger B Class is better suited to our roads and environment.It’s the car that Benz should have built in the first place.Sales speak louder than words and the B Class has quickly outstripped the smaller hatch.The B180 with its 2.0-litre direct injection turbo diesel is an old favourite.With 80kW of power and 250Nm of torque on tap, claimed fuel consumption is 5.2-5.4 litres per 100km, down from 5.8 previously, giving it a range of over 1000km.The car is an ideal size for the city, able to seat four adults in comfort, with plenty of rear legroom and a good sized luggage area.We’d like to see a little more power from the engine and there is in fact a more powerful version available with 103kW and 300Nm.But Benz says the small gain in performance would not justify the extra cost of the car, so we’ll have to be content with the one we’ve got.The lighter A180 with the same engine turns in an even better result at 5.0-5.2 litres/100km, but because of its smaller size is noticeably noisier inside.In the entertainment department, a 40 gig hard disk based navigation and music system is available as an option with both ranges.The navigation system offers a three-dimensional view and the system offers a full range of media inputs including Bluetooth and USB via a variety of connecting cables through a port located in the glovebox.Prices for both ranges are expected to increase slightly, the new A Class more so because it has additional equipment.Prices for A Class currently start at $35,000 and for the B Class at $45,800. 

 It is only a small “e” in the nomenclature but it represents a huge corporate watershed for Audi as the “other” German brand steps up to show the world that efficiency can be had without a magic bullet. With the launch of the A3 1.9 TDI e Audi Australia has started an internal reformation that is going to rumble across every model line in the four rings' showroom and provide a real-world argument for intelligent design over rampant technology.“This is the start of Audi's 'progressive performance' message,” Audi Australia's Anna Burgdorf said at the launch of the new A3 derivative.The ethos of the “e” car philosophy is largely common sense and involves use of design strategies available to any car manufacturer. There is no breakthrough technology in the engine, no super-efficient gearbox.What gives the A3 1.9 TDI e its remarkable hybrid-challenging fuel efficiency — 4.5 litres per 100 kilometres on the official government cycle — is a series of rather small tweaks that together result in an 8 per cent improvement in economy and the consequent improvement in emissions. Audi engineers have tuned the electronics of the 77kW 1.9-litre turbodiesel engine — the same unit found in the standard A3 and the VW Golf — while lengthening ratios for third and fifth gear in the five-speed manual box, resulting in optimised fuel efficiency, particularly when the driver follows the recommended gear selection as displayed on the dash.The car has also been lowered to improve efficiency through the air, lightened, fitted with aerodynamic plastic covers for the 16-inch wheels and shod with low-friction Michelin rubber to reduce rolling resistance.From there it is down to the desire, determination and concentration of the driver as to how much lower the fuel efficiency can be driven.While it is unlikely that any day-to-day driver will consistently return the 3.8L/100km figures achieved on the 366km launch drive from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island — driving purely for efficiency with windows up, airconditioning off, wing mirrors folded in and as much throttle-off time as possible — impressive real-world figures will be possible. The control car, driven to the speed limits, returned 4.3L/100km for the 366km drive. There is little noticeable difference to the 1.9 TDI stablemate.“The 1.9 e is the most efficient car in the Audi fleet and it shows that hybrid is not the only solution ,” Burgdorf says.“We know the car is not going to be a huge seller, about 60 a year, but there will be an `e' version in all core model lines by the end of the year.”Audi Australia's marketing manager, Immo Buschmann, says the popularity of the “e” cars will grow with the arrival of the A4 and A8 models later this year when the cars will carry badge proof of their green credentials — which is something that the A3 cars currently don't sport.“As a premium brand we have been telling the story of progressive performance for some time,” Buschmann says. “What we haven't been talking about is safety and environmental impact ... it has just been a given that it is there.”Buschmann says the design of the badging is a work in progress but will emphasise the green characteristics.While the strategy is easily implemented there is much more to come from Audi as the philosophy is rolled out across the company and expanded to include more — and more complex — technology.“There are already significant advantages in efficiency over hybrid technology,” Audi Australia's technical manager John Roberts says.“There is the advantage of weight. You don't have to carry batteries.“And there is the packaging advantage — you don't have to give up boot space to store the batteries.”He says 30 per cent of consumption is dictated by driving style.It is this area that the “e” future will target, Roberts says. SNAPSHOT Audi A3 1.9 TDIePrice: from $38,900Engine: 1.9L/4-cylinder turbodiesel 77kW/250NmTransmission: 5-speed manualEconomy: 4.5L/100km (claimed); 3.8L/100km (tested) 

Like criticising Lara Bingle for not being erudite, or knowing what erudite means.But let's do it anyway.The thing about the C30 is that it's not supposed to be like other Volvos - ie staid, shoebox like and slowly steady — and the T5 version I was driving, in particular, was rumoured to be quite the jigger.Sadly the C30 is a 'nice, but...' car — not to be confused with a nice butt car, which it is clearly not. Indeed, it has the rear end from that bug-ugly conveyance seen in Wayne's World.The boot is also a triumph of form, or malform, over function. The big goggle eyed rear window looks unique, but it has reduced the boot to the size of a bootie, and the luggage cover makes it still smaller.Strangely, I was approached in a small country town by people who declared that I was driving `a mighty fine car'. This was because they'd approached it front-on, an angle it does actually look pleasant from.I invited them to have a walk around the back and then watched them hack up their pipe tobacco.Visual violence aside, the T5 had its share of problems in our week together.For a start, the driver's seatbelt seemed to be imitating an Anaconda. It was either looping out of the spool and piling up in my lap, or trying to asphyxiate me.Then there was the brilliant, ingenious Blind Spot Information System, which didn't work. Well, it did, because its tricky radar eyes did spot cars in my blindspot and alert me to them by illuminating a light, but it also started returning false positives.This made me think I as being followed around by a Christine-like ghost car, haunting my blind spot.Then there was the smooth road harmonic resonance at 2300rpm, or, sadly, somewhere between 100 and 110km/h. This vibrant vibration was so powerful it made my speaking voice sound like Stephen Hawking.And yet... And yet I still found myself almost liking the C30 at times, almost on alternate days.This is partly because the interior is quite charming — everyone loved the “floating” dash and the Ikea-style blonde wood panelling.Somehow it also just felt like a nice car to be driving, with a slick little gearbox, reasonably communicative steering and a turbocharged five-cylinder engine good for 162kW and 320Nm.Apparently the vigorous Volvo will even sprint to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds, but somehow it doesn't feel that fast.In short, if you try to drive the C30 in a sporty fashion, it reacts like a woman who's been dragged to a five-day cricket Test match.Sure, it will go, but you're going to be well aware it's not that happy about it.Volvo seems to think its sporty spice car is up against BMW's 1 Series, the VW Golf, Alfa Romeo's 147, Audi's A3 and the Mini Cooper S.Only it's not, because all of those machines are more genuinely sporty and none of those buyers would really cross shop against it.And here we come to the nub of the dilemma. Who would actually buy one?The badge puts off anyone young or cool and Volvo can claim its adding youthful vigour to its brand until the moose come home, it just ain't.So we're left with, perhaps, old women who don't need much space for their shopping. But then they wouldn't have much need for turbocharged engines or lairy wheels, either.Then there's the price, which would tend to scare most people.While the range starts with the C30 S at $34,450, the version I was driving was a simply silly $42,450. You could have a Subaru WRX for that money, although it's unlikely that anyone who would darken the door of a Volvo dealer would consider such an alternative.So, in the end, I'm confused. But not half as confused as the people at Volvo.

The new Peugeot 308 has become even prettier, more feminine, than before — if that is possible.Just as well, because the majority of buyers of the previous model 307 were women.My wife and two daughters love the new curvaceous body, the almond-eyed headlights, perfume-dispensing airconditioning with a selection of six fragrances, petite pedals, quiet and soft-touch cabin, 12 exterior colour choices and small latte holders, rather than macho jumbo-sized drink holders.And my girls love the pretty little wing mirrors which fold away when the car is locked. It's not a gimmick; it's vital in the small streets of Paris where the wing mirrors on parked cars often get knocked off as cars rush past.The eighth-generation 308 five-door hatch comes in a choice of two 1.6-litre petrol engines, one a turbo, and two turbo-diesel engines, 1.6 and 2-litre. The two-litre petrol engine has been scrapped for the turbo 1.6.Previously there were three trim levels in the petrol and two in the diesel. Now there are three trim levels in each: XS, XSE and XTE.Prices are up $500 for the XS petrol at $25,990 and $1400 for the XSE, even though it drops from two-litre to 1.6.Diesel XS models remain the same at $29,990, while the XSE HDi is up $1000.Choice of transmissions is five-speed manual (XS, XS HDi, XSE Turbo), four-speed auto (XS, XSE, XSE Turbo, XTE), six-speed manual (XSE HDi) and six-speed auto (XSE HDi, XTE HDi).The Porsche-derived four-speed auto costs an extra $2000 and $2200 for the six-speed.I recently drove the XSE Turbo with five-speed manual ($30,590) and the XSE HDi ($35,790).The top-spec models come with a healthy list of features.However, the Turbo I drove also had the full-length glass sunroof ($1000) and dashboard-mounted, pop-up sat nav system ($3600) that includes a 30Gb hard disk to store 180 hours of music, Bluetooth and an SOS button that will dial 000.Another neat audio feature is iPod or computer game connectivity via RCA plugs in the glovebox.However, there are no steering wheel-mounted controls for cruise or audio. They are all on stalks behind the wheel which is very awkward.Accommodation inside is generous, but legroom in the back will be at a premium if there is a tall person in the front.As in most French cars, the seats are sumptuous, like big lounge chairs. But you wouldn't expect your lounge suite to hold you in place if you were going around a corner at 60km/h, and neither do these.I found the speedo difficult to read in daylight as the numbers are a bit spindly, especially when wearing prescription sunglasses to see into the distance.On the road, the car is exciting to drive, although eerily quiet. The diesel is as quiet as the hush-hush BMW 530d.Engineers paid a lot of attention to reducing rattles, squeaks, engine noise, wind buffeting and tyre noise.Even the door speakers are mounted to the door, rather than the trim, to avoid vibration.This is now one of the quietest cars in its class. Even the diesel engines have little audible clatter or roar from within the cabin.Unfortunately, it takes some of the excitement out of the turbo which could do with a little bit of exhaust rort.Both the turbo petrol and diesel engines have strong low and mid-range torque which makes daily driving chores responsive.The diesel loses breath up top where the 1.6-litre turbo from the Mini Cooper S and the Peugeot 207 continues to shine. Steering is a bit on the heavy side and there is a twitch from torque steer in both models.The brakes are strong with a firm and responsive brake pedal and women will approve of the light clutch and foolproof manual box with well-spaced gears. On the national launch in February, the second-to-third change was notchy, but not on this test car.The automatic was overly responsive to aggressive input, holding on to gears much longer than needed after you have given it a heavy foot.The turbo returned fuel economy of 9.2L/10km while the diesel claimed 6.6.On the safety side, there are six airbags, a five-star European crash rating and stability control.A Touring (wagon version) is coming in August and a CC (cabrio-convertible) in February. 

The company has sold 28,439 new cars so far in 2008 - 10 per cent ahead of the same period last year and more than the 27,505 new vehicles it sold in an entire year in 2000.

Fiat vans are a common sight but it seems like only yesterday that the company re-entered the passenger car market with the launch of the Punto hatch.Punto has since been joined by the retro look Fiat 500 that we drove recently and now another larger hatch called the Ritmo.We were pleased to find that both cars are finished to a much higher standard than the Punto.Ritmo also sees the debut of a brand new Fiat logo.It is larger than Punto and sits on a modified version of the platform that underpinned the earlier Stilo.It is also slightly longer and wider than its cousin the Alfa 147, but we are told the new 147 (make that 149) will share the same platform.Ritmo is designed to go head-to-head with the likes of VW's best-selling Golf.It is offered in two grades with a choice of 1.4-litre petrol or 1.9-litre diesel turbocharged engines.Our test car was the petrol 1.4-litre Ritmo Sport T-Jet priced from $32,990.It is a good looking car and the combination of burgundy paint, charcoal alloys and piano black trim inside create a smouldering kind of appeal.Far from being a bit of a yawn, the 1.4-litre turbocharged engine produces a surprising amount of pep.It is good for 110kW of power at 5500rpm and up to 230Nm of torque at 3000rpm, if the sport setting is selected.The trend is towards smaller engines in Europe where the same engine produces anywhere from 52 to 137kW, with a 150kW unit said to be in the pipeline.The dash from 0-100km/h takes 8.2 seconds and it has a top speed of 208km/h.Fuel economy for this model is rated at 7.1 litres/100km, but we were typically getting between 8.8 and 9.0.Once up and running, disengaging the overboost Sport button improves economy.To get the best results from the car you need to keep the engine on the boil, but with a slick six-speed manual and a nice note from the exhaust that is easily accomplished. In fact, it can be a difficult task getting the car off the line quickly without spinning the front wheels.Although its fitted with electronic stability control, the system is designed to provide some wheel spin. The sports suspension can be a rough at times, but it pays dividends in the handling department.Point Ritmo at a corner and it hangs on nicely, with controlled slide at the limit.Stability control and six airbags are standard and the car has a five-star safety rating.The Sport model adds a rear spoiler, sideskirts, sports pedals, sports seats with lumbar adjustment of driver's seat, leather sports steering wheel, gear lever and handbrake knobs, sports upholstery, red brake callipers and 17 inch alloys fitted with 225/45 tyres. Climate air and Blue&Me integrated telematics system are also part of the package.It offers Bluetooth hands-free technology with steering wheel controls, instrument panel with multifunction display, MP3 audio file player from a USB port and SMS text reader.Rear leg room is adequate and the deep boot could easily accommodate a full-sized spare, but unfortunately a space-saver is provided. 

The Mazda 2's raging success since its release last September is down to chucking desirability and driveability into the mix; it goes as sweetly as it looks and it does look awfully sweet.The first-gen model 2 went almost as well, but was something of a caravan aesthetically. That you can't shove as much stuff into the sharply sculpted newcomer has affected sales not at all adversely. Indeed it's proved a fillip to the extent Mazda this week released an even less practical and even prettier 2, one that out of sheer personality as much as performance removes the grimness from the daily grind of a city where traffic is in perennial gridlock.“It's the sporty-looking alternative to the five door, for people who really don't see the need for the extra doors,” Mazda's Glenn Butler says.“The previous Mazda2 headroom was in the realm of ridiculous; you had enough to wear two top hats. So how much do you really need? We were able to pare back the dimensions and the three-door is simply the next logical extension of ramping up the visual appeal.”And as we say, that appeal marries blissfully to dynamics and handling that are clearly at the fore of a class that in addition to the usual appliances from Toyota and Nissan, also includes such game offerings as Ford's Fiesta and Suzuki's Swift.The stipulation — stumbling block for too many punters - is that 2's ability is best unlocked with a five-speed manual; the four cog auto pushes the curb over the tonne and denudes the sense of involvement and sheer fun.The current carryover 1.5-litre DOHC petrol four does enough to get the manual to 100km/h from standing in about 10 seconds and is sufficiently tractable to avoid constant cog swapping.Well behaved and compliant over Sydney's conspicuously deteriorating roads, the 2 comes into its own through the tight and curly stuff, enormously agile and rewarding for something so modest.The electrically assisted steering, though slightly numb, is direct and accurate. So capable is the 2 that, in typical Mazda fashion, it could easily handle more urge. Indeed a turbo-charged version is inevitable.“The Mazda2 three-door would make a great basis for an MPS, wouldn't it?” Butler asks.And with the world having been cruelly denied a hot 6, he adds with emphasis that Mazda Australia “are certainly agitating” for just such a super-mini.At $15,750 for the entry-level manual Neo, the Mazda2 three-door slides in $750 under the least expensive five-door. The $17,960 Maxx saves the same amount on its five-door sibling.Nice prices, made only slightly less so by the $1100 required for the comprehensive safety packs that add side and curtain SRS airbags, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Traction Control system. Do please tick this box.The five-door Maxx that scored high last year in Carsguide Car Of The Year judging was considered only with this potentially life-saving addition. The fully-equipped version won the maximum crash-safety rating of five stars at the latest round of Euro NCAP testing.For that alone, the 2 justifies the hefty premium over the $13,990 drive away Holden Barina, that little re-badged Daewoo with its two-star safety rating. Even at a gnat's chuff over $19K plus on roads (and another $1500 if you must have an auto) the Maxx with safety pack, in which we've spent the past week, is outstanding value, especially as it is the best car in the class.The captivating exterior statement continues within, with styling that's distinctive but subtle next to, say, Fiat's fetishist 500. The white dials light up in orange at night and are at all times pleasant and easy to the eye. Visibility from the driver's seat isn't brilliant in the rear three quarters, what with the 2's high and flat bum (“Looks kind of like Beyonce,” says a young female colleague) and small wing mirrors. Neither that, or the lack of telescopic steering-wheel adjustment, seriously compromise the driving position.The forward seats are firm but supportive; the back ones are easily accessible through the elongated doors and accommodate we burly types comfortably enough. And speaking of size, Butler notes: “The first quarter of this year is the first time that I can recall when light cars have outsold large cars. Large cars used to be number one, now they're number three, so Australians are voting with their coin.”And given the 2 now comes in slightly cheaper still, you can get two new fully-equipped Mazdas for the price of one locally made land barge that costs twice the money to run.It's difficult to see the Mazda2, in either form, as anything other than the car of the moment.