Hatchback Reviews

This year has seen the launch of Audi's S3, the Mini Cooper S, Mazda3 MPS, Ford's Fiesta XR4 slotting in just below the Focus XR5, the Volkswagen Golf GT joining its even hotter sibling — the legendary GTi — and Volvo has even entered the fray with the funky C30.Not to be left out, Honda has joined the field with the first Civic Type-R to come here (although many people will have fond memories of the Integra that also wore the R badge here for several years).Coming in $10 under the psychological $40,000 barrier, that badge is intended to give an echo of Honda's racing heritage — and a warning right from the start that this Civic is no docile little shopping trolley.It looks wouldn't leave you in doubt about that anyway, with bold futuristic styling, especially around the tail where myriad angles and planes suggest that the car might unfold Transformer-like and reveal the true little beast within.The rear wing adds to the sporty look but severely limits vision for reversing, or even keeping an eye on the few vehicles that might attempt to overtake you.The enveloping Alcantara sports bucket front seats — with harness-ready holes — almost suction you into place, and with tilt and reach adjustment on the steering it's easy to find your perfect driving position.Rear seat passengers don't fare as well. It's a bit of an awkward task to clamber in there, and once you succeed there's not a lot of legroom to reward you.Likewise the boot capacity is fairly limited — even though it carries a space-saver spare — although dropping the rear seat helps.Despite the abundance of nasty plastics, the cabin still has a thoroughly sporty feel, aided particularly by the red-lit instruments. At night you can indulge in fighter pilot fantasies.The Type-R comes equipped as standard with automatic airconditioning, cruise control, sports suspension, trip computer, drilled aluminium pedals, foglights and leather wrapped gearshift and multi-function steering wheel.The safety list includes stability control, six airbags, and anti-skid brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist.The car is built in the UK — although the power heart and soul are shipped there from Japan — and a plate in the cabin bears the individual build number.Where many of its rivals get a turbo boost, the Type-R carries a punchy little naturally aspirated V-Tec engine — a high-revving 2.0-litre four cylinder that develops 148kW of power at 7800rpm and 193Nm of torque at 5600rpm.This is claimed to get it to 100km/h in 6.6 seconds and to a top speed of 235km/h.Where it definitely will get you — if you're not careful to keep it leashed — is explaining yourself to a very nice person in a rather fetching blue uniform.The little monster just demands to leap forward and attack the bitumen from the minute you raise the garage door.Luckily, you need to have the tacho sitting well over 4000rpm to really get the hottest action, but the engine happily revs all the way up to 8000rpm, and inadvertently illegal speeds (honestly, officer, we had no idea) are a risk even in first gear.A slick six-speed close-ratio manual gearbox — with a wonderfully satisfying precision in the shift movement — drives the front set of 18" alloy wheels.With responsive steering and sharp handling, the car almost demands that you tests its limits, and the switchable stability control system doesn't intervene until you've really started testing your own.Low-profile tyres made for a lot of roar on our northern roads, but otherwise the car was reasonably quiet.Any prospective buyer will already expecting the McPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension to be quite hard, and this set-up is a large part of the Type-R's agility through corners, but is tiring on long trips.While the car is an exhilarating drive out on the highway or back roads, around town all the factors behind that enjoyment make it temperamental and tetchy in traffic.But that shouldn't stop the fans. The Type-R has been a sell-out success in Europe, which has limited supply. Australia will get only 100 Type-Rs a month, and there's a waiting list.

Essentially the i30 is a five-door version of the Elantra, the stylish hatch is the key to Hyundai Australia realising a 2007 sales target of 50,000 new cars.It is priced from a particularly sharp $18,990. However, almost before it is in showrooms the company is conceding that supply is an issue.“We have worked very hard to get this car and have succeeded to the extent that we are the only market in the world outside Western Europe and Korea to have it available,” Hyundai Australia's chief executive Steve Yeo says. “However, we are only going to be able to get about 2500 cars before the end of the year.”Yeo says the supply constraints will not be solved in the short term as production capacity at the Korean plant is already running at the limit.“There is a new plant being built in the Czech Republic that will increase production but it will not be operating until about 2009 ... until then we will have to make do,” Yeo says.The i30; the first of a new international nomenclature for the Hyundai brand was styled at Hyundai's European design and technical centre in Russelsheim, Germany, and benchmarked against the best of the Euro small hatches, including Ford Focus and VW Golf.In Australia the expectation is that the i30 will also attract interest from buyers shopping the leading Japanese small hatches in Toyota Corolla and Mazda3. The car has been 'localised' for Australia with bespoke damper settings, spring rates and steering tune following severe criticism of the original Elantra.“We took serious notice of the comments on the Elantra and this time have spent a lot of time and effort testing in Australian conditions and adjusting the tuning... especially for the local market,” Yeo says.The i30 will be available in three trim levels, with both a 2.0-litre petrol (105kW and 186Nm) and 1.6-litre common rail diesel (85kW and 255Nm) available from launch. A five-speed manual or four-speed automatic is offered on the petrol engine; while the diesel comes with a five-speed manual and will add the automatic option around December.Pricing starts with the SX petrol manual starting at $18,990 with a $2000 premium for the automatic.The base diesel model is $21,490. The mid-range SLX manual is $23,490 in petrol and $25,990 for the diesel, while the range-topping SR comes in petrol only at $26,490 for the manual.Equipment levels in the cars are generally high with standard fare in the SX including ABS, dual front airbags, anti-whiplash front headrests, power windows and heated exterior mirrors, remote central locking, reach and rake adjustable steering wheel.There is also a height adjustable driver's seat, air conditioning with pollen filter, integrated iPod and USB connections, four-speaker stereo and 15-inch steel wheels. Neither the base nor the mid-range models offer standard stability control but it is available as part of a Protectz pack at $1790 for the SX (ESP, side and curtain airbags) or $990 for the SLX, which already has the extra airbags.The SLX also gains over the SX in standard 16-inch alloys with wider 205/55 rubber, fog lamps, steering wheel mounted audio and cruise controls (on petrol models only), automatic climate control, trip computer, two additional speakers, leather-trimmed wheel and gear lever.The top of the range petrol-only SR offers ESP and traction control as standard, 17-inch bright finished alloys with 225/45 rubber, body kit of side skirts and rear spoiler, premium radio with in-dash six-stacker CD and leather-trimmed seat bolsters.Cabin materials are of a good standard and styling is excellent.And the i30 utilises the Euro-hatch formula of long wheelbase, wide wheel stance and short, high rear overhang, maximising interior depth.

There are plenty out there who like their performance cars to live on the edge; screwed-down suspension that will rattle your teeth and power delivery that is raw and nasty.They were the characteristics that won the original WRX, following more than a decade ago when it burst on the affordable performance scene.Now the WRX has become, in its own way, refined.The exterior is certainly more mainstream with softer lines which mimic small-car competitors.Inside the cabin, however, is where the philosophy really shifts gear.Gone is the “workbench” look of the previous models. Where once flat surfaces dominated; there are curves and softness. Just the ticket for a car that is actively courting female white-collar shoppers. The styling is designer chic.Is all this at the expense of performance?In a word, no.In fact, the new WRX is more useable, more stable and considerably quicker point-to-point than the outgoing model. Overall the car is a little bigger, the suspension a little more compliant and the output from the 2.5-litre turbocharged flat four stays the same at 169kW.The additional advantage of a marginal increase in torque; some 5 per cent; pales beside the huge benefits of that torque arriving earlier and sticking around longer.The wider, earlier torque band equates to a claimed 0.1sec improvement in the 0-100km/h sprint; now a claimed 5.8sec. In real world terms the benefit is that the WRX still has the ability to jump when called on but with less need to frantically shuffle the five-speed box.The gains from the engineering changes can be felt from the driver's seat.Ride quality improvement is immediately evident as is improvement in noise, vibration and harshness levels.A redesigned double wishbone rear-end and slightly (5mm) lower centre of gravity; gives the car better mid-corner stability and grip.Subaru Australia technical services manager Derk Ashby; said the new dynamic chassis control concept provides for a highly rigid platform on which to base a more compliant and flexible suspension package.“This intelligent suspension control system provides for even higher levels of grip, steering response and vehicle stability ... at the same time (delivering) vastly improved levels of ride comfort with much lower levels of shake, bounce and impact harshness,” Ashby said.There is slightly improved fuel consumption from the WRX; some 2 per cent but more from the 2-litre models, up to half a litre per 100km.See this car at the Australian International Motor Show    

While there are many small cars available on the market, it's often hard to find one that boasts a sporty performance and produces enough power to get you excited, without costing you an arm and a leg at the dealers and the pump.But the Golf GT does just that.On paper a 1.4-litre engine doesn't appear very impressive at all. You'd be forgiven for thinking someone has the performance figures wrong.But it's what's added to that engine that makes it, because when the choice between a turbocharger and supercharger came up, Volkswagen didn't choose. Instead, it decided to use both. And that means turbo lag has been thrown out the window. Volkswagen has come up with a solution for that initial delay, introducing a mechanically driven supercharger into the equation.There's plenty of torque available right from the word go.The maximum torque of 240Nm is available from as low as 1750rpm, right up to 4500rpm.But even lower down the tacho, there's still plenty available, with 200Nm delivered from 1250rpm through to 6000rpm. The power is also impressive for a small car, with an output of 125kW. In comparison, its 2.0-litre Golf sibling produces a lower 200Nm and 110kW of power and the even more impressive GTI delivers 147kW and 280Nm.So the GT perches itself nicely in a range that offers 24 variants, with eight different engine choices.Volkswagen claims this is the world's first direct-injection twin-charged engine for high-volume production use. And the marriage of the two is a match made in heaven.The supercharger starts working very quickly and then hands over to the turbocharger once you reach mid to higher revs. But the transition is seamless, with no indication of the swap from the driver's seat.The supercharger retires at about 3500rpm at the most, allowing the turbo to show what it can do.But when the speed drops and more power is needed, the supercharger fires back up again. Power delivery remains constant and smooth as you work your way all the way up to 7000rpm. From behind the wheel the engine feels much bigger than a measly 1.4-litre capacity, and it also sounds much better.For one thing, you don't get that feeling of “Please Sir, I want more”.Because there's no wishing for an extra boost from the engine, as you do on a 20-minute run when you know you have more in you, but you can't seem to power those legs fast enough to extract that extra performance. That experience is nowhere to be found with the GT, which could perhaps be short for “good times,” “going tough” or “golden trooper”.The pocket rocket leaves you satisfied. It's like a buffet where you can eat as much as you want.For a reasonable $34,990, you can feel content you have your money's worth. There aren't many competitors who can offer a package like the GT. It's no slow-coach when it comes to accelerating, doing zero to 100km/h in just 7.9 seconds, quite impressive for such a small four-cylinder motor.We tested the six-speed manual model, the transmission giving an even delivery of power, with smooth shifting. The DSG automatic adds $2500 to the price.During tests, the GT returned a fuel consumption as low as 6.5-litres per 100km on highways, and sat at around 7.8-litres during busy city driving. And the Golf GT's handling and driving dynamics don't let you down either, whether you're out on a highway, cruising around town or throwing it around some bendy roads. The suspension has been lowered by 15mm, adding to its sporty nature and the over-all pleasant ride.Our model had some optioned features including a sunroof worth about $1900, a little steep perhaps but it does add a lot more character, and a $500 metallic paint job.The interior has the typical Volkswagen class and is both a comfortable and good-quality setting. There is a good list of safety equipment, although extra enjoyment-type features would have been nice.It comes standard with dual zone climate control, six airbags, decent storage spaces, a CD-player, ABS with Electronic Stability Program and traction control and a boost pressure display, letting you know when the twinchargers are at work. And while it was a fun car to drive, one criticism arose during the week.While the driving was impressively sporty, it just didn't stand out enough from the regular Golf models.It could have done with a standard sunroof perhaps, and more bling. Aside from the GT badges, there was nothing that screamed out “Look at me, I'm special.”But Volkswagen practically read my mind this week, announcing the Golf GT is being replaced by the Golf GT Sport, featuring the same 1.4-litre engine, as well as adding the option of a 2.0-litre diesel to the mix, which starts at $37,490. And as you can expect with the word Sport, there's more glamour to the package.The GT has not only been hit with the Sport label, it has also been given the athletic makeover in appearance.It now gets features from its big older brother, the GTI, with a distinctive bumper and radiator grille design, sports seats, a sports steering wheel, twin tailpipes, exclusive 17-inch alloys and sports suspension all as standard.It also now wears a GT Sport badge. Perhaps the theory “Ask and you will receive” might be true after all.So now it's not just what's underneath the bonnet that counts, there's that added pizzazz to its look as well, which lets everybody know just how cool it really is. Snapshot Volkswagen Golf GTPrice: $34,990Engine: 1.4L/4-cylinder twin charger, 125kW/240NmEconomy: 7.7L/100kmTransmission: 6-speed manualThe RivalsMazda3 SP23 hatchPrice: $32,600Engine: 2.4L/4-cyl, 115kW/203NmEconomy: 8.6L/100kmTransmission: 6-speed manual   Volvo C30 LE  Price: $38,450Engine: 2.4L/5-cyl, 125kW/230NmEconomy: 8.4L/100kmTransmission: 5-speed manual   BMW 120i  Price: $43,300Engine: 2L/4-cylinder, 115kW/200NmEconomy: 7.9L/100kmTransmission: 6-speed manual  See this car at the Australian International Motor Show   

If 'fully sick' is your preferred state of being, Subaru's new Impreza range isn't quite so virulent as the one it replaces. While no-one free of visual or emotional disorders could have found the previous generation aesthetically pleasing, it was certainly striking, if only because of the series of unfortunate facelifts.It was though Subaru's styling department; an enigmatic bunch at best was being directed by an especially avid plastic surgeon.Next to these apparitions the new Impreza is a more or less generic hatch (the door windows now have frames, for heaven's sake), a 'bitser' with elements of what seems to be half-a-dozen different designs.Which is apt, really, given that the Impreza has to compete against at least that many models.More tangibly, once you get past the appearance and the drive that at outset seems almost decadent, you'll find a car that's better in almost every respect than the one it supplants.And of the four Impreza versions, that applies to none more than the very base model, the 2.0 R.Indeed, at $24,490 for the entry-level five speed manual ($2K more for the four-speed-auto) it's a class-leading package.Bigger yet lighter at 1340kg, like all new Imprezas it's five-star rated for occupant protection in ANCAP crash testing and likewise wins the maximum pedestrian rating.Unlike the class defining Toyota Corolla and Mazda3, the Impreza has Vehicle Dynamics Control (Soob's Electronic Stability program) as standard to supplement the marque's trademark constant all-wheel-drive.Even as the professed stripper version, the steel-wheeled R is bountifully equipped. Apparently, I've not been the only one to call Subaru wondering if this was indeed the base model.As to safety, it sets new standards in this class. Measures include ABS with four-wheel discs (ventilated front, solid rear), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Brake Assist and VDC. Passive devices run to six airbags with double seatbelt pretensioners on the driver's seat, hill start assist and shock absorbing brake and clutch pedals.If the cabin is hardly redolent of luxury and the driving position some way from ideal, there are creature comforts enough, including MP3/WMA compatible stereo and adequate storage.If you want alloys and more stuff, the RX model adds a few bits of leather, six-stack CD with 10 speakers, and front fog lights from $26,490.If you want more stuff still, another two grand on top of that gets you into the RS with its sports seat and body kit, 17s and mesh grille. From there it's an $11k leap to the hero WRX.All three lesser models share the atmo 2.0 DOHC horizontally-opposed four potter, good for 110kW at 6400rpm and 196Nm at 3200rpm, so more dough doesn't mean more go.While progress is respectable rather than rapid with not a lot happening under 3000 revs, it is pretty much class competitive and leagues of magnitude better than the wheezy single cam item of yore. It even sounds pleasantly raspy.“Pleasant” indeed is the most just for the R car.While affording the AWD grip and assurance you'd expect from even a base model wearing an Impreza badge, the suspension is tuned in a way to absorb potholes rather than batter through them.Ride quality is a highlight, though there's just enough spice in the mix to make for a fun drive as long as the fairly close ratio five-speed gearbox is rowed with some vigour.But that rules out approximating Soob's claimed 8.9-litre per 100km combined fuel consumption figure. Just shy of 500km of city and extra urban driving netted us 9.8.The Impreza prefers 95 RON in its 60-litre tank.That's why five gears, as opposed to a more contemporary six, is one too short. At the state's legal maximum speed, the R is buzzing fairly frenetically at upwards of 3000rpm in top gear.Of course, the comparably priced Toyota and Mazda also run a cog short of contemporary, but the R is a better bet than both and not just in terms of safety, in which respect daylight separates them from the Soob.There's more to even the base Impreza model than this (vital) aspect,though.The new gen is a more practical people and load carrier than the old model and a friendlier daily drive. But it doesn't forsake the virtues that have made Subaru a greater success per capita than any other major market.If it's far from sick, the R feels at least a bit off colour.

Imagine being asked to run just as fast on a third less lung capacity.That's the test VW gave its Golf GT designers, and they came up trumps.The GT is a hot favourite for Car of the Year, which is powered by a 1.4-litre engine that uses a supercharger and a turbocharger to produce the power of a larger engine but without the fuel penalty.VW calls the twin-charger a TSI, a world first combination of turbo charging, supercharging and direct petrol injection.Driving the GT is like having your cake and eating it too, adding fun and frugality to daily motoring. It has the low-down punch of a turbo diesel yet the free-revving nature of a petrol engine.The engine-driven Eaton supercharger packs a wallop from rest and hands over to the exhaust-driven turbocharger as engine speed rises.There is no throttle lag, almost no whine from the supercharger and just a slight “woof” from the exhaust on full throttle upshifts when fitted with the optional direct-shift gearbox.Output is 125kW at 6000rpm and 240Nm of torque at 1750-4500rpm, comparable to a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre engine.Acceleration from rest to 100km/h is a claimed 7.9 seconds in the manual and 7.7 seconds in automatic.Fuel use is a claimed 7.7 litres/100km, or about 20 per cent less than a 2.3-litre engine with comparable performance.There are two versions, the six-speed manual at $34,990 and the six-speed DSG at $37,290, both five door and both about $2000 more than the Sportline FSI and $5000 less than the top-selling Golf, the GTI.The DSG or a direct-shift automatic gearbox takes just 0.2 seconds.By the time it takes to blink, the highly entertaining GT with DSG has left one of its six gear ratios behind and gone on to the next.And there is just a trace of exhaust “whoomf” under hard acceleration as the engine releases its exhaust pressure. On enthusiastic downshifts, DSG automatically blips the throttle, providing yet another sensory treat.The DSG is a perfect match for the GTI's gutsy 2.0-litre turbo engine, making decisions in both timing and speed of gear shifts that no human can match. It is also quicker than the manual GTI, sprinting to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds or 0.3 seconds quicker than the six-speed manual.And it uses less fuel than the manual, an official 8 litres/100km, compared with 8.1 litres/100km in the manual.The purists will be inclined to pick the manual version, but not just because it is $2300 cheaper. Slick and precise, the manual shift is a delight to use and gives plenty of scope to explore the engine's wide rev range and its throaty growl. But after a day or two in the DSG, few would go back.Technically speaking, the DSG is a manual transmission that behaves like an automatic with two clutch plates that overlap. The gearbox has the ability to hold two gears in mesh at the same time. As one clutch disengages the other engages, resulting in smooth and quick changes.The sequential shift gate has a sport mode to alter the shift pattern and there are shift paddles on the steering wheel, which overrides the automatic mode. The only oddity is a brief pause as the clutch engages when selecting drive or reverse and in stop-start traffic.Breath on the throttle and it's off, delivering strong and willing punch over a wide rev range.The front-drive chassis is beautifully balanced, the steering pin sharp and the brakes tireless. The GT runs the same suspension as the GTI, which delivers exceptional traction and grip and a firm, compliant ride.Equipment includes eight airbags, stability control, 17-inch alloy wheels, eight-speaker single CD audio with steering wheel buttons, sports seats, power windows and heated mirrors.Tell-tale signs are minimal over the GTI. They include GT badges, black inserts in the lower grille, body-colour trim on the grille and duel exhaust pipes.  

The days of the hot-rod WRX are over. The turbo tearaway has been tamed as part of a complete model change for the Subaru Impreza that emphasises refinement, value and safety.The new Impreza is still fun, and the WRX can still hustle, but this is a more grown-up, compact car than anything Subaru has produced.It reflects new thinking, a new customer target and a confidence that has been built on the Euro-Japanese approach to car design and development. It has already worked with the Liberty.You only have to shut the doors for the first time to hear the change from tin-can carmaking to something much more substantial.The Impreza is not cheap it's $24,490 to $39,990, but it has a far better chance of luring people and keeping them.And there is great news for fans of all-wheel-drive performance; the coming Impreza STi will be wild and fast. The styling will be a direct steal from Subaru's coming World Rally Car, right down to the flared guards and large wings. The engine and gearbox will be more responsive.The upscale STi is one of the reasons for the stealthy new WRX, but it also reflects a change in Impreza thinking.The car moves up and away, leaving the regular Impreza models, including the WRX, to get down to business.“It's an exciting opportunity for us. It's a vehicle that ticks all the boxes,” Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior says. “We believe we can redefine and reshape the small-car class in Australia.”That's unlikely. Subaru will be selling about 1000 Imprezas a month; Toyota is selling more than 4000 with its latest Corolla.But Subaru is touting five-star safety, improved economy, reduced weight and better value for the Impreza. And it is aiming at the class leaders, including the Corolla, Mazda3 and Honda Civic.“We believe, for the first time, we can go head to head on any details,” Senior says.The Impreza will be sold only as a hatch, at least for a year, as Subaru emphasises a single body style.The styling has all sorts of hints but is closest to the BMW 1-Series, particularly from the side.But some things, such as the 2-litre flat-four engine, are Subaru. It is now revised with more technology, 20 per cent more power and 7 per cent more torque — and the all-wheel-drive system in every car.The model lineup is R, RX, RS and WRX. Changes run to a body that is shorter, taller and wider, but a substantially bigger cabin.There are framed doors for the first time on an Impreza, double-wishbone rear suspension, upgraded seats and trim, better cabin insulation and isolation, and a height-reach adjustable steering column.Subaru gets a five-star ANCAP rating for standard electronic stability program, anti-skid brakes and six airbags. It also rates highly for pedestrian protection.The Impreza is also lighter, at a time when most all-new cars are heavier. The company claims better fuel efficiency for all models.But there are shortcomings; a four-speed auto, a shift back to a five-speed manual in the WRX, the missing Impreza sedan, and the lack of a local on-sale date for the coming diesel engine.Still, Subaru is even touting the new Impreza as a rival to the VW Golf, as well as a safety-first car that is a better deal than the cars that won Volvo its safety-first following. On the roadThe new Impreza is impressive to drive. It feels more solid and substantial than the previous model. The engine is smoother and more responsive. And the car has more space and is more refined.The WRX is not as punchy or memorable, but that should make the STi special.Subaru Australia wants to net older businessmen with the new WRX. They will not miss the whistling and boofing from the turbo system or the trousers-down body bits.Subaru previewed the new Impreza models over testing roads near Byron Bay. They would have had the previous model bucking and banging and rattling and crashing even at touring speeds.The new cars, from the R through to the WRX, are more composed and quieter. They are significantly nicer to drive and nowhere near as tiring or demanding.The seats still do not have enough shape or support. The auto needs an extra gear. The centre console looks cheap and under-done. And you cannot pick the WRX from the rear until you get close enough to read the badge.A rear luggage cover on one of the test cars was ripped, a quality flaw that was reported to Japan for an investigation and fix.But the positives are extensive, starting with the solid feel of the doors, the extra cabin and boot space, and a dash that is more elegant and looks less like a sub-$20,000 cheapie.It is a common theme. The Impreza has been upscaled in every area to run with the Corolla, Mazda3 and Civic crowd, and you can see, hear and feel the differences.The ride is smoother. It has more travel and better control. The cornering grip is good. There is more response as you turn into corners.The brakes are fine and there is no reason to doubt Subaru's claims on the safety front.The updated engines feel a little smoother with more urge, and the WRX gets along nicely with more boost and response from lower revs.The new Impreza is a landmark car in most areas.And the WRX is far less boy-racer and more likely to bring a high-profit sales boost from older buyers who may be jumping out of a fast Ford or Holden.

Small vehicles are bulging out to the mid-size boundary, while mid-size is threatening to spill into the large class. And increased safety features are generally adding more poundage.

It lurks on the roof of the new Mini Cooper S and if it wasn’t designed by a woman, or perhaps a committee of women, I’ll eat a beach towel.Amazingly, I very nearly missed out on finding this simpering switch altogether.I had merely made a mental note to moan endlessly about the fact that the interior lighting was far too bright, and an annoying shade of blue to boot.But then I went on a stupidly long drive to the snow from Sydney, entirely in the dark. By the time I got to Goulburn I was so annoyed at being bathed in the sort of light you normally only find in tanning salons that I decided there had to be adjustment available to me.After playing with all the available – and beautifully funky feeling – toggles and buttons I found the right one, flicked it and nearly crashed the car.Far from dimming this blithering blue light, the switch merely changed it to a pinky hue I can only describe as “dawn at the beach”.Intrigued, yet revolted, I kept flicking and found that the car’s mood lighting can be changed to vermillion, purple, a Midori green, a yellow-and-brown Austin Powers kind of motif and, thankfully, orange.I say thankfully because at least the orange choice blends in with the rest of the dash lighting, although the combined effect is so bright you feel like you’re driving around in a ’70s kitchen.Of course a little bit of kitsch is to be expected when an idea like the Mini is recooked, as this one was recently, gaining a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine and exterior tweaks so subtle that they’re like the effect of ageing on Elle McPherson’s body.You know they must be there, but they’re not really noticeable, and the overall effect is still so darn pretty.The shame about this shameful mood-lighting switch (surely it would make more sense in a 7 Series, where you can stretch out a bit) is that it taints what is otherwise an excellent, and much-improved, interior.The last Cooper S had a grey plastic finish that looked like it had been set upon by a whole childcare centre full of greasy fingered little fiends. It was supposed to look like brushed aluminium, I think, but it just looked liked rushed ab-libbing by the designers.Our test vehicle was all red leather and funky fake-wood plastic, but it all felt pleasant and of BMW build quality.And the dash just might be the coolest in the whole car world.The centrally mounted speedo has an indicator arrow whizzing around the outside, like one of those old-style weighing scales you used to find outside chemists, leaving space in the middle for a groovy little screen.This screen displays functions that can be selected with a very simple but still slightly iDrive- like controller, or the satellite navigation map.On the steering binnacle in front of you is a rev counter which can, if you like, also display a digital readout of your speed.When the Mini was first launched here, they couldn’t get away with that arrangement, due to ADRs, and we were the only country in the world with the speedo stuck to the steering wheel, but this time they’ve got around it.Looking at your speed on the massive central dial is totally impractical and no one likes having that information displayed where your passenger can see it so clearly anyway, but you put up with it because, as I say, the dash just looks so cool (even in vermillion-bathed light).While the old Cooper S was supercharged, and had a wondrous whine to go with that, the new engine – shared with the PSA Peugeot-Citroen group – is an award-winning turbo unit and offers more lowdown punch and usable torque than before.You get 128kW of power at a joyous 5500rpm and 240Nm of torque from 1600rpm to 5000rpm, which blips up to 260Nm via an overboost function when you really boot it.The result is a lot more fun than 128 kilowatts should be, and a 0 to 100km/h time of 7.1 seconds.The turbo doesn’t sound as good as the engine it replaces, but the performance more than makes up for that.Not many people can engineer fun into a car as cleverly as BMW/Mini and, much like its parent company’s cars, the best thing about the new Cooper is the steering.It really is go-kart like in that it needs so little lock wound on and it responds so pointedly.The great thing about the Mini is that it can make even the boredom of the urban commute fun – the bends on and off the Anzac Bridge every day were a particular joy.The ride isn’t too bad, for a car with such a short wheelbase, until you hit an expansion joint and it feels like you’ve run over a sequoia trunk. Not only do your teeth rattle, your ribs do.In short, and sweet, form, there’s a lot to love about the new Mini Cooper S, even with its stupid interior lighting system.It is, of course, entirely impractical if you’re ever going to carry more than one friend. And it is, undeniably, very expensive for a small car – prices start at $39,900 in standard trim and rise to very nearly $50k.But it’s not meant to be a practical car, it’s mean to be a fun one and on that basis it’s worth every cent.

Rear legroom also continues to be generous for this size sedan and there are three child restraint anchor points in the backSuzuki has halved its drivetrain and added a boot to give its SX4 small car a sales lift.The SX4 all-wheel-drive hatch was launched here in January as a small car with youthful and aggressive attitude.Now Suzuki is looking to broaden its appeal with the addition of a sedan and a substantial drop in price to a sub-$20,000 starting price.The AWD SX4, which attracted only 5 per cent import duty because of its clearance and all-wheel drive, costs $24,390 for the manual and $2000 more for the auto.Now, despite attracting import duty of 10 per cent, Suzuki has saved enough on the less complicated drivetrain to offer the five-speed manual SX4 hatch and sedan for the same price of $19,990 in GLX base trim.The better-equipped S trim level adds $3000 and the four-speed auto is an extra $2000. There is no price premium for the sedan right across the range.Suzuki Auto Co general manager Keith Carroll said the SX4 had been a success, representing about 10 per cent of sales, but the addition of two-wheel drive and a sedan option would further increase its share.“We would expect that SX4 will be about 12-14 per cent of our total sales this year,” he said.“It will add to the younger end of the market because of the price, but with the boot we have a car that will appeal to either end of the age range.”With lower clearance than the AWD SX4, the tidy small car looks neater and less gawky. While the AWD SX4 sits 200mm off the ground, the hatch is 175mm and the sedan lower still at 165mm.However, older drivers attracted to the higher hip entry point of the AWD SX4 will still find the hatch and sedan easy to access because of their generous roof height.The sedan variant has a massive boot for this class of car with little intrusion from the torsion beam rear suspension, a flat and serviceable cargo floor, wide and low access, but a temporary spare under the floor.Rear legroom also continues to be generous for this size sedan and there are three child restraint anchor points in the back.Carroll predicts they will sell about 840 SX4s in Queensland this year with 640 of those being hatches.Standard features are airconditioning, electronic power steering, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, eight speaker sound system with MP3 capability, electric windows, power door locks, and remote key entry and locking.On the safety side they get dual front airbags, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake force distribution, emergency brake pedal assistance and a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating that includes pedestrian safety.The S adds leather-wrapped steering wheel, cruise control, 16-inch alloy wheels, smart key entry, fog lights and side curtain airbags that go back to the rear seat.While the Suzuki's top-selling Swift Sport now gets electronic stability program (ESP) thrown in for no extra cost, the SX4 goes without this vital safety feature.Carroll said if ESP became available on the vehicle, it would be offered.“I would be hopeful that if we get it, it would be at a similar price,” he said.The chassis and suspension were re-tuned for the front-wheel-drive version, but the engine remains the same with peak power of 107kW at 5800rpm and maximum torque of 184Nm at 3500rpm.Suzuki service manager Mike Turner described the powerplant as 'bulletproof.'“Amazing but true. In Australia, we have never had a mechanical failure of this engine assembly,” he said.“This engine, with very few changes and the addition of a turbo charger, will power Suzuki's SX4 World Rally Car, due to make its debut later on this year.”Queensland's Suzuki importer, Suzuki Auto Co, this year expects to sell four times the number of vehicles it did three years ago.Their sales to the end of July were 5026, compared with 3970 for the same period last year.“That means we now are tracking more than 1000 vehicles ahead of last year,” Carroll said.Internationally, Suzuki would increase its 'fire power' by building new plants, he said.“There are new plants underway in Hamamatsu and even Russia where a plant is being built in St Petersburg.“The Russian plant is scheduled to come on stream in late 2009... They will boost our ammunition significantly and allow us to sell more than 3 million cars a year in 2010 . . . which will give us five per cent of the world market.”