Hatchback Reviews

So where does that leave the BMW 120d? It's the newest of the BMW breed and the first four-cylinder diesel the German company has brought to Australia.It slides in at the bottom of the range, but still traces its diesel links to the impressive X5.It is part of a major diesel drive by BMW, which has become a hero to diesel fans in Europe with a series of models that are more than just economy specials.BMW has proven that diesel can also mean performance, installing engines in 3-Series coupes which some people choose ahead of its M cars. Truly.The 120d also has a performance focus. The latest turbo-diesel makes 115kW and tips in a huge 330Nm of torque from as little as 2000 revs.And it is powered through a six-speed automatic with one of the best touch-change manual systems in the business.And yet . . . the 120d is a noisy car, can be harsh on the road and its fuel efficiency is ordinary. BMW will say that anything below7.0 litres/100km is impressive, and that is good when you have just stepped from a Ford Territory Turbo that uses 14 litres/100km.But we have recently driven the Audi and Citroen and watched their fuel-consumption readouts hover below 5 litres. So the 120d is good enough, but not good enough to ring our bell in 2006.The newcomer takes the number of 1-Series cars in Australia to five, from the basic 116 through to the sporty 130, though there are all sorts of stories -- not confirmed by BMW -- for model stretches, including a coupe and perhaps even an M car in the range.It also stretches the diesel drive begun by the 530d, X3 and X5 3.0-litre diesels. Later this month BMW will also bring its 320d sedan, with the same 115kW engine, to Australia.We have driven the 3-Series diesel in Britain and, though it is not as quiet as some of its rivals, it was more convincing as a luxury powerplant in the slightly larger car.BMW has done an impressive job on the engine, even using a system that fires the glow plugs -- which pre-heat for starting -- as soon as the driver's door is opened. It has a common-rail fuel system and a variable-vane turbocharger.It says the push for diesel works well for a sporty driver because there is so much torque, a balanced delivery with no gaps in the power, and its engines -- without admitting that diesels are heavier -- sit inline in the body and behind the front axle line.The performance package is a 0-100km/h sprint in 8.5 seconds, a top speed of 215km/h, and highway fuel economy as good as 5.5 litres/100km.The 120d package for Australia includes a long list of safety and luxury equipment, from dynamic stability control and anti-skid brakes with cornering brake control to remote central locking, sports leather seats, trip computer, CD sound and 17-inch alloy wheels.The price of the 120d is getting fairly meaty for a baby diesel, and must be seen against the new Holden Astra turbo-diesel from Europe at $29,990 and $31,490 for the automatic. But it sits well in the 1-Series lineup. The cheapest of the BMW babies is still $34,900 for the 116i and the top-line 130i Sport is $65,500.We've always liked the 1-Series, and there are some very good things about the diesel. It is surprisingly swift, very enjoyable to drive as a manual and has the sportiest feel of any diesel we've tested in Australia.Most of the time we were thinking of it more as a sporty hatch than an all-out economy car.And, if GM Holden is right, that will make it a winner Down Under. It did a lot of research on diesel buyers before bringing the Astra turbodiesel here and found that potential owners were surprisingly young and trendy.They are people who want to fly some green colours and like the idea of big breaks between refuelling, but also want a vehicle that is enjoyable to drive.So the 120d should tick the Astra boxes as well as put a BMW twist on the deal with a sporty feel that is way beyond that of the Holden, Citroen C4 and light-and-easy Audi A4.It's this sporty feel, as well as the luxury gear, that moves the 120d out on its own. We noticed no extra weight in the nose and the car turns and grips as well as any 1-Series does.The engine has good punch at almost any speed, is excellent as an overtaker and can be pushed along with the manual shift in the auto box. We drove it as a pure manual for much of our test and really enjoyed the deep well of torque that is available from very low revs.It is easy to punch out of a slow corner as fast as a sports car without having to rev to the redline, and the engine also runs well as a pure auto.We also enjoyed the support and comfort of the sports front buckets, the punch of the CD sound and everything from the trip computer to cruise control.Now we come to the buts, and there are a few big ones. For a start, the engine is noisy — both at idle and at cruise.We didn't like it, lots of people noticed it, and it makes life with the 120d less enjoyable than it could be. It is much noisier than the C4, the A4 or even the new Astra, and is well shaded by the Golf turbodiesel, which is another of our favourites.We also found the car was harsher than we expected. That is partly down to the vibes from the engine, but also a result of the hard-ride, run-flat tyres fitted to the car. We did not like the run-flats on the 3-Series and, under the sports tuning of the d-car, they contribute to a more hardline feel than we would have liked.The 120d managed 6.4 litres/100km during our test, but it could — some will say should — be better. The Audi ran at 5.8 for much of its time in our hands and that is a heavier car.Still, BMW has made a smart move to bring the diesel in the 1-Series and taking a performance approach is likely to convert customers who, in the past, would never have put a diesel on their shopping lists.The new baby diesel in the BMW family is surprisingly sporty, but also surprisingly harsh and flawed.

It was easy to drop the electric top and soak up the warmth in a vehicle that is likely to sell to a small but very happy group of Australians.Chrysler Group Australia aims to move only 200-250 Cabrios, but believes they will boost PT Cruiser sales to about 1200 cars a year and rattle some rivals, including the Volkswagen Beetle and Mini convertibles.The PT is more than just a Cruiser with a roof job. The car has been taken from a five-door hatch and converted into a two-door with a boot below the foldaway roof.The top is a triple-layer electric job with a one-button operation that can be flipped or folded at walking pace if you get caught in a surprise shower.It is priced from $35,890 as a five-speed manual, up from the $29,990 basic PT Cruiser but well in the ballpark against the Beetle Cabrio at $36,990 and with something special on the design front.How is it different? The styling is very different," Chrysler group managing director Gerry Jenkins says."It's a vehicle that stands by itself, and the odd thing is that the people who buy them don't want anything else. That's the same for all the PT Cruiser models."He admits the timing could have been better."It's available to us now, and it's not a bad time, because it gets people thinking ahead to summer," he says.The Cruiser Cabrio is a four-seat car that has been strengthened in almost 40 places for its convertible work, including a sport bar behind the front seats.The roofline is 62mm lower than the sedan's and there is a new windscreen frame, and heated seats in the Limited model.The engine is the PT's regular 2.4-litre four with 105kW and either a five-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed auto with touch-change manual mode.Jenkins believes the PT Cabrio will do well and continue the growth of the Chrysler brand, which is being headlined by the 300C and will soon include the Dodge Caliber compact."The PT is our Steady Eddie. We sell about 1000 a year. It just keeps on going."I think this will give it a little bit of a lift. There are people who already have a PT who will step up to this one."PT owners are very animated, and like to be outside the norm," Jenkins says."As for the 300, we're still running short of stock. And we're launching the Touring model and we're doing the diesel engine at the same time. We have a waiting list on the SRT8 through to September."ON THE ROADThe Cruiser Cabrio is a distinctive newcomer, that's for sure. The PT has always been very different and the drop-top is more of the same.It's not the best-looking car with the top up, with a rear end we think is a bit dumpy and a roofline that does not work as well as the original, but it looks trendy and new with the top folded away.The top is easy to work and works well, there is reasonable boot space, and there's room for two adults in the back.The PT has never been the quickest or sportiest car on the road, but the Cabrio gets along well enough with its 2.4-litre engine.The manual gearbox still feels slick and, even though it has only four gears, the auto is fun with the "Autostick" system for manual work.The conversion has weakened the car a little, but it still feels solid and substantial.It is not as wobbly as some other droptops we have driven, though it is not in the rock-solid class of the new Mazda MX-5.There is little wind noise or buffeting when the is top down, but several test cars had a rumble behind the windscreen when the top was up.And, as always, three-quarter and parking vision is compromised.So the Cruiser Cabrio is not a sports car or the best convertible in the world, but it was a great way to blow away the winter blues. The sun shone and we had a nice drive. Enough said.

Now the French firm has added a bigger, more powerful diesel to its 307.Joining the 1.6-litre diesel in the five-model 307 range is the direct-injection turbo, 16-valve 2-litre XSE HDi.Power is up 20kW to 100kW, but more important to the driveability and carrying capacity of the vehicle is the massive 80Nm increase in torque to 320Nm which is comparable with most large family sedans.At 9.8 seconds, it is two seconds faster to 100km/h than the 1600cc diesel.Despite the power and torque boost, fuel economy is not greatly affected. Around-town driving in the sedan increases fuel consumption from 6.1l/100km to 7.1 but highway driving is barely affected. The company claims just a .2l/100km increase.And for the greenies, Peugeot also claims its HDi diesel technology reduces CO2 emissions by 20 per cent compared with a conventional diesel.I recently had the Touring (wagon) model, which has ever-so-slightly higher fuel consumption figures.But compared with my last drive in a 307 diesel wagon, this is almost a race car.The engine has plenty of life, revving just a little higher than most other diesels.Off the starting line, there is a strong pull with a slight turbo surge around 2000-2500rpm.Yet neither the initial grunt nor the surge provoked more than a frail torque steer tug on the wheel, something other front-wheel-drive turbo-diesel manufacturers could learn from.Fuel economy is aided by a tall sixth gear in the six-speed manual-only model which purrs along at a gentle 1800rpm at 100km/h. (An auto arrives later this year.)You will, however, need to drop two gears if you want to overtake.At idle there is the familiar diesel clatter which only BMW has been able to effectively dampen in the 530d. It's not calamitous in the cabin, but it will turn heads as people walking by think your engine is about to explode.Once you feed it some revs, like all diesels, the noise disappears. The 307 is very quiet on the open road with minimal road, tyre or wind noise.The streamlining also provides a huge panoramic windscreen. The only problem with that is that it cramps the engine bay.Ride is on the plush side with a small amount of accompanying body roll, but little pitch and few unnerving cornering characteristics, although steering is a little soft and vague.French cars are typically built for comfort and long legs. They are ideal for touring and this is no exception.For a smallish car, the 307 Touring is quite big inside, especially the headroom, and could easily accommodate a family of five (or four adults) on long trips.There remains some typically French quirkiness about the vehicle.For example, the audio system is totally incomprehensible. There is nothing intuitive about it.I'm sure with the correct instructions it would become easier, but the manual wasn't in the test car, so attempts to change radio stations, etc met with frustration and static.The control and cruise control stalks are also fiddly with the up-volume control simply being faulty. The speedo shows 50, 70, 90 and 110km/h but not the major speed zones we have (60, 80, 100).The auto wipers were also a nuisance, coming on in broad daylight on a fine day. I couldn't find the rear wiper although I stumbled on it accidentally then couldn't find it again later.On the plus side, there is that panoramic windscreen, frugal economy, strong power, auto headlights, a chilled glovebox, auto up and down windows, a huge and flat-floored cargo area, and a full-size spare alloy wheel under the cargo floor, although it does live under the car and has to be laboriously wound down.At $33,990, the Pug wagon makes an attractive alternative for anyone economising from a mid-sized car or SUV who still wants cargo-hauling touring ability. The hatchback is $32,290.

Fiesta's latest addition is the Zetec model. Released in March, it is the top three-door model in the Fiesta family, and has been slapped with the sporty label.Fitted with new front and rear body-coloured bumpers, grille design, headlamps, which especially afford it a sporty look, rear tail lamps and tapered side body mouldings, it could be argued that the Fiesta has had the Beckham makeover of style and flare. But don't expect too much, just because of the sporty tag.It sits in the small car segment and the Zetec is priced at $18,490.The athletic qualities of the Zetec stretches to the sports suspension, the 16-inch alloy wheels and a revised manual transmission with a closer ratio gear set.Take a step inside and you'll find a cosy interior with modern and creative trim, available in three different designs for the Zetec model, although these interiors are a little on the plain side in comparison to those offered in the other Fiesta models.While the seats may feel a little firm at first, they do get comfortable after time, and the adjustable head-rests in the back look great. They are very practical to suit all, short and tall, although loftier people will suffer in the leg-room department in the back seats.The gadgets are easy to use and very straightforward, but the extra radio controls do not appear on the steering wheel like on most new cars. Instead they feature on a bulky lever behind the steering wheel, below the blinker, making it hard to reach. It's easier to use the main radio controls.The major annoyance of this car is the blinker, a minor thing perhaps, but it sounds like popcorn cooking and it can get pretty frustrating for anyone who gets irritated easily. Hence during my test drive, the radio was turned up and got a fairly good workout.Turning sharp corners produces some resistance on the wheel, with heavy steering required. There is a bit of pull when doing a U-turn or manoeuvring in tight car parks.In this generation of the Fiesta, airconditioning comes as standard and manual transmission versions are fitted with an input facility for an iPod or MP3 player.The Zetec is also available in three new colours, with the car tested here a Sea Grey, a little dull for my liking, but it did have a certain sense of style about it.The ability of the engine is not the most exciting available and behind the wheel it won't exactly give you that buzzing sensation you may experience in more expensive and powerful cars. However, for its class and price, it produces fairly competitive figures in the small car range.Its 74kW at 6000rpm is equal to or a little less than similar vehicles and on the torque front, it produces a slightly higher figure, with 146Nm at 4000rpm.The 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine trots along fairly confidently, with sufficient power in the lower gears and it travels comfortably when it hits the higher speeds.The Zetec is the middle child in the Fiesta range, with the three-door LX manual at $15,990 and big brother Ghia only available in five door, with the manual priced at $20,490.With a 6.8-litres/100km combined claimed fuel consumption, the Fiesta has a slightly higher fuel consumption than its small car competitors. The Honda Jazz VTi has uses a claimed 6.0-litres per 100km, the Toyota Yaris burns 6.1-litres per 100km and the Hyundai Getz uses 6.2-litres over this distance.I couldn't notice much difference in the handling and style between of the LX model and the sportier Zetec. This suggests the cheaper LX model is worth consideration, especially if you want to save $2500.Overall, the Fiesta seems to have most qualities people want in a small car.

The 156 has done Alfa a fine service over seven years and now it's time for the 159 to drum up more volume in a segment traditionally dominated by perennial favourite, the BMW 3-series.

Hyundai's small-medium Accent is what's known in the trade as an honest car. It’s not particularly stylish and doesn’t have a lot of character, but has all the things that sensible people want in a car. Meaning it’s reliable, well built and performs day in and day out without any fuss or bother. The Accent is a

Until late last year, the German brand offered diesel models only in its all-wheel-drive wagons, the X3 and the X5.It now offers a diesel in the 1-Series and 5-Series and plans to introduce a diesel 3-Series this month.The new 120d is not cheap. At $47,800 it is the second most expensive model in the range behind the potent 130i.Even so, BMW predicts the oil-burner 120d will make up 20 per cent of 1-Series sales.The 120d runs a four-cylinder turbo diesel with 115kW at 4000 revs and an impressive 330Nm of torque at 2000 revs.For those unfamiliar with torque figures, 330Nm is a lot. In fact, it is 10Nm more than Holden's 3.6-litre base Commodore V6 petrol engine.The BMW diesel uses a high-pressure common-rail fuel-injection system and a turbo with a variable turbine, which means you don't have to wait long for it to spin up.BMW says the 120d uses 6.6 litres of diesel for 100km of mixed city and highway driving. It can move from 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds.A six-speed automatic transmission, with self-shift mode is standard. No manual is available.Standard gear includes 17-inch alloys, sports seats, cruise control, fog lights, climate control airconditioning and on-board computer with outside temperature reading.Safety gear includes stability and traction control, anti-skid brakes, and a full suite of airbags.Just like its 1-Series relatives, the 120d is a rear-wheel-drive hatch that can seat five people.BMW says the small car benefits from an excellent weight distribution for sporty handling. The engine is behind the front axle. It also says the 1-Series benefits from being the only car in its class that is rear-wheel-drive rather than front-wheel-drive.From the outside, the 120d looks the same as other 1-Series models.The 120d has plenty of punch, but is too noisy and very expensive. Sure, it runs nicely off the line, but it comes at the expense of refinement.The 120d is much noisier than the ($29,990) Citroen C4 diesel we tested last month, it's much more expensive and it uses more fuel.The BMW's high-pitched diesel rattle, which is loud at idle and even louder when the engine is spinning faster, is not what you expect from a BMW passenger car.It might be enough at cruising speed, but passengers instantly pick the 120d as a diesel.We didn't expect it to be as smooth as the lovely 5-Series diesel, a $114,500 car, but we didn't think it would be so loud.The 120d test car used about six litres of diesel/100km, almost all on the highway. That would be impressive for a petrol engine, but isn't so great for a small diesel model when you consider the C4 used only 4.3-4.5 litres/100km in similar conditions.Factor in that diesel costs more than petrol and that the 120d costs more than equivalent petrol models, and it is hard to see the economic benefit.That leaves performance. If you like the low-down urge of a meaty diesel then the 120d should please you. It rushes off the line and moves along much faster than you'd expect. For the record, it would easily outpace the C4 diesel.The 1-Series handles very well and if you could get used to the diesel power delivery, it would be a bit of fun on tight and twisty roads.The top equipment in the 120d is welcome, but you are paying $47,800 for a small car.

Their job was to shoe-horn a Volvo five cylinder turbo engine under the bonnet of the Focus hatch, make it really go, really handle and look the part for a price that makes it accessible to a large audience.To say they have succeeded is an understatement as the XR5 is arguably the best "bang for your bucks" on the market right now.A big call?You bet, but look at what you get for the $36,000 retail price.The car looks a million bucks with its overt, sporty bodywork, snappy 18in alloys and low ride height. It crouches on the road ready to pounce.The theme is carried through to the inside which is replete with Recaro sports seats in the front, a triple dial pod in the middle of the dash and sports steering wheel.XR5 is more than a simple hot-up job as the chassis is re-engineered for strength, the suspension is totally recalibrated with stiffer springs and dampers and the brakes upgraded with 320mm discs.Power comes from a 2.5-litre, inline five cylinder petrol engine delivering a hearty 166kW/320Nm output. Strong torque is avail- able from as low as a 1600rpm. The engine features variable valve timing on the inlet and exhaust sides, a compact KKK turbocharger that pumps a 6.5 bar (about 9psi in the old scale) and a powerful Bosch engine computer.Drive is to the front wheels via a close ratio six speed manual gearbox.The discs are large and are fitted with multi- piston calipers. Steering is electro/hydraulic rack and pinion.Numerous electronic systems control the car's dynamics including stability control, ABS and brake assist.It bristles with safety features: six air bags and pyrotechnic seat belts among them.The XR5 sounds great with an off-beat waffle to the dual outlet exhaust enhanced by an acoustic mechanism under the bonnet.Acceleration is strong, not as quick as a Subaru WRX but not far behind and the handling is pin-sharp.It really gets going higher up in the rev range but has plenty of torque for lazy touring.Fuel consumption averages about 9.5-litres/ 100km of premium.I really liked driving this car but there are some complaints like the space saver spare, small 55-litre fuel tank and largish turning circle.All are minor complaints in what is otherwise an impressive package. Competitors include the VW Golf GTi which costs more, has less power and torque and is only a three door.

Yaris is a much better car than Echo ever was but the hatches styling is confronting to some.Enter the Yaris sedan, a much better looker and even though more "mainstream" than the hatch, with potential broader appeal. Larger than a light car, Yaris sedan is cleverly designed to offer a surprising amount of room and comfort in a car this size.  Has high levels of active and passive safety including ABS making Yaris sedan one of the safest small cars on the market. But the safety package is $750 extra. Has high levels of standard equipment including electric power steering, factory aircon and dual air bags. Designed to minimise pedestrian injury and is easy to repair. Low noise levels in cabin for a car in this class. Most materials used in its construction are readily recyclable. Full size spare. Ride, handling and comfort make it feel like a larger car on the road. Boot is a decent size and impressive rear seat legroom thanks to flat floor. Turning circle is commendably small. Engine is 1.5-litre, twin cam with variable valve timing, delivers strong performance 80kW/141Nm and excellent fuel economy, as low as 6.5 litres/100km. Five speed manual is handy, four speed auto is old school. At $17,690, the YRS manual sedan is more than $2000 less than entry level Corolla, not much less car. Misses out on knee airbag available on hatch. Has rake and reach steering wheel adjustment. Rear seat has 60/40 split fold function. Built in Japan and has comprehensive anti corrosion treatment to body/chassis. Passes stringent Euro 4 emissions regu- lations. Funky interior, fun to drive. VERDICTWorthy competitor in the light/small car category. Better looking than hatch variant, economical, nippy to drive, safe affordable. What more could you want? 

A firm called Honda makes high-revving, efficient and desirable cars that focus on the driver. The Accord Euro, for example, is a Honda. Similar but subtly different is a company that sells mainly in the US. Pronounced as Hahn-da by Americans it makes larger, more softly sprung vehicles with slightly ungainly styling and an agenda that's more domestic appliance than driver's car. The Accord V6 is most definitely a Hahn-da - and so is the new Civic sedan.There's no longer a Civic hatch, at least not in Australia. Europeans get a Civic hatch built in Swindon, England, but Honda Australia says the impregnable British Pound makes that car too expensive for Australia. Instead we get a Thai-built version of the US-market Civic sedan. There's no reason to worry about its origins. This is no thrown-together takeaway. Build quality on both the cars we drove was very good, and difficult to tell from a Japanese made car.Civic comes in three versions. The glamour model is the hybrid, which uses a 15kW electric motor in combination with its 1.3-litre 70kW petrol engine. And there's a luxury Civic Sport with a larger 2.0-litre engine developing 114kW. But most sales will be the 1.8-litre Civic VTi, which we drove on test.It may be the basic Civic but with cruise control, power windows, air-conditioning and an MP3 compatible CD player, the VTi offers all the essentials of modern motoring life. It also shares a radical new interior with the rest of the Civic range.There are two instrument panels, one in the usual place near the steering wheel and one further forward, just below the bottom of the windscreen. The forward panel contains a splendidly legible digital speedometer. It's one of the best we've used and the next best thing to a head-up display. It sits between electronic bar-graph style fuel and temperature gauges. The lower panel contains the odometer, tripmeter, various warning lights and the tachometer — the only traditional needle and dial instrument in the car.The previous model's dashboard mounted gearshift has moved back down to a sort of plinth halfway between the dashboard and the floor, where it sits next to a stubby handbrake. Above them sit simple and straightforward radio and climate controls.There's no attempt to disguise the overwhelming acreage of plastic trim. But it's good quality, well-finished plastic and well-designed, with no shortage of storage spaces.Exterior design is not quite as successful to our eyes. Although the frontal treatment is striking, the body seems a little slab-sided with an awkwardness around the rear door and the wheel arch. It's the look of a car designed outwards from a set of interior dimensions, with the emphasis on practicality rather than desirability.But the most serious design flaw shows up once on the move. The windscreen pillars are both elephantine and awkwardly angled. The need to do well in crash tests has made thick windscreen pillars the curse of many modern cars, but the Civic's are particularly bad.Something about their angle and width seems to always put them in the way. A less serious but potentially annoying consequence of its design is that neither bonnet nor boot can be seen from the driver's seat, making parking a challenge.Things are better on the open road — for a start the Civic has a distinctly plush ride by small car standards. The seats are plush with decent-sized bases, and it's quiet, with road and wind noise well controlled. There's little intrusion from the 1.8-litre engine once moving. The five-speed gearshift is light, in typical Asian car fashion, but has enough weight and positive feel for serious driving.The steering wheel is a groovy, vaguely 1970s-looking item, slightly squared off and the same diameter as the wheel on Honda's S2000 sportscar. Unfortunately the power steering system it's connected to feels a little vague, although usefully direct.Roadholding is not the Civic's forte. Although perfectly competent in dry conditions at normal speeds, it lacks the satisfying precision of a Mazda 3 or Ford Focus, or even a Holden Astra. It doesn't inspire great confidence in the wet or over challenging roads. The price of its placid ride is a suspension that's too soft for committed driving and leads to a fair bit of wallowing and leaning. It also feels under-tyred, with less grip than expected.Despite the body roll and lack of sharpness there's a reasonably balanced feel to the handling — even though it lacks grip it doesn't feel terminally nose-heavy. But it's definitely more Hahn-da than Honda. But the engine retains most of the Honda virtues. Its willingnes to rev hard without sounding strained is a reminder that Honda began as a motorcycle manufacturer. Worked hard it's lively but in more mundane driving situations, such as climbing a long freeway grade in top gear, it can lack low-down torque. It redeems itself with very good fuel consumption. Car makers' fuel-use figures are often hard to match, but the 7.2 litres per 100km we saw in real-world urban driving was not far off Honda's quoted figure of 6.9 litres/100km.The rear seat is roomy enough to qualify the Civic as a four-adult car; it's too narrow to carry five full-sized adults in comfort for any substantial distance. The seatback folds down, but in once piece. Split-folding seatbacks (standard on many cars, including the bargain-basement Proton Savvy) are reserved for more expensive Civic versions.The folding seat makes the best of a disappointingly small boot. At 376 litres it is by Honda's own figures, 74 litres smaller than the previous model's boot. A high floor is the space invader. It's there to allow Honda to fit a full-sized spare wheel. Many will see that as an admirable exception to the trend towards space saver spares, but it does come at a price.Also slightly disappointing is the lack of side airbags in the volume-selling VTi. They can be had for another $3500 in the $24,490 Civic VTi-L — or for $17,990 if you buy any Holden Viva. And no Civic model offers electronic stability control, an omission somewhat at odds with Honda's otherwise deserved reputation as a technological leader.Honda Australia has ambitions to sell 12,000 Civics a year, nearly twice as many as it sold of the old model last year. Given the strength of the small car market and the Thai-sourced Civic's good quality and keen pricing it may well beat that target. Despite its faults the Civic is small car that drives like a big one.Verdict: