Hatchback Reviews

It will be a V6-powered three door with around 170 plus kilowatts on tap and the usual quattro all wheel drive. The current S3 is a 1.8-litre, four cylinder turbo with twin intercoolers and 165kW/280Nm.It has been around for a few years now but was significantly upgraded a couple of years ago. Engine is a lift from Audi TT quattro.Rather an expensive three door hatch at $67,420, the current S3 delivers performance nearly up to a Subaru WRX.delivers luxury, compact, sports motoring for a select few. Engine performance is a strong point with superb roll on acceleration and strident torque from low in the rev range.Fuel economy is good for a car with this performance potential.Six speed manual is handy with top gear low enough to be useful and not merely a cruising cog. Shift action is smooth.A number of electronic systems modulate drive and they are subtle enough not to detract from the sporty performance and handling.Suspension is firm Macstruts up front and double wishbone at the rear. Controls S3 nicely on smooth roads, becomes untidy in corners if pavement is broken or bumpy.Has powerful brakes with multi piston calipers and grippy 17in tyres on attractive spoke alloys.ABS is not over eager.Steering has good feel, firmly weighted, direct response.It's a heavy little beast at 1420kg – due to quattro drive and all the fruit inside.Has stunning interior. Test car with body colour coded (yellow) suede leather inserts – extremely groovy. Dash has impeccable look and function as do other aspects of interior.Access to the rear seats is difficult. Front seats are a pain to fold/slide and return.Seats themselves are comfy but not much room in the back.0-100kmh sprint goes in 6.6 seconds – not hanging around.Requires premium unleaded, becoming expensive these days.Full array of safety equipment including multiple bags and pyro belts x five three point.Generates a pleasing exhaust note but otherwise quiet, minimal wind noise.Superb finish, looks classy.

Suzuki Baleno is an unusual size, being larger than most small cars and smaller than the medium-sized ones.

It's not as large as the Focus but obviously comes out of the same design house, with its sharp European lines.Our test vehicle was the sporty, eye-catching Zetec model, priced from $18,990 plus on road costs.It's a tempting price for a great little car but just remember this does not include automatic transmission $2300. 

The MGB was greeted with great excitement when it arrived here in 1963.  It was the latest in a long line of sports cars from the British maker that had come to define the very essence of what a sports car should be, but the B also caused a sensation because it was such a shift from MG tradition.Earlier MGs were stripped down to the bare minimum and had a ride that threatened to shake the fillings from your teeth, but the B was as smooth as silk.  MG traditionalists were aghast at this newcomer, which they regarded as soft and for sissies.Model WatchThe B was MG's first unitary construction car, resulting in a much stiffer vehicle with more predictable and precise handling.  It was also pretty, with long nose and stubby tail proportions, and clean, uncluttered lines.The engine was a BMC B-series four-cylinder of 1.8 litres capacity. It was a long-stroke unit with pushrod-actuated overhead valves and twin SU carburettors.The B put out 71kW of power at 5500 revs and 145Nm of torque at 3500 revs, enough to push the 920kg roadster to 97km/h in 11.3 seconds and through the standing 400m sprint in 18.2 seconds.  The transmission was a four- speed manual with synchromesh on the top three gears and a precise gearshift.It had independent front suspension with coil springs and lever-type hydraulic shock absorbers, while at the rear it had a live axle slung from semi-elliptic leaf springs and lever-type shocks. The brakes were quite good, with solid discs at the front and drums at the rear.Rack and pinion steering was direct but precise, with quite good feel. There were wire wheels, 14 x 4.5 inches. The tyres were radials.  Inside, the B was quite roomy by sports car standards. It had a broad cockpit with black-trimmed buckets either side of the centre tunnel.There was a thin, wire-spoked steering wheel and a full complement of gauges.  A smoother engine, with five main bearings instead of three, was launched in 1965, and an electrically operated overdrive gearbox followed in 1968. Later that year BMC released the Mk II B with an all-synchromesh gearbox.In 1970 the B was replaced by the restyled L, which ran through to 1972 when British Leyland ended local production. The B continued in production in England until the 1980s.Some of these later cars, referred to as rubber bumper cars because of their American crash bumpers, have been imported, but don't have the same appeal.Owner's viewsJim Bradley was attracted to the MGB when he saw one zipping around his hometown, Woodend.  As an 18-year-old he bought a three-main-bearing '64 model, which caused him nothing but trouble, but looked charming.  Ten years later he restored his father's B, which was in a very poor state. He enjoys the characteristic engine note, reasonable performance and handling.The bottom lineSmooth-driving and affordable sports car that won't send you broke if it breaks down. Very good club scene offers plenty of fun, social motoring.Rating15/20

Kids sometimes tend to slam doors. But on this occasion, it wasn"t an over-enthusiastic or petulant teenager at fault; it was the Suzuki Liana"s rather clunky doors.No matter how soft you shut them, they sound like they are being slammed and the windows about to break.It is one of only a few quality niggles in Suzuki"s new cheap and cheerful small passenger car.However, it should be pointed out that you still get an awful lot of features for your dollar.At $18,990 for the base model, it's cheaper by $1000 than the Pulsar ST and Corolla Ascent, yet has features some cars costing $5000 more don't have.The base model includes air conditioning; power steering, mirrors and windows; tilt-adjusting steering wheel; driver seat height adjustment; central locking; keyless entry, boot spoiler and body kit all standard.Add $2000 for auto, $675 for cruise control and $185 for metallic paint.The Z series, which I tested, comes standard with cruise control, alloys, fog lamps and lower-profile Z-rated tyres for $20,740.There are plenty of creature comforts, including the integrated radio/CD with a seven-speaker system and audio switching gear conveniently on the steering wheel, something some of the more expensive competitors don't have.Inside, it is evident that Suzuki is capitalising on its strong junior World Rally Championship performances last year and its creditable results this year, with the Ignis.The new Liana interior has a sporty look and feel with plenty of brushed aluminium, a leatherette steering wheel and red-lit instrumentation.Outside, the car looks quite attractive but a little out of proportion. The vertical lines appear to belong to a much wider and longer car, giving it the impression it has been squashed.Yet its lines are not fussy and there is surprising luggage and seating room, especially the headroom.But back to those clunking doors and quality problems.Another lack-of-quality feel is in the notchy gear shifter.It grinds and rattles quite a bit for a vehicle that had only done 3884km.The Liana also seems under-tyred, with its 195mm Yokohamas on 15-inch wheels.Its peaky 1.8-litre engine throws power to the front wheels in a spurt from 3000-5000rpm. This leads to wheel-spin when the wheels get a little light, such as on a turn, or in the wet.Back off and because of the lack of torque, it bogs down.There is not much that can be done about the engine characteristics, but wider tyres and bigger wheels could resolve much of the problem.Otherwise, the ride and handling have been improved with a stiffer chassis and fully independent suspension with MacPherson struts.It now sits fairly solidly on the road for its size.And it is one of the few small cars that still has a full-sized spare.

The 205, a small front-wheel-drive hatch, caused a sensation when it was launched in Europe in the early '80s. Like the Golf it had uprated sporty suspension, a hot engine and a sporty body kit, but unlike the Golf, it was also cute.The 205 GTi finally came to Australia in 1987. However, it was detuned slightly to meet our exhaust emission laws, and down-specced to be price competitive.  The local GTi looked like its European cousin, with the same three-slatted grille, beefy rub strips down the sides and the fog lamps. When first launched the GTi had a 1.9-litre single overhead camshaft engine with eight valves and fuel injection which put out just 75kW and 142Nm.A five-speed manual transmission was standard and drive was through the front wheels.  Airconditioning was standard, as were 14x6in alloy wheels, central locking, fog lamps, leather steering wheel, power windows and a four-speaker radio-cassette sound system.Power steering wasn't standard. It seems the Peugeot engineers couldn't work out how to include both airconditioning and power steering in the 205 when they did the conversion to right-hand-drive. They opted for the airconditioning and the result was heavy steering.  An update in 1991 brought power steering and airconditioning, and a welcome injection of power (90kW and 152Nm).The 205 GTi finally disappeared from local showrooms in 1994, the cars sold from 1991 regarded as the ones to buy now.By now the 205 GTi is getting old so it would be wise to have it checked by an expert. Many have been owned by enthusiast owners who have driven them hard.Look for low-mileage cars that have been serviced by Peugeot specialists. A key part of the 205 GTi's performance equation was its light weight, but with that came body flexing. When new that caused squeaking and squawking around the doors and rear hatch as the panels moved on the seals.  Now it's seen in the form of body cracking, mostly as cracking in the caulking used to seal panel joins.Early cars were fitted with incorrect pistons at the factory, which caused piston slap rattle and excessive oil consumption. Most were fixed when new because of customer complaint. High-mileage engines need regular checks for oil consumption because they tend to burn oil. Wear in valve stems and seals is the most common cause of oil consumption today.The gearbox is fairly robust, but is prone to failure of second gear synchro with high mileage. Replacement parts are available for $700 to $800.  A hard life on the road contributes to front suspension bush wear and high rates of brake wear. Brake life of 30,000km is quite normal. Rear subframe and trailing arm bushes are now being replaced quite often.Ellen Dewar bought her 205 GTi three years ago and while she admits it's getting near the end of the road with 220,000-plus kilometres on the odo, she doesn't want to get rid of it. She loves its roominess, its great go and street cred. On the downside she's had to replace a drive shaft, repair the airconditioning and the engine is burning oil.Nick Barker bought his 1987 205 GTi a couple of years ago for $4200. It was his first car and he now admits he was a little gullible.  The 17-year-old apprentice motor mechanic soon realised it hadn't been well looked after and he's had to do a lot of work on it, including replacing both drive shafts, rebuilding the front brakes and replacing the water pump to restore it to roadworthy condition.Wear in front and rear suspensionLots of body squeaks, and even crackingExcessive oil consumption if engine is wornSizzling performance, particularly from later engine Reliable mechanicalsAgile handlingCute styling

Image problems may have dogged the Daewoo, but that's no big drama.  Daewoo is perhaps better known for its ads featuring Kane the wonder dog than for its actual cars.  There were even some wags who suggested the use of a dog was appropriate given the rehashed Opel the Korean company was sending here in 1994.The first Daewoos were cheap enough, but based on an Opel from the early 1980s. They were a very dated design, and the build quality was generally below market expectations.The Lanos was one of the new generation of models to come from Daewoo. It was a fresh face for the company, and started the move away from the Opel-based model.By the mid-1990s Hyundai was setting the small-car pace here with its innovative "drive away, no more to pay" pricing policy.  It changed the landscape in our most competitive market segment, making it tough for everyone trying to succeed in the segment.  Rather than compete with Hyundai's offer, Daewoo went a step further with free servicing for the entire warranty period.While Daewoo dealers appreciated the extra showroom traffic, they didn't necessarily welcome the extra traffic it created through their service departments.  Daewoo customers, it seems, took the offer of free care literally and headed to their dealer to have such minor things as failed light globes and punctured tyres repaired or replaced.The Lanos was launched in this era of free care, so sales were brisk.  It was an attractive small car with smooth lines, and was available in a choice of four-door sedan, or three or five-door hatch.Power was provided by one of two single overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engines, depending on the model.  A five-speed manual transmission was standard, and a four-speed auto was available.Power steering was standard on all models, except initially on the SE three-door hatch.  Air-conditioning became standard across all models in 1998, which also saw the addition of the LE sedan and five-door hatch limited-edition models based on the SE, but with power front windows, CD player, rear spoiler (hatch) and central locking (sedan).The Sport arrived in 1999. This was a three-door hatch based on the SX with the more powerful 1.6-litre engine, plus a sporty body kit, tacho, upgraded sound, and power antenna.Though dealers weren't exactly enamoured with the free care deal, it meant cars such as the Lanos were better serviced than they might have been had owners had to pay for work.The free care cover has expired for most cars now, and the earliest examples have clocked up about 100,000km. Anyone taking one on is gambling on their continued reliability when they will have to pay for servicing and any repairs that might be needed.Mechanically the Lanos stands up quite well. The engine is robust and doesn't appear to give much trouble in service.  The transmissions also appear quite reliable and give little trouble, but the Lanos can be let down by the little things.The electrics appear to have been put together on the cheap, and the chances of problems increase with time and mileage.  Interior trim parts are another weakness. The cheap plastic bits break fairly regularly.Barbara Barker probably would have bought a Hyundai Excel had it been available when she was shopping for a small hatch in 2001, but she didn't like the look of the Accent that had replaced the Excel.She liked the look and feel of the Lanos, and the free care offer, and bought that instead. It's now done 95,000km and the warranty has run out, so she's in the market for a larger hatch.She says the Lanos has provided good performance, is economical, and has been reliable. The exhaust has been replaced, as have the brakes, and the idle stepper motor had to be replaced at the 90,000km service.Apart from dodgy electrics and average build quality they're generally pretty robust. Trade is reluctant to handle them, but low resale value makes them a cheap buy at the right price.Attractive stylingWell-equipped with lots of standard featuresZippy performanceReliable mechanicsJury still out on longevityDodgyelectricsAverage build quality

The VTR is an entirely separate model and not merely an enhanced standard version.Although it sits on Citroen's "Platform One", which is shared with the C3, there are no common body panels and, with its lower roof line and shorter overhangs, along with its dynamically different styling, the C2 presents a very different character to the C3.Starting from the ground, it has 16 inch alloy wheels with the extremely low profile 45 series tyres.This sporting profile continues inside.The gear knob and door handles are finished in translucent plastic that is colour matched to the cloth trim used in the door panels and the side bolster sections of the standard sports seats. The centre sections of the seats use a special form of cloth similar in design to that used in top end training shoes that allows substantially more air ventilation than normal cloth.Despite being smaller in length and height than the C3 and sitting on a smaller wheelbase, the interior of the C2 is only slightly smaller.As expected of the top of the range performance model, equipment levels are high and include ABS, four air bags and a four star rating in the NCAP awards, comfort with power steering, electric windows, electric mirrors, climate control AirCon or convenience with trip computer, height and reach adjustable steering, automatic rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights and integrated digital audio system.Performance comes from a 1.6-litre, 80 kW engine, providing a top speed in excess of 190 kmh and the ability to dash from 0 - 100 kmh in 10.9 seconds.This combines with light, quick steering, ultra sticky tyres and sports suspension developed by the same team that won the 2003 World Rally Championship and the result is a car that can truly be called a sports car.Completing the drivetrain is SensoDrive, Citroen's sequential manual gearbox that blends the convenience of a gearbox that changes its own gears with the ease of use of clutch-pedal free operation or complete self-shifting mode with the performance, economy and low emissions of a manual.

Even a facelift and freshen-up is not enough to re-ignite whatever excitement was caused when the model burst on to the scene.Take Holden's Barina – yes, the 'Beep Beep' car – as a case in point. With much fanfare and more than a little praise, Holden launched the XC Barina early in 2001. Its Euro-build, big-car dynamics and pleasing demeanour shot the Barina to the head of the light-car class and gave its rivals a target to aim for. And aim they did, with laudable efficiency.Mazda was first into the fray, scoring a hit with the Mazda2. Then Honda lined up the pair of them with its Jazz.The Barina slipped off the publicity radar but never too far down the popularity scale, continuing to sell its 500-odd cars a month.Early this year Holden sent its beep-beep baby off for a make-over – nothing extreme, just a tuck and trim and a bit of a update on the wardrobe.Back on the party circuit, it was time to revisit Barina and what a nice experience that was.All the good things that impressed everyone at the original launch – the feeling of substance and quality, strength of engine, space and steering that put many more expensive cars to shame – were still evident.The changes are largely cosmetic with a new chrome grille, colour-keyed front and rear bumpers, body-coloured door and tailgate handles. The five-door CD manual, the model re-visited, has won some significant interior changes with a new charcoal grey fabric trim, and co-ordinated centre console along with a 60/40 split rear seat.The Barina's dynamics, impressive to start with, have been tweaked to further sharpen the steering control. Changes to the ride are so fine as to be almost indistinguishable.A new 1.4-litre engine – available only with the manual gearbox – delivers exactly the same 66kW of power with a marginal 5Nm improvement in torque but does, according to Holden, improve fuel efficiency to below 6L/100km.During the test period it wasn't quite that good – around 6.6L/100km – but there was a fair degree of enthusiastic zipping involved. And that, in a nutshell, is the attraction of the Barina.It does encourage a bit of fun without ever feeling that it is just a try-hard out of its league.You are not going to blow off too many performance models – well, none to be honest – at the lights, but when asked, the Barina gives its all and is quite capable of punching above its weight.The engine spins out willingly right to its redline, just a tick past 6000rpm without getting gaspy.The five-speed box is well sorted for ratios and the shift feel is nice and precise without being especially sporty.Room in the Barina is particularly impressive. There is no feeling of being cramped – for headroom nor shoulder space.Steering adjustment is rake-only but the seating position is enough to make finding a comfortable driving position possible.Rear-seat room is also impressive with enough clearance to the roof and the rear of the front seats to make transporting four adults a no-fuss proposition.Luggage space is not huge but is adequate for a couple of suitcases or a large shopping expedition and if you need that bit extra, the split-fold rear seats can accommodate.

Built in Europe, Vectra is a stylish car available as a five door hatch or a four door sedan in 2.2-litre four cylinder or 3.2-litre V6.Recent price and spec' adjustments make Vectra a more tempting package than when it came out.The 2.2-litre four is now in CD grade at $31,990 plus on roads for the five speed manual while the five speed auto is an extra two grand.On paper power deficit compared with competition doesn't translate to on road due to good torque and gearing. Peak output is 108kW/203Nm.Engine has twin cams and balance shafts, 16 valves and a dual mass flywheel which help smooth things out as well as improve response.Will run well on standard ULP, better on premium.Surprisingly economical for a biggish, heavyish car with 8.0l/100km easily achievable.Automatic test car was excellent all rounder, particularly in city driving. Auto fully taps engine output, adapts and changes smoothly. Has a sequential mode for "manual" shifting.Ride and handling dynamics have typical European feel with comfort and control under most conditions.There's a firmer feel to the steering and brakes but it's much better than the mushiness of other makes.Puts you in touch with the car.Electronic controls (traction, brake and cornering) for dynamic functions are not overly intrusive.Seats are comfortable offering plenty of adjustment and support.Three in the back is a tight squeeze but five three point belts are welcome.Big boot and plenty of storage in the cabin.Love the styling, some don't but there are radical and conservative thinkers all through society.Upgrades for '04 are difficult to spot – clear side repeater lights, rear indicator lenses and some body coloured bits on the low spec' cars.Oops, nearly forgot the new colours and a bit more flash on the dash.Interior is stylish too, the dash layout particularly pleases as it breaks new ground, moves away from generic/boring.CD model is well equipped, pretty well nothing is left off the menu, check air con.VerdictGood looker, well specified and priced, needs more poke to stay with competition.