Hatchback Reviews

Richard Blackburn road tests and reviews the 2015 Hyundai i30 diesel.

The best thing about the Skoda Octavia is the boot. It's a truly enormous rear, yet it hides inside a car that looks just like an everyday four-door sedan and nothing remotely like a cavernous hatchback. The only giveaway is the wiper on the rear window. The boot, with a capacity well over 500L without even bothering

The A5 range is a series of many wonders - the svelte coupe, blisteringly fast S5 and RS5 and, of course, the gorgeous Sportback. Cars this old shouldn't still be this pretty. Based on the sober but sleek A4, the A5 takes those themes, lowers the package to a sportier altitude and manages to improve the proportions

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the BMW i3 REX with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Alistair Kennedy road tests and reviews the Kia Rio Si with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Not to labour the point too much, but many original Mini owners, their families and friends, while not exactly in their dotage, can be physically challenged getting into the back of a three-door hatchback.At the other end of the scale, young families with kids to accommodate in the rear seats face an awkward lift, especially with a squirming toddler or two. It makes sense, then, to ease both burdens by adding a couple of back doors.This Mini has done that with its latest hatchback, without subtracting from the things that have adhered the model to several generations of supporters. There are no compromises on Mini's distinctive looks, or trademark go-kart driving appeal.Mini Cooper 5-door, the second body variant of the new third-generation premium small car, is priced from $27,750, $3900 less than the previous generation three-door Mini Hatch.It comes powered by a choice of a 1.5-litre TwinPower Turbo petrol (Cooper) and diesel (Cooper D) engines and range-topping 2.0-litre TwinPower Turbo petrol in the Cooper S. I sampled the top-of-the-list Cooper S.For lovers of the Mini, the exterior is sublime, with all the attributes they have come to appreciate – the planted stance with all four wheels at the corners, short overhangs front and back, and tapered rear window with roof-mounted spoiler making for agile handling.Up to the A-pillar, the 5-door is the same as its sibling, while the floating roof is retained, adding a D-pillar at the rear to take the extra length. Longer by 161mm and taller by 11mm, the increased wheelbase (72mm) adds 72mm more rear legroom, 15mm more headroom and 61 mm more width at elbow level compared to the three-door Mini.For all but the Mini's greatest fans the cabin can seem somewhat chaoticThe boot offers 288 litres of luggage space, 67 litres more than the three-door, while up to 941 litres of cargo can be accommodated with the 60:40 split rear seat backs folded.For all but the Mini's greatest fans the cabin can seem somewhat chaotic, with almost every form of instrument, dial, needle, switch, knob and screen scattered around the place. Then there is the ever-changing Blackpool-style illumination. I'm ambivalent about the whole thing.There are some positive moves, however. The speedo has been shifted from its traditional spot on the middle of the dashboard to directly in front of the driver, freeing up the old spot to display more information, including a range of interactive displays, depending on the model. Head-up display, Park Assist and reversing camera are on the Cooper S menu.All Mini 5-doors are well equipped with dynamic cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, automatic windscreen wipers and lights, audio system with USB and Auxiliary inputs, Bluetooth connectivity, interior LED ambient lights package and rear fog lights.The Cooper S adds automatic dual-zone climate control, Radio Mini Visual Boost with a 6.5-inch central display screen, Bluetooth with audio streaming, front fog lights and front armrest.Further gains include leather/cloth combination upholstery, front sports seats and Mini Navigation System. Along with the upgraded display screen comes the Mini Controller, based on BMW's iDrive system, to access infotainment, vehicle, communication and navigation.The 5-door Cooper S calls on a 141kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol engine mated with a standard six-speed manual gearbox speeding the car to a claimed 100km/h in 6.9 seconds. This is cut by 0.1 second with the optional Steptronic Sports Automatic transmission.Various modern technologies are called on to limit fuel consumption. These include engine stop/start, brake energy regeneration, weight savings and aerodynamic advantages.All Mini 5-door models feature high-end safety equipment, including six airbags, dynamic stability control, dynamic traction control with electronic differential lock control, ABS with brake assist, electronic brake force distribution and cornering brake control, and rear park distance control.A strong, rigid body with clearly defined deformation zones is designed to absorb impacts and ensure maximum occupant protection. Also featured is a partially active bonnet that, in the event of an accident, is raised to increase deformation space to help reduce the risk of injury to pedestrians.Needless to say, the Mini 5-door experience starts with getting seated, the added doors putting a smile on the face of many would-be occupants, although the Mini 5-door's claim to be a true five-seater would be drawing a long bow.Three in a row along the back would be an uncomfortably tight fit for shoulder space, while leg room depends heavily on the positioning of the front seats in relation to the occupants' height.Hanging two extra doors on its iconic hatchback can only add to the appeal of the MiniStandard in the Cooper S is the Mini Driving Modes system which varies the driving characteristics in a choice of three modes – Mid, Sport or Green – by means of a rotary switch positioned somewhat awkwardly on the centre console behind the gear shift lever.Reaching back the driver can engage Mid (also the default mode), which offers a middle-of-the-road driving experience balancing performance with fuel efficiency; Green increases the latter at the expense of performance through intelligent control of such things as air-con and use of the coasting mode in auto cars.Sport puts a spurt on through greater throttle, steering and auto transmission responsiveness. Take up of the optional Dynamic Damper Control has the car gaining added agility.On the motorway the Mini 5-door Cooper S came up with fuel consumption of 7.1L/100km; in the city this blew out to as much as 10.0L/100km.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Audi S1 with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Many car owners like nothing better than to stand out in a crowd and automobile makers are only too happy to lend a hand...at a price. The European brands are very accommodating and offer customers a major shopping list of options. Take Renault, for example.I recently was in possession of one of the French manufacturer's new Clios as a test car, which with add-ons was like no other vehicle I had come across.The Oyster Grey mid-spec Clio TCe120 Dynamique, a six-speed automatic comes onto the market at the manufacturer's recommended price of $23,790. However, with, I presume, the typical Renault buyer in mind, the car had been loaded up with special features.The car did look a treatFor example, the paint was metallic, costing an extra $550; there was red exterior trim for $250; matching red dashboard and seat covering, $500; 17-inch Diamond Red alloy wheels, $750; and R-Link multimedia, $990, making the price as tested $26,830, plus on-roads.I had to admit, the car did look a treat and I suspect the fan of exotic kit such as that from Renault would not blink at forking out the extra three grand-plus to get heads turning.As mentioned, the small hatchback was a Clio Dynamique, one of four models in the range, the others being Authentique, Expression and GT.Not only has Renault come up with a smooth, desirable design – inspired, it says by the DeZir concept car – a vehicle that symbolised love (how French) – the company offers the affordable personalisation program, mentioned above, that it claims is unprecedented in this section of the light car market.The new Clio has a coupe-like profile, made even more so by hidden rear door handlesAlso first seen on the DeZir is the way the large Renault logo sits prominently on a gloss black background on the front and is made more distinctive by the headlight units, which include chrome details and LED daytime running lights.Available only in five-door form, the new Clio has a coupe-like profile, made even more so by hidden rear door handles. A lower ride-height, which aids aerodynamics, plus pronounced shoulder lines, add to the visually distinctive appearance.The latest Clio introduces two new in-car entertainment platforms – Renault's Media Nav and R-Link, both using an 18cm touchscreen display and enabling satellite navigation, radio, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free operation or music audio streaming, as well as USB and 3.5mm connectors.Ideal acoustics inside the car are topped off without high volume distortion (duff-duff devotees note) through the use of speakers in the front doors which feature Bass Reflex technology. We are assured this is a world first, in which an additional cone provides the equivalent volume and listening enjoyment of a 30-litre speaker.The new Renault Clio TCe 120 engine mated to a six-speed EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) automatic gearbox is a four-cylinder 1.2-litre petrol unit.Direct fuel injection and turbocharging result in maximum power of 88kW at 4900 rpm and peak torque of 190Nm at 2000rpm. Official fuel consumption of 5.2L/100km on the combined cycle and carbon dioxide emissions of 120g/km are claimed.The new Clio is the first light segment car to employ active vents in front of the radiator helping to reduce fuel consumption by adjusting the flow of air through the radiator as a function of the engine's cooling needs. Under normal running conditions in fast-flowing traffic, closure of the vents permits fuel savings. The bad news is it's of the order of just 0.1L/100km at a 130 km/h - the motorway speed limit in most European countries.Weight saving includes a smaller fuel tank, reduced from 55 to 45 litres, which has no impact on fuel range, thanks to the economy gains.Passive safety is taken care of with a reinforced body structure, high-efficiency frontal airbags, lateral head and thorax airbags, a pressure sensor to detect impending impacts, seat belts with (front seat) pre-tensioners and load limiters, anti-whiplash head rests, a luggage partition and anti-submarining front and rear seats.Standard active safety systems include Electronic Stability Control, ABS anti-skid braking, Emergency Brake Assist and Hill Start Assist.From the start, the Dynamique was lethargic, in Eco mode even more so. However, like a late afternoon gin and tonic, a top-up of 98RON petrol was received with pleasure, and had Clio stepping out with renewed vigour.Fuel efficiency was on the money with a figure of 4.5L/100km recorded on a motorway run, 7-plus litres a regular recording in and around town.Let's talk about R-Link. Unique to this function is R-sound, in which the driver can alter the sound of the engine to imitate a range of present-day Renault vehicles and the supposed sound of a people mover of the future.It all sounds a tasty dish for the discerning buyerFor some reason a MotoGP bike makes up the list. With the best will in the world, even with the windows fully wound down, allowing the wind and noise in, it was hard to imagine what it was really like to live like Marc Márquez through Maggotts and Becketts at Silverstone.Gimmicks aside, R-Link also is connected to the car's own electronic systems giving access to an advanced eco-driving function (Driving eco2) which analyses the driver's behaviour and provides advice to help reduce fuel consumption.

There are handy hatches on the French menu. Craig Duff 's taste test sorts the would-be sportsters from the tourers

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the 2015 Peugeot 308 GT with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.