City cars and superminis - part 2

Hyundai i10
What is it? Face-lift and new engine
Estimated price from 8500
On sale March 2011

The i10 was Hyundais best-selling car in 2010, and it isnt hard to see why. You can pick up the current car (shown above) for less than 8000, without missing out on essentials such as air-conditioning and electric front windows. From next March there will be even more reasons to buy one. The front end has been freshened up with larger headlights and Hyundais new signature hexagonal grille. At the back, the bumper and tail-lights have also been redesigned, and inside theres a new silver surround to the centre console.

The entry-level 1.1-litre petrol has been replaced with an all-new 68bhp 1.0-litre engine. It isnt a lot more powerful, but CO2 emissions have been slashed to just 99g/km, meaning the new i10 will be the cheapest sub-100g/km car in Britain.
Prices are expected to rise by about 500, but 200 of that will be due to the 2011 VAT rise.
Mazda 2
What is it? Mazdas supermini gets a face-lift
Price from 9995
On sale January 2011

The face-lifted Mazda 2 will be on sale by the time you read this, although deliveries wont be made until 2011. The most obvious changes are to the front, which now sports the latest Mazda family face. The interior has been upgraded, too, while the chassis has been tweaked to improve the ride, which was one of our main gripes with the old car. All the engines now comply with strict new Euro V emissions standards, and CO2 emissions of the 1.3 petrol are just 119g/km. An automatic gearbox will also be available on the 1.5 petrol.
Kia Rio
What is it? Stylish new Hyundai i20-based supermini
Estimated price from 9500
On sale Autumn 2011

Kia expects the all-new Rio to provide a big boost to its UK sales. The new model (shown here testing in disguise) will be based on the i20 built by sister company Hyundai, but with Kias newfound skills for making striking cars, the Rio should trump the Hyundai for style.

With the new Rio pencilled in for an autumn 2011 launch, we wouldnt be surprised to see it unveiled at the Geneva motor show in March. The five-door model will arrive first, with a sporty three-door following later. Prices will be close to those of the i20, so are likely to start at 9500.
Vauxhall Corsa
What is it? Face-lift will complete a raft of updates for Vauxhalls best-seller
Price from 9995
On sale January 2011

Vauxhall has been gradually improving the Corsa over the past 12 months, and these styling tweaks complete the changes.

First, Vauxhall overhauled the suspension and steering to soften the ride and sharpen the handling, then it tweaked the engines to improve fuel economy and lower emissions.

It has added a stop-start system, too. It works well, and whips the engine back into life quickly, so you arent left in the lurch when you need to make a quick getaway. There isnt a shudder when the engine switches itself off, either.

The system is standard on 94bhp 1.3 CDTi Ecoflex models, and with CO2 emissions of just 94g/km and average economy of more than 78mpg, itll cost you nothing in road tax and (in theory) get you from London to Italy on a single tank of diesel.

Stop-start is also a 260 option on the 74bhp 1.3 CDTi, where youd think it would stretch a gallon of diesel farther. Oddly not; the engine has to work harder, so it actually uses more fuel. It still tops 70mpg, though.

The Corsa also now comes with a revised front grille, Eagle-eye headlights, daytime running lights and five new colours. A new touch-screen multimedia system is available, too.
Hyundai ix20
What is it? Hyundais Kia Venga-based replacement for the Matrix
Price from 11,595
On sale January 2011

Hyundai has just replaced the one remaining dinosaur in its line-up. The ix20 has taken over from the nine-year-old Matrix as the companys new mini-MPV.

Underneath, the ix20 is essentially a Kia Venga, so its marginally longer and wider than the old Matrix. Its more practical, too. The rear seats slide back or forth and theres a hidden storage area under the boot floor. The ix20 is also better equipped than most rivals.

Its offered with two petrol engines an 89bhp 1.4 and a 123bhp 1.6 plus an 89bhp 1.4-litre diesel. While the 1.4 petrol provides acceptable performance for a reasonable price, the diesel is best avoided: its noisy, unrefined, and needs to be worked hard to keep pace with traffic. The 1.6 petrol is available as an automatic only.

The ix20s starting price is only a couple of hundred pounds more than the Vengas.
In brief
Smart Forfour
Smart has decided to have another crack at a five-door, four-seat supermini. The original Forfour was canned in 2007 due to slow sales, but a new model will arrive in the USA within two years. If all goes well there, Smart may bring it to the UK.

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