Downsizing is all the rage, and if you’re thinking about taking the plunge, you’re spoilt for choice. Matt Kimberley looks at some of the new-for-2015 supermini starlets.
Believe it or not, it’s harder to make a great small car than a great large car. You have to fit so much more into so much less space, and that poses engineers all sorts of problems.
Once upon a time, if you asked for a really good and inexpensive small car with lots of equipment, you’d be laughed at
Once upon a time, if you asked for a really good and inexpensive small car with lots of equipment you’d be laughed out of the showroom, or half-heartedly shown to something with wind-down windows and no radio.
Dacia will, of course, still sell you a car like that if you still live in the 1980s. But most people want style, technology and comfort from a small car, and 2015 is bringing with it a bumper crop of new metal to make downsizing less of a chore. Here’s our list of star performers for the year ahead.
Smart ForTwo
Starting at whatever the opposite of the sharp end is, the blunt-nosed ForTwo is a mere 2.69-metre miracle of packaging, squeezing the engine and gearbox under the boot floor and leaving plenty of space between the front wheels to permit bizarre steering angles. The result? A two-person urban biffabout with a turning circle tighter than a London Black Cab’s. Stellar.
Renault Twingo
The Twingo is finally back on form with this third generation model. It’s cute, features a lively turbocharged engine and comes complete with a customisation brochure the size of the Argos catalogue. It’s a fresh and exciting new take on the ever-maturing city car segment.
Toyota Aygo
You can’t miss the big, flowing X shape on the front of the Aygo. Toyota doesn’t want you to, either. It was designed to make some people love it and some people hate it – although it might have been less expensive just to smear the old one with Marmite. Excellent little engines make the Aygo a charming city slicker, and it also comes in you’ve-been-Tangoed orange.
Mazda2
If you’re the sort of person whose dreams take you to the driver’s seat of a Ferrari 458 Speciale, but whose budget ends with ‘nope’, the Mazda2 is the supermini for you. No, really. It’s a smashing thing to drive, with gearbox technology from the MX-5 and brand new engines that suit it perfectly. It’s definitely the driver’s small car.
Hyundai i20
Long gone are days where people could safely dismiss Hyundai as a poor man’s option. Do that at your peril, because the new i20 is absolutely magnificent. Comfortable, stable and well built, the i20 is a sensible choice, but one that you’d never, ever get bored of. In fact, the i20 is so good it might just be the new Volkswagen Polo.
Honda Jazz
The Jazz is enduringly popular with older folks and that shows no signs of changing any time soon. A facelift is coming to the car in the middle of 2015, but its practicality, clever packaging solutions and flawless reliability are going to be left unchanged, making it the small car de rigueur for those who simply want space, comfort and understated looks.
Skoda Fabia
After what seems like an age Skoda is finally replacing the wizened and creaky old Fabia. It looks more mature, and bigger with it, as well as improving things like ride quality, technology options and safety. It’s not especially exciting, although it’ll have good engines and it’s set to be an impressive all-rounder. Don’t know what you want? Look no further.
Vauxhall Viva
And finally, Vauxhall is returning to the 80s with the Viva, resurrecting a long-dormant badge to create a new model aimed at stemming the tide of Dacia-bound customers at the cheaper end of the scale. The Viva will be affordable, basic transport with few bells or whistles, but it’ll get the job done with modesty.