9
If you live in or near a town, your car choice is somewhat limited to what you can thread
through the streets and coerce into the tightest of parking spaces. The key is having enough
space to pack in the weekly shop, yet be compact enough to navigate a multi-storey with
confidence and, if possible, have just enough style to not embarrass the kids at the school
gates. A tall order? Perhaps, but here are the ones we think do the job best.
Suzuki Swift
�8,260
Neat and tidy around town, the ride gets
a little fidgety at higher speeds, but with
a punchy range of engines, including the
surprisingly powerful 1.6 Sport, you'll
never be bored driving it. Far more
stylish than many of its rivals, too.
Vauxhall Corsa
�7,795
With a faintly bewildering 67 variations to
choose from, there's probably a Corsa to
suit every taste. Refined and comfortable,
it feels like a bigger car than it really is but
the Corsa is let down by Vauxhall's bland
styling. Go for diesel over petrol power.
Ford Fiesta
�8,850
Fun to drive, cheap to buy and with
plenty of boot space, it's a great car for
the weekly shop, too. There is nothing
the Fiesta does badly, but then Ford has
been developing it since 1976 - it remains
an excellent all-rounder.
Our choice
Fiat 500 - �8,100
Recently, almost every car manufacturer
with a history has had a go at re-inventing
a classic from its back catalogue. The Mini
is more famous than the Fiat 500, but
sadly BMW's attempt at re-inventing that
turned it into a big, heavy Disney car.
The Fiat 500 stands out from the crowd
and, like the original, manages to
incorporate enough interior space to be
comfortable with a compact, smart
exterior. The 100hp 1.4 petrol engine is
smooth and rapid, and it handles with
proper Italian grin-inducing properties.
For being the only classic re-invention
that's a genuine modern-day
interpretation of the original, not just a
pastiche or a marketing exercise, the Fiat
500 is our favourite supermini.
Superminis

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