Hyundai Santa Fe 2018 : the largest SUV Hyundai

Hyundai Santa Fe 2018 : the largest SUV Hyundai

This is the largest SUV Hyundai that sells in the UK. The formula essentially remains the same for this latest version, but there’s been some significant evolution. The most obvious is that it now resembles a more traditional SUV, chiefly because the rear side windows dip deeper towards the waist, the successful aim being to improve visibility for passengers riding in the rear seats.
Hyundai says that change was requested by owners with families, many based in the United States and South Korea where most Santa Fes are sold. There are plenty of other modernising changes, including adaptive instruments, a refreshed cabin architecture, a wider palette of thoughtfully coordinated trim colours and an improvement in materials quality.
The usual suite of electronic driver aids are present, as they were in the previous Santa Fe. New is a safety system that temporarily locks the doors should an occupant attempt to open one into the path of oncoming traffic.

There’s a new head-up display of heightened clarity, and the infotainment screen functions as a virtual rear-view mirror to help should the real thing be part-obscured.
Also fitted is Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel-drive system, which apportions torque in varying quantities between the axles depending on the conditions, besides braking individual wheels to further improve traction.
This latest Santa Fe is bigger, like almost every other replacement model, although Hyundai has yet to reveal whether it’s any heavier. One ingenious weight-saving and rigidity-enhancing detail is the use of fatter spot welds, which form more robust joints between panels – more of which are high strength pressings.  
The 2018 Santa Fe rides on an all-new platform, the powertrains are carried over. The main engine for the UK will be the current 2.2-litre 194bhp diesel, available either with a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic. A 2.4-litre petrol may come here. That there is no 1.6-litre turbo petrol option, a powertrain that might better suit European buyers, underlines the Santa Fe’s American and Asian focus. 
The Santa Fe’s cabin is certainly different from the previous model; whether it’s actually any better is probably more a matter of taste.

Still, there are those adaptive instruments (likely to be an option on European-spec cars), an inductive mobile phone charging pad and the excellent new head-up display. Sadly the soft-touch plastics do not extend to the centre console or the unlined glovebox, both of which look rental car cheap.
More important than these details are a particularly comfortable driving position and a spacious cabin. That applies to the boot, too. And all occupants enjoy the good view offered by the Santa Fe’s enlarged glasshouse. 
We should be pleased that the smaller 2.0-litre diesel provided for test is not UK-bound, the engine’s oily diet often loudly obvious. Its optional automatic is too willing to change up too early, blunting the Santa Fe’s advance, although you can in part fix this by selecting Sport mode. Happily, we know that the existing 2.2 diesel that the UK will get instead is a far better engine, working particularly well with an automatic transmission.

The Hyundai’s resistance to body roll makes you think the provision of that Sport mode is worthwhile. It doesn’t alter the damper settings, but up to quite decent speeds the Santa Fe cuts clean furrows through corners. What happens at a more ambitious pace remains to be seen. On the strength of our test route, Korea’s roads and traffic are an obvious reason for the country’s indifference to sports cars.
Whatever the Santa Fe’s handling prowess, some of it would be worth trading for a more absorbent ride. There’s scope, because this new version is provided with longer travel suspension, whose benefits are somewhat negated by the girding of its springs and dampers, as becomes disturbingly obvious when bumps, lumps and potholes are encountered. The Santa Fe tackles these with the unyielding indifference of an old-school off-roader.

There are plenty of positives to consider with the new Santa Fe. The reworked machine arguably looks better on the move than it does in photographs, and the dashboard display is wholly contemporary. There’s plenty of on-board storage, it’s quiet, easy to drive and more electronically convenient.
All that said, the ride still needs work. If it gets some attention before it goes on sale in the UK it would better prepare this likeable SUV for the strengthening competition, and the Santa Fe’s star rating will likely climb.
Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0D automatic
Test location Seoul, South Korea On sale late 2018 Price £33,000 (est) Engine 4 cyls, 1995cc, diesel Power 180bhp at 4000rpm Torque 293lb ft at 1750rpm Gearbox 8-spd automatic Kerbweight TBC 0-62mph 10.0sec Top speed 125mph Economy TBC CO2/tax band TBC Rivals Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Sorento

Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 2018 : the sleek four-door coupé

Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 2018 : the sleek four-door coupé

The new Mercedes-Benz CLS – the sleek four-door coupé now into its third generation is here, and the rapid AMG variant, the 53, is almost as significant as the fact that the car itself is new.
Perhaps more so. But let’s deal with the CLS bit first. It’s a new CLS, frameless of window, large-Mercedes-platformed of platform, seating five and promising to do the same ‘sleeker E-Class thing’ as it has done during the past 15 years. To that end, it’s E-Class sized, 4.98m long, with a range of turbocharged and electrically enhanced diesel and petrol engines, which will extend to a four-cylinder petrol come September.
In ‘53’, a new AMG naming strategy has emerged, as it has for the regular models, where an increasing number indicates merely an increasing power output, albeit derived from a structure originally based around engine capacity. 

On some models, a 3.0-litre straight six-cylinder engine becomes the AMG 43, while there’s also a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 known as the 63. Between these, AMG reckons there’s enough room to slot a 53 derivative. Whether a particular car will get 43, 53 or 63 options will, ultimately, be at AMG’s whim, but my guess is that if there’s a stand-alone AMG model above it, you’ll get a 53 and an AMG, and if not, you’ll have a 43 and a 63. So the E-Class coupé has a 53 with the AMG GT coupé above it. The CLS has a 53 and the upcoming GT4. The E-Class, say, would have 43 and 63 derivatives.
The 53 donkey is a 3.0-litre, and of extraordinary complexity. Deep breath. It’s an in-line six-cylinder petrol, mounted longitudinally, all of whose exhaust outlets pass through a single, large, twin-scroll turbocharger, mounted high and near as damnit next to the exhaust ports. To cover the inevitable turbo lag from this, though, there is also an electrically powered compressor, located on the other side of the block, just before an intercooler right next to the inlet ports, which can help suck air through the induction tract before the big turbocharger is boosting properly.

The inlet for that compressor comes after the big turbo, where a variable stopper in the main inlet tract, which runs around behind the engine, can divert a little, or all, or any combination – in reality, it’ll be varying the proportion constantly – of air through a smaller tube to the electric compressor, after which, suitably pressurised, it flows back to the main inlet tract just before a throttle butterfly. Still following? Sigh, me neither. Anyway, it makes 429bhp and 389lb ft, which is quite a lot in itself.
But in addition to both of these forced inductors, mounted between the engine and the nine-speed automatic gearbox sits an integrated starter/generator (ISG), an alternator/starter motor and flywheel combo, which can contribute 21bhp and no less than 184lb ft to the engine’s already imposing output.

Ultimately, though, all of this power goes to the CLS’s rear wheels most of the time, with a standard all-wheel drive system on all models diverting it to four wheels when the rears threaten to slip. Unlike, say, the E63 AMG, you can’t lock the 53 into rear-drive mode for adolescent slides.
One of the challenges of the 53 was, by all accounts, to make it feel sufficiently different from a regular CLS to satisfy AMG boss Tobias Moers, who’s quite particular. Full-fat AMGs do have quite a distinct character: they’re loud, brash and way more capable these days than the hot rods they were a decade or so ago but still dominated by their V8 engines.

That’s a harder character to inject with a straight six, obviously, especially one whose exhaust is so muted by turbo and which, by definition, is a bit semi-skimmed next to a 63. But the engine is sparky. It’s by no means loud, but throttle response and linearity really are exceptional, with a rev limit at nearly 7000rpm and a character and note that has shades of BMW M car.
And if regular wheels and tyres – 20in and 21in will be most buyers’ norms, you suspect – sharpen the steering over these winters, it’ll be intensely responsive for a big saloon. Because accuracy and steering response are already great. It’s probably more responsive to the steering, I’d say, than a BMW M5, while standard air springing brings a level of both control and compliance where coil springs tend to force a compromise to one or the other; only this comes without the echoey ‘sproing’ that affects some bagged suspension.
Air springs, although optional rather than standard as they are on the AMG, were also fitted to the two other CLSs I’ve tried. A 400d, with a 3.0 straight six diesel and 335bhp, is wickedly fast, while a new four-cylinder petrol, arriving later, is not, being quite growly although with handling improved yet again by having a lighter engine in the nose. Both, also, use an ISG (which Mercedes dubs EQ Boost) so throttle response is fab and letting the auto ’box lug it out, rather than changing down yourself, is the easiest way to make good progress.

In overall cabin layout and ergonomic decency, things mirror the E-Class here: the driving position is spot on and dead straight, with hugely adjustable wheel and clear, digital instrument panel, plus central monitor. Wiper and indicator stalk to the left, gearlever to the right, controls for one of motoring’s better infotainment systems on the centre console.
Material finish is great but it’s the vents that are coolest – steampunky-turbine-looking things that bask and reflect the glow of their own diddy central LED mood lights, in low light. Really lovely. Head room in the rear is, obviously, a bit tighter than in a conventional saloon, for the passengers you probably won’t have anyway, and the boot’s of a similar capacity.

Overall, whether equipped with a lesser engine or with the new AMG 53 unit, the impression you get from the CLS is one of smoothness, slickness: even the 53 is never in-yer-face, never urging you to go harder or, in Australian parlance, ‘begging to be fanged’.
Eventually, it turns out Moers was satisfied that the 53 was AMG-ish enough to pass muster, but it took a lot of iterations and a lot of tweaks before it got there.

Engine 6cyls in line, 2999cc, turbocharged petrol; Power 429bhp at 6100rpm; Torque 389lb ft at 1800-5800rpm; plus electric motor, 21bhp and 194lb ft; Gearbox 9-spd automatic Kerbweight 1980kg Top speed 155mph (limited) 0-62mph 4.5sec Fuel economy 32.5mpg CO2 200g/km Rivals Audi A7 Sportback, BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe

Honda Civic 1.6i DTEC EX 2018 : the first diesel of Civic generation

Honda Civic 1.6i DTEC EX 2018 : the first diesel of Civic generation

It’s the first diesel Civic of this generation, and simultaneously presents as a warm-ish hatch and a fuel-sipping economy warrior.
Honda offered a 1.6-litre turbodiesel in the previous Civic – this same all-aluminium engine, in fact – though ‘comprehensive revisions’ have seen the pistons strengthened and the cylinder head lightened for this application, and there are now lower-friction cylinder bores.
It means while power and torque remain unchanged, at 118bhp and 221lb ft, the claimed fuel economy has risen a fraction to more than 80mpg, with carbon dioxide emissions of 93g/km. Emissions of nitrogen oxides have been reduced, too, which Honda says is largely down to lower combustion temperatures and the fitment of a new NOx storage converter.

It’s an engine that joins 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol siblings as the solitary oil-burner in the Civic line-up, though as far as the company is concerned, reports of diesel’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Honda confidently expects this new unit to be over-represented on the road, featuring in four out of every ten of the cars sold. 
We've previous sampled the 1.6 i-DTEC abroad, but this was our first chance to see how the changes fared on UK roads. Our test car was delivered in top-spec EX trim, with leather seats, LED headlights, keyless entry, a sunroof and a 465-watt sound system with 11 speakers. Cars in this spec also get Honda’s Dynamic Damper Control system, which we’ll come onto in a moment.

This engine is a little coarse at idle but smooths out nicely as the revs rise. And rise they will have to, because despite the aggressive styling, the 1.6i DTEC Civic is not blessed with a surfeit of power or, consequently, pace. That is reflected in a 0-62mph than only just ducks below ten seconds.
Driveability is generally very good, though, even if peak torque arrives only at 2000rpm – not particularly early for a modern turbocharged diesel engine – and there’s a touch more lag than you might expect.
Further to that, once on the move it’s apparent that there’s a baseline level of connection here that’s some way ahead of many of this car’s direct rivals. The stubby gearlever gives you a nicely positive throw that’s short and tactile, and the seating position is low, placing the shoulders of even taller drivers only a little above the window line.

The gentle contradiction that is the Honda Civic 1.6i DTEC is perhaps best illustrated by the buttons on the transmission tunnel, though. Above a green ‘Econ’ switch that dulls throttle response in the middle of the pedal’s travel to save fuel is another button marked with a damper.
Which leads us on to that seemingly outrageous combined fuel economy claim – can a sizeable four-door hatch really get close to 80.7mpg? In short, no, not this time, though you’ll approach 65mpg at a steady 70mph, and you’ll do so with decent isolation from wind noise. With a 46-litre fuel tank, that’s enough for a touring range of around 650 miles
There’s little wrong with this diesel engine and the fuel economy it offers really is laudable for a car of the Civic’s generous proportions. 

It’s a strange package, though. This car can be pleasing to drive on the right road, but if that’s what you want then why not have the three-cylinder petrol version? Perhaps instead of offering a firmer damper setting for this DTEC model, Honda might have done better to soften the suspension and enhance the car’s ability as a frugal and refined cruiser.
Ultimately, unless you cover enough miles for that additional efficiency to make a meaningful difference, it’s the petrol engine we’d lean towards. It’s that bit more refined, and more enjoyable, too.
Honda Civic 1.6i DTEC EX
Location Northamptonshire On sale Now Price £23,615 Engine 4 cyls, 1597cc, turbocharged, diesel Power 118bhp at 4000rpm Torque221lb ft at 2000rpm Gearbox 6-spd manual Kerb weight 1301kg 0-62mph 10.5sec Top speed 125mph Economy 80.7mpg (combined) CO2 93g/km, 20% Rivals Seat Leon 1.6 TDI SE Technology, Ford Focus 1.5 TDCi 120 Titanium X

Toyota Yaris GRMN 2018 : life-affirming to drive fast

Toyota Yaris GRMN 2018 : life-affirming to drive fast

That last pair of assets is very much what you might expect of a full-bore, full-sized hot hatch and not something that, in its most basic form, costs a whisker under thirteen grand.
The car is garrulously known as the Toyota Yaris Gazoo Racing Meisters of Nürburgring (or Toyota Yaris GRMN), with Gazoo Racing being the in-house division that plays keeper to the rally-winning Yaris WRC.
We’ve driven the car abroad already, so know that this supercharged 1.8-litre 2ZR-FE engine – built in Deeside by Toyota, modified by Lotus and then united with its steed in Valenciennes on the Franco-Belgian border – is an engine of addictive character.
Here, it’s tasted for the first time on British roads, which have a reputation for making or breaking the dreams of hot hatch marketeers.

This car really is something special. Fed by the frigid air of Salisbury Plain, the intake hisses at high crank speeds with the intensity of a severely maligned moggy. Lovely stuff. The exhaust is a little nasal, but it sings a tight, dense, angry tune that wholly subverts what you know to be true – that you’re driving a Yaris.
At this price point, you’d expect the chassis dynamics to match, if not better, what’s under the bonnet.
The GRMN’s cause is hardly helped by a high-set driving position and a steering wheel with minimal adjustability. The body is tall, too, and thus sacrifices some of the natural agility of hotter Mini Cooper variants. The low-speed ride, meanwhile, can be so brutal that attempting to accurately jab the low-resolution infotainment touchscreen is a uniquely frustrating endeavour.  
You quickly forgive that, though, because this Toyota, more so than even the rear-driven GT86, is life-affirming to drive fast. With a footprint that feels almost four-square, you’re dicing with instability much of the time, although the dampers come into themselves with speed and provide magnificent composure. In this sense, the GRMN is not dissimilar to the original Ford Focus RS.

That composure allows you to push refreshingly hard – certainly enough to gently loosen the rears by way of either that limited-slip differential or the satisfyingly firm, high-biting brakes – and to do so with confidence. There is some torque steer, yes, and the front axle isn’t the most predictable companion on British roads, but there’s satisfaction to be had in driving around any issues. As they say, the throttle pedal goes both ways.
On the subject of pedals, they’re slightly wide-spaced in the GRMN, so necessitate proper ankle articulation for heel-and-toe shifts. In truth, this only adds to the sense that you’re in a proper rally refugee.
As for fuel economy, do you even care? Well, for those hardcore enough to run this car as a daily driver, our figures suggest you’ll manage around 26mpg if you’re reasonably well behaved most of the time but prone to bouts of mischief. Also note that the GRMN's 205-section tyres have broadened the turning circle to the extent that at some time or another, you’ll end up making an unforeseen three-point turn – probably in full public view.  

The GRMN is pretty much sold out, so you’ll need to do some digging about Toyota's UK dealer network to get a sniff of a build slot. 
There’s also the small matter of the new Ford Fiesta ST – a car for which an Autocar verdict is due imminently and, as you’d imagine, given Ford’s track record, should be rather favourable.
The Mini Cooper S Works 210 – our current pick of the hot supermini market, owing to its sublime chassis – is also in the mix and is positively useable in comparison to the small, unforgiving GRMN.

However, to an owner, we suspect neither of those rivals will feel quite as special or as wonderfully uncompromising as this steroidal Yaris. And so, outrageous as Toyota’s pricing strategy is, we’d understand the logic of anybody who shells out. In fact, we’d applaud it.  
Toyota Yaris GRMN
Where Wiltshire On sale Now Price £26,295 Engine 4 cyls, 1798cc, supercharged, petrol Power 209bhp at 6800rpm Torque 184lb ft at 4800rpm Gearbox 6-spd manual Kerb weight 1135kg Top speed 143mph 0-62mph 6.4sec Fuel economy 37.7mpg CO2 rating 170g/km Rivals Mini Cooper S Works 210, Peugeot 208 GTi

BMW X2 xDrive20d M Sport 2018 : extra-sporty

BMW X2 xDrive20d M Sport 2018 : extra-sporty

The BMW X2 is the new, extra-sporty, added-desirability, ever-so-trendy sibling to the X1 ‘sports activity vehicle’ – and it has just arrived on UK roads in right-hand drive form.
You’ll likely notice the X2 the first time you see one because while it’s slightly more compact than the X1, whose wheelbase it shares, it also has the styling to create a bit of visual impact. Most versions of the car, unlike the M Sport-trim example we tested, have two-tone paintjobs, and there are optional alloy wheel sizes ranging all the way up to 20in.

All X2s get an extra BMW roundel on the C-pillar, too. BMW certainly wants to get your attention with this car and is pitching it as a “bold, rebellious, alternative choice”. The X2’s engine range is a slightly truncated one at launch, with only 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel motors available for the time being, with power outputs ranging from 148 to 189bhp. 
Your options on driven wheels are defined by your preference on engine, as are those on transmissions. All 20i petrols are front-wheel-drive and come with a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic gearbox; all 20d diesels have four-wheel drive and eight-speed autos; and there’s an 18d model coming in manual or auto form as a front-driver or in manual-only form as an xDrive.

The X2 has a lower roofline than the X1 and runs with firmer suspension settings in order to make for its handling more agile than that of the X1 – a car which, by crossover standards, is already pretty agile. The M Sport trim of the X2 test car for our first UK drive, meanwhile, made the suspension shorter and firmer still.
Variable Damper Control (VDC) adaptive dampers are an option, while run-flat tyres come as standard on M Sport and M Sport X derivatives but can be avoided if you stick to SE or Sport.
That's not to say the X2 isn’t handsome. It's likeable enough, and it even draws the eye. Perhaps it was the particular specification of our test car, robbing it of the two-tone body treatment, that made the difference.
The biggest problem is that there’s the X1, which doesn’t look an awful lot different to this, and likewise the 2 Series Active Tourer and Gran Tourer, neither of which are a million miles away. The odd nice coupé, too. There can be no doubt that the size and shape of Munich’s average showroom model is changing rapidly, and clearly, we’ve all got to make the effort to keep up.
If the sight of the X2 makes you wonder exactly how different this car is in terms of dimensions from the X1, we’ll summarise: the X2 is 20mm shorter and 69mm lower to the ground (this rising to as much as 79mm with the M Sport or VDC suspension).

The X2’s driving position is pretty common-or-garden standard hatchback; it's a little bit higher than some but typically adjustable. It locates you in front of well-laid-out and adjustable controls, in a cabin that looks and feels a grade more upmarket than the crossover hatchback norm. It’s not quite in the league of one or two of the compact premium SUVs that are available for similar cash in terms of comfort or material richness, but, with contrast stitching on the dashboard and high-gloss trim aplenty on the centre console, it’s very pleasant.
Your view out is good, but it’s hardly a selling point, since you find yourself at a very similar height above the road as a lot of ordinary hatchbacks, looking through a glasshouse that isn’t particularly deep.
In the back, there’s respectable space for the heads, knees, elbow and feet of adult passengers, but no more than in the Pulsar or Vauxhall Astra. At least the X2's boot offers a useful improvement on that of a run-of-the-mill hatchback, at 470 litres.

There’s evidently a lot resting, then, on the dynamism of the X2’s driving experience. It's a good job that it’s present and correct, in that case. There are significantly more powerful engines to come as the model range is fleshed out, but even in middle-sitting-diesel 187bhp 20d form, the X2 is nicely pacey and responsive.
BMW’s 2.0-litre diesel revs with relative freedom over the last 1500rpm of its tacho travel, as BMW diesels tend to do, and the eight-speed automatic gearbox downstream of it channels the torque smartly and with slick, judicious shift timing.
The X2 has Sport, Comfort and Eco Pro driving modes, which manage the calibration of the engine, gearbox, stability control, power steering and, if fitted, adaptive dampers. There’s no Custom or Individual mode, without the likes of which many modern cars often frustrate by never quite being set up just-so. Thankfully, BMW does allow you to adopt the Sport mode’s more aggressive settings for the engine and drivetrain without having those of the suspension and steering, and that means you can configure the X2 quite well for use on UK roads.
Whatever mode you’ve selected, the X2 has the body control, grip level and steering response to appeal to the keener driver. It handles with an immediacy that isn’t far off hot hatch level, and it has commendable cornering balance, too, occasionally feeling like it’s being pushed neutral by its rear axle as well as being pulled up front in tighter corners.
With Sport mode set in its widest-reaching state, the X2’s steering weight can be a bit overbearing and its ride a shade unyielding over bumps. But when you dial out the chassis settings of that mode, the car’s composure and easy manageability both improve. The suspension remains firm-feeling even when thus set, mind you, and won’t suit drivers moving into a crossover for a greater sense of isolation from the road surface.

Anyone who needs the practicality, capability, comfort or convenience supplied by BMW’s other X-branded cars, or indeed of many of the other crossovers and compact SUVs available for less than the X2’s price, isn’t likely to convince himself that he’s found what he’s looking for here.
At the end of the reckoning process, the hard-headed among us would have to concede that this car is exactly what it looks like: just a hatchback. The emperor’s new sports activity coupé, you might say.
But can BMW really be blamed for giving us a hatchback that we’re likely to want? Whether that’s because it’s got an X on the bootlid, or four-wheel drive, or a curvy roofline, or an upmarket interior, or a strong diesel engine, or handling you can enjoy from time to time – or for every one of those reasons? Perhaps not.
Even if it’s simply because you like the BMW badges on the pillars, if you like the X2, you’re just gonna like it.
BMW X2 xDrive20d M Sport
On sale Now Engine 4cyls in line, 1995cc, turbodiesel Power 187bhp at 4000rpm; Torque 295lb ft at 1750rpm; Gearbox 8-spd automatic; Kerb weight 1675kg; 0-62mph 7.7sec; Top speed 137mph; Economy 58.9mpg (NEDC combined); CO2/tax band 126g/km; Rivals Jaguar E-Pace 2.0 D180 R-Dynamic AWD Auto, Audi Q3 2.0 TDI 184 Quattro Black Edition

Mini Cooper S 2018 : the best all-rounder

Mini Cooper S 2018 : the best all-rounder

Mini hopes a refreshed headlight design, tail-lights that incorporate a Union Flag motif, a handful of new wheel and colour options, piano-black (rather than chrome) trim and much more besides will help push those sales figures back up.
Outwardly, those curious rear lights - which might seem a touch crass in the UK but will probably work better on the continent and beyond - are the clearest markers of the updated model. Otherwise, this is one of the more subtle facelifts of recent memory. There is more going on within the cockpit and beneath the skin, however, with the high-quality cabin now available with a touchscreen as well as wireless phone-charging.
The new lights front and rear use LEDs, with very clever adaptive LED headlights now featuring on the options list. There are new personalisation options, too, including a number of 3D-printed parts that buyers can customise with their own name or simple graphics - a world first in the car industry.

The standard transmission on this Cooper S is a six-speed manual, but for the first time the two-pedal alternative is a seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox rather than a conventional auto. The revised four-cylinder turbo engine gets new, high-pressure injectors, a new exhaust system and a new turbocharger, too. Power and torque figures remain the same at 189bhp and 221lb ft, but fuel economy has improved by around 7%. Interestingly, the updated engine is said to be up to 30kg heavier than before; the suspension has been tweaked to account for that extra weight.
With each new version of the BMW-era Mini, the cutesy hatchback has swollen in size. It looks fuller and more bulbous than the 2001 original, and perhaps not as well-proportioned, but there’s no mistaking it for anything else.

The underlying dynamic character is broadly the same now as it was 17 years ago – bundles of agility, a darty front axle, mobile rear end - but this latest model actually feels quite different out on the road compared with that first version. There’s a soft, rubbery edge to all of the major controls, whereas earlier versions had crisp steering and slick gearshifts.
For the first few miles, you feel perched high up on the seat. The way the car leans in bends gives the impression of it being quite tall, too, and of the track widths being very narrow. You find yourself wishing the car would squat down by an inch or two, whereas previous generations sat you so low to the road you worried you might scrape your own rear end on speed bumps.
Again, though, that impression does pass very quickly and when the bends come thick and fast you stop thinking about it entirely. Instead, you revel in the car’s agility and its eagerness to dart from one apex to the next. The familiar sense of the car yawing about its gearlever the moment you turn in to a corner is addictive. The Sport driving mode introduces too much dead weight to the steering, but otherwise the helm is accurate enough that you can place the car with real precision corner after corner.

The test car was fitted with Pirelli P Zero tyres. They were grippy in the dry and reasonably stable in hard cornering, although there are other high-performance tyres at this level that would deflect even less and bring yet more precision. It should also be noted that three other tyre options have been homologated for the Cooper S, one being the Michelin Primacy - a mid-range tyre that has no place on a hot hatch like this one.
Relatively firm springing and a shortish wheelbase cause the Cooper S to rock front to rear and bounce around on a rough road, like a small boat being tossed around in a storm. It isn’t exactly uncomfortable, but the ride is certainly busy. All things considered, however, the Cooper S is a brilliantly entertaining thing to thrash along a winding road. A mechanical limited-slip differential would help it claw itself out of bends more quickly and add a new dimension to the driving experience but, sadly, there’s no factory option.

The engine, meanwhile, is brawny and muscular, but it’s no rev-happy screamer. In fact, having started pulling hard from 2500rpm, it’s done its best work by 5500rpm. Out on the road, you find yourself holding onto higher gears and leaning on the slug of turbocharged torque instead.
Aside from that initial sense of sitting a little too high off the ground, the Cooper S is a hoot to drive in the finest quick-Mini tradition. What’s most impressive about it, though, is that it combines its willing and effervescent character with a refined, grown-up demeanour when you just want to get to where you’re going.

Other hot hatches at this price point - the Peugeot 208 GTi, for instance - are more sheer fun to drive, trading as they do some everyday refinement for single-minded, hard-edged thrills. But none of them matches the Cooper S’s broad spread of talents and none has a cabin that feels quite as high-end as this one.
The Cooper S might not be the best hot hatch at this money, but it could well be the best all-rounder.
Where Mallorca, Spain; Price £20,630; On sale Now; Engine Turbocharged four-cylinder, 1998cc, petrol; Power 189bhp at 5000-6000rpm; Torque 221lb ft at 1250rpm; Gearbox Six-speed manual; Kerb weight 1265kg; Top speed 146mph; 0-62mph 6.8sec; Fuel economy 47.1mpg; CO2 138g/km; Rivals Peugeot 208 GTi, Ford Fiesta ST

Mazda 2 Sport Black 2018 : capable of rewarding and entertaining an involved driver

Mazda 2 Sport Black 2018 : capable of rewarding and entertaining an involved driver

The Mazda 2 was only updated last year, but the Japanese firm has now refreshed the small car range further – and, while doing so, has produced this 500-run limited-edition Sport Black model.
The first thing to note about the Sport Black  is that it’s not particularly black; the colour is reserved, in a nice, glossy variety, for the series of exterior details – including a rear spoiler, skirt trims, the front grille, alloy wheels and mirror caps – that mark this car out as a special edition.
The other thing to note about the Sport Black is that it isn’t overly sporty; power comes from the mid-range 89bhp version of Mazda’s 1.5-litre Skyactiv-G petrol engine, powered through a five-speed gearbox, rather than the six-speed unit available on the most potent 113bhp version.

Incidentally, that Skyactiv-G engine, in three states of tune (there’s also an entry-level 74bhp option), is now the sole powertrain for the 2, with the diesel offered previously dropped as part of that range refresh. 
Elsewhere, Mazda has slimmed down the number of trim levels offered on the 2, with five now available to choose from, many of which getting extra kit.
The 89bhp version of the Skyactiv-G engine in the Sport Black performs best when it’s being worked. While there are occasional flat spots in the power delivery when not using many revs, put the effort in and the engine is capable of brisk progress, helped by a typically excellent Mazda gearbox. The engine is also efficient; we were able to average just over 50mpg during our test.
The ride is largely good, too, feeling smooth over all but the roughest of bumps, combined with consistent, well-weighted handling. 
The Sport Black is largely based on the mid-level SE-L Nav+ trim, which means you get automatic lights and wipers, LED foglights, rear parking sensors and adjustable cruise control.

The interior layout is largely unchanged and you’ll find little to criticise here; it’s simply laid out, clear, uncluttered and comfortable. The seats are supportive and the controls are where you’d want them to be. Sport Black models get a few extra trim details, including some carbonfibre effect on the dashboard.
That said, the 7.0in colour infotainment screen (which can also be controlled with a centre console-mounted rotary dial) is beginning to show its age compared with the bigger, brighter systems in newer class rivals such as the Seat Ibiza and Volkswagen Polo. However, much like the way the 2 drives, what the infotainment lacks in shine it compensates for with an intuitive, easy-to-use system.

Even wearing its Sport Black finery, the 2 can’t quite match newer rivals such as the Seat Ibiza or Ford Fiesta when it comes to features, equipment and all-round shine – and this special edition is not far of an 89bhp 1.0-litre Ibiza in mid-level FR trim. But there’s still plenty to recommend here, especially if your priorities lie on the dynamic side and you're looking for something a little different from your small car.
In some ways, it seems fitting that Mazda has ‘simplified’ the 2 range with this refresh; the 2 is a supermini that succeeds because of its simplicity. It stays true to Mazda’s Jinba Ittai philosophy rather than worrying itself with trying to mimic flashier rivals.

That results in a simple, pleasurable car that's capable of rewarding and entertaining an involved driver.

Mazda 2 Sport Black 
Where Kent On sale now Price £15,995 Engine 4 cyls, 1496cc, petrol 89bhp at 6000rpm Power 89bhp at 6000rpm Torque 201lb ft at 4000rpm Gearbox 5-spd manual Kerb weight 1050kg Top speed 117mph 0-62mph 9.7sec Fuel economy 57.7mpg (combined) CO2 rating 111g/km Rivals Ford Fiesta, Seat Ibiza

Hyundai i30 N 2018 : Korean hot hatchback

Hyundai i30 N 2018 : Korean hot hatchback

This is the base-spec, common-or-garden version of the Hyundai’s i30 N, the Korean manufacturer's inaugural hot hatchback.
This means it’s 2.0-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder engine develops 247bhp as opposed to 271bhp, it doesn’t benefit from an electronic limited-slip differential, and that it forgoes the variable exhaust valve system. It’s also fitted with smaller 18in alloys shod in 225/40 R18 Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres, as opposed to the 19in wheels and Pirelli P Zero rubber you get with the Performance Package.
Past these differences, the hot Hyundai is largely the same. You still get three-way adaptive suspension - comprised of MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link arrangement at the rear - a reinforced clutch, launch control, a six-speed manual gearbox with a rev-matching function and a full suite of in-car infotainment systems that includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, satellite navigation and DAB radio.

Even with that 24bhp power deficit to its Performance Package sibling, the standard i30 N doesn’t feel as though it’s in any way lacking. Its engine, from Hyundai's Theta family, develops the same 260lb ft as the Performance Package, which is delivered between 1450 and 4500rpm, and makes for a 0-62mph sprint time of 6.4sec.
The engine will pull reasonably happily from just below 2000rpm, although the manner in which the power is delivered isn’t the most linear. Instead it feels as though it arrives all of a sudden, as soon as the turbos have spooled up. It’s not alarming, but is something to bear in mind before putting your foot down.
More troubling is the rather violent torque steer that comes with using all of the accelerator pedal’s travel. Coupled with front tyres that can scrabble for traction when you accelerate hard at low speed, it makes the Hyundai feel like quite the brute, and helps make a case for forking out the additional £3000 for the Performance Package with its electronic limited-slip diff and stickier Pirelli tyres.

A wealth of adjustability is available courtesy of five driving modes: Eco, Normal, Sport, N Mode and N Custom. Intriguingly, though, even in Normal the i30 N feels every bit the performance car it has been designed to be. The steering is surprisingly hefty, the ride is firm but not unforgiving and there’s plenty of responsiveness from the throttle and engine. Body control is well contained through faster bends, too, and you never get the impression that there’s any particular shortage of lateral front end grip. It’s arguably the best of all the driving modes, as dialling everything up causes the i30 N’s brutish character to become even more prevalent.

Sport mode is just about bearable on a bumpy country road, although particularly rutted surfaces can make it feel a touch unsettled. N Mode, meanwhile, isn’t for the faint of heart. At low speeds, the ride is so firm and unforgiving that the base of your spine feels as though it’s doing the dampers’ work for them, and the steering weights up even more without a properly noticeable increase in feel or communication with what the front tyres are doing. At this point you can feel like you’re fighting, as opposed to working with the car to thread it down a challenging section of road.
While the driving experience shows where Hyundai’s time and money have been well spent, the interior gives the impression that it’s missed out somewhat. Aside from some relatively low-key (although comfortable and supportive) sports seats and light blue drive-mode buttons on the wheel, the i30 N feels largely identical to the car on which it’s based, meaning there’s scratchy plastic en masse.

That’s okay, though, as it pays to remember the Hyundai is cheaper than a five-door Volkswagen Golf GTI, so levels of material richness or perceived quality were never going to be quite as high. That the i30 N has an additional 17bhp (albeit slightly less torque), comparable standard equipment and a five-year warranty shows its huge appeal as a value proposition
Although the i30 N may not feel as polished, manageable or have the same levels of pedigree in the hot hatch segment as the formidable Golf GTI, that’s not to say it’s any less likeable. Its engaging driving experience and at times savage disposition are to be savoured, as is its ability to settle down and become a reasonably comfortable everyday hatch.

That it comes with a five-year warranty, space in the back for two adults, a useable 395-litre boot (15 litres more than the Volkswagen has).It may not be the sharpest tool in the proverbial hot hatch shed – a Honda Civic Type-R has more power and keener handling, a Golf GTI is more well-rounded and upmarket and a RenaultSport Megane a superior chassis - but on the merit of its value alone, it’s certainly worthy of your consideration.

Hyundai i30 N Specification
Where Hampshire On sale Now Price £25,010 Engine 1998cc, turbocharged, petrol Power 247bhp at 6000rpm Torque 260lb ft at 1450-4000rpm Gearbox 6-spd manual Kerbweight 1400kg Top speed 155mph 0-62mph 6.4sec Fuel economy 40.4mpg CO2 rating 159g/km Rivals Honda Civic Type R, Volkswagen Golf GTI