As most cars seem to get bigger, it's good to welcome a small, but perfectly formed, newcomer

Seat's Ibiza is now available as an estate. The new car joins the established three-door and five-door hatchback versions, and Seat says this means that the current model is available with a wider range of body styles than any previous Ibiza. Strictly speaking, this is true, although that's only because the saloon and estate versions of the second-generation car were badged as Cordobas.

Subaru has unveiled a higher-performance version of the Impreza, which owes its speed to a programme of upgrades provided by motor racing specialists Cosworth.

Car of the year? You must be joking. A flawed voting system means the prestigious title has gone to the wrong vehicle, yet again

Pay-as-you-go City Car Club has bought rival WhizzGo for a six-figure sum to become the UK's biggest with a network in 15 cities, 16,000 members and 500 cars.

Price: £11,805 on the road

Engine: 1.4 litre three-cylinder turbodiesel

Transmission: five-speed manual

Top speed: 110 mph

Acceleration: 0-100km/h (62mph) in 12.9 seconds

Fuel consumption: 76.3 mpg (combined cycle)

CO2 emissions: 98g/km

Rivals: Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, Skoda Fabia Greenline, Smart Fortwo cdi

Kia has taken the wraps of its new small Venga, the design of which was foreshadowed by the No 3 concept car displayed by the Korean company at the Geneva Salon d'Automobile in the spring.

Susan Schiller is looking for a brand new automatic car. She is quite rightly proud to be a fit and very active 70-year-old, and likes the look of the Toyota Auris 1.6 auto and the Suzuki SX4 auto. She wonders which would be better value for money. Susan also wants to know if there is an alternative to these vehicle, as she thinks a medium sized car will do. Her budget is £14,000.

The new Fiat 500 Abarth packs a lot of power in its compact frame. But why is it covered in enamelled scorpions?

The old Daewoo Kalos has come a long way; it's now a revamped Chevy Aveo. But don't even think about the posher 1.4 as the little 1.2 version is much more fun

Who needs flash if you've got a Classic? Hyundai's i10 has all you could want in a true supermini, including great value and superb stereo

The new Fabia supermini. And that's not a joke. Indeed, thanks to the influence of Volkswagen, this chunky, and classy, new model should lay the sneers to rest once and for all.

There's a sassy new Polo on the block oozing class and boasting an engine that delivers top-drawer performance. And guess what - it's a diesel. By John Simister