Suzuki Twin
Life's tough in the city - and it's about to get even harder for the Smart micro car. After a four-year unchallenged reign, the tiny two-seater faces a pretender to its title as king of the urban streets.
It's about time someone took on the Smart in the city car sector. And if it's cheap two-seat transport you're after, the Twin is a viable proposition, thanks to its proposed sub-£5,000 price tag. But its tiny engine will make it a fish out of water away from the stop-start traffic of city motoring.
Life's tough in the city - and it's about to get even harder for the Smart micro car. After a four-year unchallenged reign, the tiny two-seater faces a pretender to its title as king of the urban streets.
And if you were unconvinced by the German machine's avant-garde styling, thought the idea of an engine located under the boot was a bit iffy and found its £6,560 price tag a turn-off, then the Suzuki Twin could be the car for you.
The one thing unconventional about the newcomer is its size. Beneath the bonnet, there's a three-cylinder engine, while in the back is a boot that's large enough to swallow a week's shopping - although access to it is limited to the flip-up rear window. There are no back seats, and the Suzuki is smaller than its rival in every significant dimension apart from overall length, where it's a shade more than 23cm longer.
So while the cabin is spacious and provides lots of headroom even for tall drivers, it doesn't have the big car feel of the Smart interior. And there's nearly a foot more to fit into parking spaces.
Whereas the Smart City Coup