2008 Audi S3

We like to dream every so often. Which is a good thing, because our dreams of the Audi S3 coming to port here in the U.S. will, most likely, never become reality. We don’t, after all, get the 3-door version of the A3 on which the S3 is based. But what those lucky Europeans get is an all-wheel-drive, 265-horsepower hot hatch capable of hitting 62 mph in 5.7 seconds. The S3 uses a much revised, strengthened version of the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine found in the Volkswagen GTI, the Audi A3, and myriad other VW/Audi products, with much of the power boost (up from 200 horsepower) coming from a larger turbo and new intercooler. Audi also claims that the S3’s peak torque output of 258 lb-ft remains constant from 2500 to 5000 rpm.

To show off this newfound aggressiveness, the S3 gets 18-inch wheels, aluminum side mirrors, and a new front fascia with larger air intakes. Inside, the pedals, shift knob, and air vents are all aluminum, and Audi has added sport seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel similar to the one found in the new TT. The base price, in Germany, is 35,150 Euros ($44,799).

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2008 Audi Roadjet

Audi has confirmed that the Roadjet concept shown at the 2006 Detroit auto show will be sold in Europe soon, but stateside sales are unlikely. In the U.S., expect to see the Q5, a crossover that's more SUV-like, which will better suit American tastes. The Q5 will share its underpinnings with the A4 and Roadjet, but will be taller and more rugged.

The Roadjet is a high-riding hatchback/wagon/SUV sized between the A4 (on which it is based) and the A6. A 3.2-liter V-6, amped up to 300 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, drives all four wheels via a seven-speed DSG transmission. Audi claims a 0-to-60 mph time of 6.3 seconds.

While the concept car's exterior looks ready for production today, we'd expect the interior to see some changes. In the show car, there are four individual seats in two rows, plus, in the third row, a centrally located center seat that slides forward and back; alternately, a rear-facing child seat or a center console can be installed in the space. Audi's MMI Multimedia Interface is enlarged to 10 inches and incorporated into the gauge cluster. Rear-seat riders each get their own, smaller MMI screens. In place of sun visors, the windshield's opacity can be controlled electronically. The rear load floor powers up and back to ease loading. The rear-seat console features a built-in espresso maker, for those long stretches between Starbucks.

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Mazda 2

This looks a bit more interesting than the outgoing Mazda 2

You’re not wrong. When it arrives here in September, Mazda’s new 2 supermini will sit on spanking new chassis architecture – the same basic platform structure that will underpin Ford’s new Fiesta – and will trade the boxy profile of its predecessor for these sleek and wedgy lines that are inspired by the 2005 Sassou concept car shown at Frankfurt.

This is the second generation of Mazda’s Zoom Zoom designed models, and the idea is to maintain the company’s sporting intentions but tempered with more maturity and sophistication. It works – there’s a lot going on in the Mazda’s creased and curved lines and it looks even better on the go.

Bigger and heavier, as usual?

In a Mazda first, the new 2 will be lighter and smaller than the model it replaces. By switching to an all-alloy engine, increasing the use of ultra high-strength steels, introducing a new electric power steering set-up and following the same gramme-by-gramme approach to the chassis and suspension applied to the MX-5, Mazda’s engineers have trimmed an impressive 100kg off the 2’s mass, for a svelte 960kg kerb weight.

It’s also 40mm shorter and 55mm lower. Caterhams and Lotii aside, when was the last time you heard of any car weighing less than the tonne? And Mazda claims the diet hasn't compromised the 2’s safety record – it’s expecting a full five-star Euro NCAP result.

So what’s the line-up like?

Pretty straightforward really. It will initially come with the choice of three new petrol engines – a 1.3-litre with 75bhp and 86bhp, and a 1.5-litre with 103bhp – and all three are hooked up to five-speed manuals. A funkier three-door version arrives next summer as will a five-speed auto and the 68bhp 1.4-litre turbodiesel from the current engine line-up will debut in January.

Mazda will use the familiar TS, TS2 and Sport names, with prices ranging from £8500 to the £12,500 1.5 Sport we drove here. Spec levels are decent enough. The TS2 – expected to be the key seller – gets four front airbags, traction and stability controls, 15-inch alloys, a powerful CD-MP3 stereo and a nifty multi-function steering wheel.

Small Mazdas have never exactly shone. How does this one drive?

The budget-oriented drivers this car is aimed at are unlikely to have outright dynamism at the top of their list of must-haves, so they’ll be more than surprised by the 2’s peppy handling and outright agility.

Ditching that 100kg means the little Mazda always feels sprightly and energetic, even if its on-paper stats are modest. There’s fine body control, a compliant ride from the MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension, and although the electrically assisted steering is wafer-light, it’s enjoyably accurate and direct.

What’s that new 1.5-litre engine like?

Apart from sounding a little gruff above 4500rpm, the new alloy blocked engine pulls cleanly and smoothly, returns 48mpg on the combined cycle and its 140g/km CO2 figure means its sits in a lower tax band than the model it replaces. It's a pretty high-tech unit too - it features variable inlet-cam timing, variable-length inlet tracks plus swirl valves to boost combustion efficiency.

Despite relatively short 20mph/1000rpm gearing in top, it’s a quiet cruiser and only starts to sound hoarse above 90mph. It’s an engaging little package that delivers a genuinely spirited driving experience. And there’s even talk of a hot three-door MPS version arriving later next year. There’s no way Mazda’s existing 2.0-litre unit will fit in the 2’s tight engine bay, so bank on a 150bhp blown version of the existing 1.5-litre engine.

It sounds like a great little package. What’s the catch?

The cabin. Although it's incredibly spacious on the inside – sitting four six-footers is not a problem at all, and the boot is more than adequate despite retaining the same 2490mm wheelbase as before – the quality of some of the plastics used on the neat dashboard is uncharacteristically below par for Mazda.

The swathe of dimpled dash-top material is hard and shiny, and the plastics on the centre console are prone to scratching and marking. And the dials are hardly going to win any design awards. Still, it felt solidly bolted together, and despite a steering wheel with rake-only adjustment, the driving position is spot-on and visibility is good.

Verdict

Mazda’s new 2 is a world away from the model it replaces. With its snappy styling, engaging driving experience, strong performance and intelligent packaging, it dovetails perfectly with the company’s Zoom Zoom ethos. And kudos to its engineers for taking a stand against automotive obesity and producing a car that’s lighter and smaller than before without affecting its safety standards.

It’s a pity that some of the dashboard plastics let the side down – it’s the only real box that this characterful little car fails to tick. But families on a tight financial leash will get a lot of car in exchange for thier hard-earned cash.

Mazda 2

How much?	£11,500 (est)
On sale in the UK:	September 2007
Engine:	1498cc, inline four, 16v, 103bhp @ 6000rpm, 101lb ft @ 4000rpm
Transmission:	Five-speed manual, front wheel drive
Performance:	10.4sec 0-62mph, 117mph top speed, 48mpg, 140g/km CO2
How heavy/made of?	960kg, steel
How big? (length/ width/ height in mm)?	3900/1695/1475
Other models in the range:	75bhp and 86bhp 1.3
Or try a...	Skoda Fabia, Peugeot 207, Renault Clio,

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BMW 120i

It’s a 1-series with two fewer doors

Well spotted. Two years after we first got our hands on the original five-door 1-series, BMW has given us the sportier (if only psychologically) three-door. Wheelbase, length and interior space all remain the same, but this new derivative, introduced together with a facelifted five-door, should appeal to a younger market.

BMW expects to shift 4000 in the UK this year, together with 19,000 of the original five-doors.

Facelift? They shouldn’t have bothered. I can’t tell the difference!

Not exactly radical, is it? The kidney grilles are slightly bigger, the bumpers are new front and back, and there have been some changes to the lamp units apparently, but unless you see old and new side by side, you’re unlikely to tell the difference.

Same goes with the interior changes: they’re mostly limited to new interior colours, although BMW claims to have boosted cabin quality and reshaped the glovebox area.

Anything else of interest?

Oh yes. How about 60.1mpg? Amazing as it sounds, that sort of supermini-shaming economy is within reach of the 118d. And the petrol engines aren’t far behind: the new 118i and 120i are capable of 44.1mpg and 47.9mpg, respectively.

So what’s the secret?

Clever engineering, that’s what. Every petrol and diesel engine gets electric power steering and Auto Stop Start, a Citroen-style system that cuts the engine in traffic to save fuel. Step on the clutch again to re-engage a gear and the engine restarts. We tried it in traffic and it works well, killing the engine but leaving you with power for the lights, stereo and air-conditioning.

Other fuel-saving measures specific to the new 2.0-litre engine in the 118i and 120i include direct injection, an electric water pump that only operates when needed and an alternator that only charges the battery during braking or when the engine is on the overrun. Unencumbered by turning all these pulleys, the new engines give around 10mpg more than their predecessors and more power too. The 118i climbs from 129bhp to 143bhp and the 120i (effectively the same engine but with a variable length inlet manifold) jumps from 150bhp to 170bhp, allied to 155lb ft of torque.

The diesel get more power too: 143bhp (up 21bhp) in the case of the 118d and 177bhp (+14bhp) for the 120d, and every engine comes with a six-speed box, including the 116i which, without direct injection or Valvetronic, now looks distinctly old-tech and, at 38mpg compared to 48mpg for the 118i, thirsty too.

Which is why the three-door car won’t be available with the 1.6, making the cheapest 1-series the 116i five-door at £16,360. The entry-level three-door is the £17,785 118i which costs £530 less than the equivalent five-door. On M-Sport models the difference is £495. Confusing, isn't it?

What’s it feel like to drive?

What’s it feel like to drive? We drove the £20k 120i which gets to 62mph in 7.7sec, a whole second quicker than before, and liked it. In terms of pace and excitement , it lags miles behind the Civic Type R, Focus ST and Golf GTI it competes with on price. But it feels brisk, composed and fun, in a grown-up sort of way.

The electric steering loses a little in terms of feel but also the oppressive weightiness that characterised the old rack at really low speeds. There’s so much grip at both ends that you soon give up trying to coax the tail out and concentrate on pointing the 120i neatly through corners.

Any clues that I’m in the three-door from behind the wheel, apart from the obvious of course?

Nothing significant in terms of the way it drives, but the front doors have sexy coupe-style frameless glass and the rear seats come with a storage space in the centre of the rear bench in place of the usual cushion, reducing the number of people you can carry to four.

But since the wheelarch intrusion resulting from the One’s cab-backwards layout makes it virtually impossible to carry three anyway, it’s no great loss. But if you really want the normal full bench you can have it at no extra cost.

Verdict

Still absurdly expensive (and prices have risen fractionally) and still, to many eyes, uglier than a troll with leprosy. But the addition of a three-door model certainly increases its appeal and it's hard to argue with the brilliant engine line-up.

It'd be difficult to pass up a Golf GTI for the privilege, though.

Need to know: BMW 120i

How much?	£18,815 (ES £19,640)
On sale in UK:	May 2007
Engine:	1995cc 16v four, 170bhp@6700rpm, 155lb ft@4250rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, rear wheel drive
Performance:	7.7sec 0-62mph, 138mph, 44.1mpg, 152g/km CO2
How heavy/made of?	1395kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4239/1748/1421
Other models in the range:	2.0 diesel
Or try a...	Audi A3,Volkswagen Golf,Mercedes-Benz A-class

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