2002 brought change for the good to the compact car buyer in Australia. More than any other class of car, the tiny tots improved in a big way, discovering refinement, ride quality, practicality, roominess and pizzaz. Without doubt, the baby-car buyer has a tougher job deciding than ever before.
The Hyundai Getz brought European styling to a Korean price tag, Honda's revolutionary Jazz rewrote the book on interior versatility and space, and Citroen's C3 dropped a ton of good looks in the sub-$20k market. Then along came the Mazda 2 with bucketloads of fun and finesse bred into every bolt and crossmember. Did it sacrifice practicality and affordability at the alter of Zoom-Zoom? We don't think so.
So, if you're shopping for a new car in the sub-$20,000 range, then don't do anything before reading CarPoint's in-depth review of each of 2002's new models. And if you want to know which one we'd choose; it ain't French and it doesn't start with a 'H'.