ONE of the amazing things about today's crop of city cars is that they can do the motorway trips as well as giving great economy and nippy performance around town.

The Suzuki Alto is a case in point. It's available only with one little petrol engine but that produces a healthy 67bhp and in such a light car, performance is quite reasonable.

You do have to use the revs to get the best from it but it doesn't feel slow. On the motorway it sounds fairly busy but is never really noisy.

And with an average of over 60mpg and group 1 insurance it is ideal for the young drivers it's aimed at.

It's generally good to drive although the power steering can still feel a little heavy when parking,

It handles safely but with quite a lot of roll and rides smoothly for such a small car. The tight turning circle is a real boon in town.

Entry-level SZ2 cars miss out on air-con and you don't get driver's seat height adjustment or split/folding rear seats.

But if you can manage without these, the bargain price will certainly help you feel better.

: 9/10

: Chevrolet Matiz