Star cars of 2007 (Part I) - Small family cars

Audi S3
On sale January
Price £27,000
Audi's S3 hot hatch goes on sale right at the start of 2007. With 261bhp to count on from its turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, it's good enough to reach 62mph in 5.7sec and a top speed of 155mph.

Fiat Bravo
On sale July 2007
Price £12,000
Replacing the Stilo, the Bravo promises to be bigger in every way than the rival VW Golf, and will have an enormous boot, too. It'll come in five-door guise only, and have three 1.4-litre petrol engines, including two turbocharged units, and one 1.9-litre common-rail diesel.

BMW 1 Series three-door
On sale July
Price £15,000
Among younger 1-Series buyers there have been complaints that there's no sportier three-door version. Their wait is over - the three-door arrives in July, and will be available from about £15,000.

Kia Cee'd
On sale February
Price £11,000
Kia is so confident about its new Ford Focus rival that it's offering a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty on it - the longest of any manufacturer in the UK. There's a 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrol engine, and two 1.6-litre turbodiesels on offer, with a 2.0-litre diesel coming later in the year. There'll be a three-door and an estate version later, too.

Hyundai Arnejs
On sale July
Price £12,000
From the ungrammatical to the unpronounceable, the Arnejs (pronounced Ar-nez) is related to the Cee'd (above) and is also designed to take on the likes of the Ford Focus. It will come in five-door guise first, and later a coupe-cabriolet.

Mitsubishi Lancer
On sale July
Price £11,000
The car that brought you the Evo is now available as a small family car - the new Lancer will come in hatchback and saloon forms, and come with a choice of engines. There'll be 1.5- and 2.4-litre petrols, and a 2.0-litre diesel. Wait a little longer and you can get your hands on a 280bhp Evo X model, or a Ralliart model with a detuned 200bhp Evo engine.

Nissan Qashqai
On sale March
Price £14,000
The Qashqai is designed to attract Ford Focus buyers as well as soft-roader buyers. Although it looks like a 4x4, only the 2.0-litre diesels and petrol will be offered with four-wheel drive as an option. Other engines include a 1.6-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel. Prices range from £14,000-£21,000.

Toyota Auris
On sale February
Price £12,000-£16,000
Another manufacturer keen to have a go at the Ford Focus's and VW Golf's dominance is the new Auris, which replaces the Corolla. The new car is built on an entirely new chassis, and is roomier than the Corolla.

Volvo C30
On sale January
Price £15,000-£24,000
This is Volvo's first hatch in a long time, and it will come with three diesel and five petrol engines. It's priced to undercut rivals from Audi and BMW, and its base model comes better equipped than the entry-level version of either.

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