Star cars of 2008 - part 1 - Superminis

Alfa Junior
Price £13,000-£20,000 (est)
On sale Early 2009
What's new? Multiair valve gear system

The spiritual successor to the Alfasud will be one of next year's most anticipated superminis (picture courtesy of Schulte).

The baby Alfa is based on the Fiat Punto, but suspension parts will be borrowed from the hot Abarth model to ensure that the small Alfa drives well.

Engines will also be a step up from the Fiat's. They will start with a 105bhp 1.4 and rise to a range-topping 230bhp 1.8, badged GTA. All will feature a new valve-gear system called Multi-air.

Prices are expected to start at around £13,000, but expect to shell out close to £20,000 for the sporty GTA.

There's a chance that Alfa will introduce other variants such as a sporty coupe, a cabriolet or an estate-style version at a later date.

One mystery about the new Alfa supermini is its official name - that might come from a pan-Europe competition held late this year.

However, the winning name was 'Furiosa' - and there are strong rumours Alfa doesn't like it. Whatever happens, one thing's for sure: we won't see the Alfasud badge again.

Alfa will reveal the new car, currently dubbed 'Junior', at the Geneva motor show in March, with UK sales starting in early 2009.


Ford Fiesta
Price £8500-£12,500
On sale November
What's new? Sexier, bolder, sportier design

Consistently a best-seller in Britain, the Ford Fiesta is now facing newer, better competitors, so a new model is due at dealers in November.

The fifth-generation Fiesta will make its public debut at the Geneva motor show in March. The indications are that the production car will be a pretty faithful copy of the Verve design concept.

Compared with the Verve, the main difference will be a slightly higher roof line to create a bigger cabin and more headroom. The aggressive, gaping front grille will also be toned down for production.

Otherwise, the new Fiesta will retain the Verve's sporty shape, making it the most adventurous version yet of Ford's staid supermini.

Inside, the design is an equally big step forward for the Fiesta. The Verve's high-set fascia - with the distinctive, cowled instrument cluster and its shapely array of buttons - is confirmed for production.

Under the skin, the new Fiesta is all new, too, borrowing the chassis from Mazda's new 2 supermini. But Ford will fit the Fiesta with its own interior. It will also tune the suspension to deliver the company's hallmark balance of good ride and sharp handling.

However, the engines won't represent the same breakthrough as the new body and chassis. The Fiesta is expected to go on sale with a virtually unchanged line-up, albeit tweaked and tuned for the latest exhaust emissions standards.

Entry-level models will be powered by the 72bhp 1.25-litre petrol, mid-range models by the 78bhp 1.4-litre unit, and higher spec models by the 98bhp 1.6-litre version. Diesels will feature, of course, with the 65bhp 1.4-litre and 88bhp 1.6 engines on offer.


Hyundai i20
Price £7000-£11,000
On sale December
What's new? All of it. Goodbye, Getz

An all-new replacement for the Getz supermini will get its world debut at Paris in September, followed by UK sales in December.

Hyundai's latest styling direction will influence the i20, so the three- and five-door body styles will sport a much more European look than that of previous Hyundai superminis.

Under the skin lies an all-new platform and a new 1.2-litre petrol engine. A 1.5-litre diesel is also in the pipeline, but that won't be launched until late 2009.

The new car is bigger than the outgoing Getz so there should be more room for passengers and luggage.

Quality should also be better than ever although, inevitably, prices will have to rise.


Mercedes A-Class
Price £12,000-£20,000
On sale August
What's new? Updated front end

A light face-lift and refresh will give the A-Class a lift as its fourth birthday approaches in the autumn.

Mercedes' entry-level car will be seen first at the Geneva motor show in March, with UK sales scheduled for August.

There will be minor cosmetic changes to the bumpers and lights, but the main news will be updated specification - for example, Bluetooth connectivity.

It's not major upheaval for the A-Class. Currently the engine range covers 1.5-, 1.7- and 2.0-litre petrol units, as well as a potent new 193bhp A200 Turbo, and three 2.0 diesels - and that's unlikely to change.

Don't expect much difference in handling and ride, either: although competent, it's still not as capable as a VW Golf. It's less fun too.


Renault Clio Sport Tourer
Price £11,000-£14,000
On sale February
What's new? It's a Clio estate

Renault will launch a competitor to the Peugeot 207 SW and Skoda Fabia estate in February.

At 4.2m, the Clio Sport Tourer is 200mm longer than a standard Clio, the extra length boosting the load bay to 439 litres with the rear seats in place; a standard Clio hatch has 252 litres.

Despite the more practical dimensions, the Sport Tourer has been designed with an attractive sloping rear window and tapering roof line.

Expect it to drive with a similar grown-up refinement to the Clio hatch, which will mark it out from the sportier intentions of some of its competitors.

Apart from the bigger boot, the rest of the interior is expected to be identical to the hatch.

Engines will be drawn from those already used. Expect at least the 1.4 and 1.6 petrols, and two 1.5 dCi units tuned to deliver 85bhp and 105bhp.

Prices have yet to be announced, but small estates like this typically command a £700 premium over hatchback versions. That suggests a price range of £11,000 to £14,000.


Seat Ibiza
Price £10,000
On sale Early 2008
What's new? Roomier cabin, better refinement

An all-new Ibiza will be unveiled this year, possibly in May at the Madrid motor show, to replace a design that scooped our Car of the Year award in 2003. However, it's likely to be early 2009 before it goes on sale.

The Ibiza is doubly significant because it will also introduce a new company-wide design theme. Under the skin it will be high-tech, featuring the underbody of the next-generation VW Polo and Audi A1. As a result, we expect a roomier cabin, more sure-footed handling and better refinement.

High-tech small-capacity TSI turbo engines are expected to trickle down from Seat's VW parent to give the new Ibiza strong performance and good fuel economy.

Also expect super-efficient CO2 technology, such as the Ecomotive diesel, to feature. It's very much like the Polo Bluemotion, employing a basket of cheap green technologies, including improved aerodynamics, energy-conserving tyres, taller gears and a re-mapped engine management computer, all aimed at shaving a few per cent off the Ibiza's fuel economy and CO2 output.

On today's Ibiza, the 79bhp 1.4 TDi is good for an official 74mpg and 99g/km. Expect better figures on the new model.

The Ecomotive has one big ace card when compared with the Bluemotion - it'll cost you £11,000, whereas the Polo is £1000 more.

(CGI image courtesy of Schulte)


Skoda Fabia Estate
Price £11,000
On sale July
What's new? Bigger boot

Skoda has built more than 630,000 Fabia estates, so the new model will be eagerly awaited all over Europe.

It's based on the roomy new hatchback, so it will be bigger and more spacious than the outgoing estate.

The new Fabia wagon is 46mm longer and 7mm higher than the old model. These enlarged dimensions help to create a 480-litre boot, 54 litres up on the old estate's.

When the rear seats are folded down, luggage space extends to a generous 1460 litres, 235 litres bigger than before.

Both these figures are comfortably bigger than those offered by such rivals as the new Renault Clio Sport Tourer and Peugeot 207 SW.

They even beat much larger cars, such as the Volvo V50 and BMW 3-series.

Engine choices include 1.2-, 1.4- and 1.6-litre petrol units, as well as the 1.4- (70bhp and 80bhp) and 1.9-litre diesels.


Suzuki Splash
Price From £8000
On sale March
What's new? Sexy shape, sharper cabin

The Suzuki Wagon R is no more: it will be replaced by the all-new Splash in March. The Splash promises many advances over the Wagon R, most notably a platform shared with the sporty-handling Swift supermini.

The styling is new, too, with a much sportier and European-friendly shape than that of the functional Wagon R.

The Swift underpinnings extend the Splash's length by a substantial 215mm compared with the Wagon R. All the extra metal goes into the front and rear overhangs, largely to boost crash protection.

Inside, the Splash has a lofty seating position and high-set gearlever, combined with a functional but well-executed cabin design; a choice of vivid trim materials adds some panache.

Wagon R owners are used to a surprisingly roomy cabin and they may be disappointed by the amount of rear space on offer here. It's a little tight, a consequence of the sporty styling. The boot's pretty compact, too.

A choice of three engines will be offered from launch - 64bhp 1.0-litre and 85bhp 1.3-litre petrols, and a 74bhp 1.3-litre diesel. Unusually, the 1.0-litre engine is slightly less powerful than the 1.0 in the Wagon R.

The diesel engine is based on Fiat's 1.3-litre Multijet, but Suzuki has redesigned it. The 1.3 petrol Splash reaches 62mph in 12.3sec and 108mph. Economy is a decent 50mpg, with C02 emissions of 136g/km.


Vauxhall Agila
Price From £7500
On sale March
What's new? Bold styling - goodbye to boxiness

Avid car spotters will remember the old Vauxhall Agila as being essentially the same car as the Suzuki Wagon R.

Well, Suzuki might have changed the name of its tiny five-door hatch, but the same bloodline still links the new Agila and Splash.

Apart from a few changes at the front, its own grille and different headlights, the Agila is identical to the Splash. The engines are the same, too.

The main difference between them will be in their specifications. Vauxhall, for example, needs to position the Agila clearly below its best-selling Corsa supermini and pitch it against the Fiat Panda and Aygo/C1/107 triplets.

As a result, the Agila is expected to have a lower specification but will be priced lower than the Splash.

Expect colours and wheel trims to differ, too, although the warranties offered should be the same for both models.

The Agila will go on sale in February/March, very close to the launch date of the Splash.