If you’re looking for an engaging little hatch that rides and handles well, looks great, and is loaded with plenty of standard kit which you usually have to pay a lot more for, then the Hyundai Veloster is the car for you. And the car’s five-year warranty is icing on the cake.

if you’re after something that matches the Germans (read: BMW X3/X5 and Audi Q5/Q7) for drivability and offers a fair dollop of exclusivity without costing the earth (relatively speaking), then the Infiniti FX37 S might just be the car for you.

The new Honda CR-V may not exactly get the blood pumping, but by every measure it offers more of what you want and need, and less of what you don’t. It’s a conjuring trick that Honda’s designers and engineers can be proud of.

The Hyundai i30 offers good looks (inside and out), an impressive list of standard equipment for the money, good ride and handling with a level of refinement neither the Toyota Corolla or Mazda3 can match, and enough room for a family of four.

The new Golf is a case of more of the same, only different. It should be more than enough to continue its record-breaking run, says Paul Murrell. When the new Golf replaced the seemingly eternal Beetle in 1974, it changed the market forever. Of course, VW had the Beetle soldier on

The Peugeot 208 starts at $18,490, and that is, quite frankly, overpriced compared to what else is available. If your heart is set on this French cutie, at the bare minimum we’d suggest you consider the 1.6-litre four-cylinder, even though it is an additional $3000.

Looking more mature and premium than its predecessor, the Hyundai Santa Fe completes Hyundai’s line-up refresh. It’s also now one of the stand-out drives in the seven-seat SUV segment.

Subaru pretty much had the all-wheel drive wagon field to itself for years thanks to the capable Outback, but now VW is getting a proper grip with the hugely capable Passat Alltrack.