My judgement is based on following grounds:

Volkswagen Polo

The Polo excels with a brilliant all-round performance – perceived quality, exterior design, ride & handling, safety, new technologies and high retail prices – there is no area where the smaller brother of the Golf reveals any weakness. First of all it looks better then the Golf – a timeless, but still sharp concept. Then there is the interior which breathes premium-feel, followed by a well balanced behaviour on the road. Excellent fun to drive offers the 1.2 TSI with 105 HP and a CO2-emission of 129 CO2/km. Combined with the 7 speed DSG gearbox – you really can’t ask for more in the compact class. And already in January the ultra-frugal Bluemotion-version with a consumption of only 3,3 litres/100 km and 87 g/km CO2 enters the fleet. The only thing missing is a sliding rear bench and curtain bags which cost an extra in most versions. But overall it is a car that fits ideally into the current automotive world climate.

Toyota iQ 

Many say that Toyota has invented a better Smart- and I totally agree with them. With a 3+1 configuration the iQ offers more flexibility for urban commuters like the two-seat only Smart but still lies just below the three-metre-mark. The design is fresh and cheeky, the safety record is excellent – with ESP and – as a world first – a rear airbag housed in the tailgate. More than the rather mediocre handling on country roads I was delighted by the extremely narrow turning-circle and the rich standard equipment (CD/Radio, AirCon etc.) Out of the three engines the Diesel is the best – I would prefer that to the strangely lethargic 1,33 litre petrol. Both petrol engines couldn’t reach the consumption given by the factory – an area where Toyota still has to improve.

Mercedes E-class

The design of the sedan is less stringent then on both the very clean-sculptured C-class and S-class – in my mind the front-end isn’t in harmony with the rear, and overall there are too many curvatures and embellishments. The interior is extremely conservative, dominated by angular lines and surfaces. But apart from these subjective judgement the new Merc offers a lot for its (high) price. Plenty of space in a silent cabin, a fantastic ride, excellent fit and finish and a comprehensive safety equipment that even incorporates a fatigue-sensor! I was surprised how easy and agile the huge car behaved on the twisty BOSCH proving ground. On the other hand the consumption of the brand-new CDI-engine was disappointing – if you push the beefy motor consumption climbed easily above eight litres! I also blame Mercedes of not having introduced start-stop-systems across the whole engine range. And why does Daimler still only grant customers a two-year-warranty?

Opel Astra

The Astra continues where the Insignia finished. From  design standpoint it looks even better, due mainly to more balanced proportions. But the car – like the Mazda 3 - has overstretched the dimensions of a classic compact car: 4,42 metres is 20 cms longer than on the predecessor and 22 on the Golf Mk VI. But funny enough the luggage compartment shrunk by ten litres which gives evidence of a modest overall package. Also rear knee-room, although generous, isn’t particularly larger then on a Golf. So one somehow wonders where all the extra length has gone into. What speaks in favour of the car is the really excellent chassis with (optional) Flexride-System, the much improved perceived quality in the cabin, the excellent noise and wind isolation, the very competitive insurance ratings, the clever bike-carrier and the admittedly pretty overall look. Only the centre stack is – similar to the Astra – overloaded with buttons. Less could mean more here! The rear-view is bad, and we also would like to see innovations like start-stop or DSG from Opel in future.

Skoda Yeti

If I were a resident of a Swiss or Austrian village lying at an altitude between 800 and 1.500 metres above sea level a Skoda Yeti with all-wheel drive would be my favourite choice. The car is refreshingly honest, with a square but somehow charming exterior design, a slightly higher seating position, a flexible seating landscape carried over from the Roomster and the meanwhile generally acknowledged Skoda/Volkswagen quality. Also not the norm is a knee-Airbag. I also feel that this compact-SUV fits very well to the overall image of the brand and was long overdue.

Citroen C3 Picasso

There are two strong points which speak in favour of the C3 Picasso: generous interior space, flexible rear seat bench and the panoramic windscreen complemented by small A-pillars that don’t impede visibility in corners like on other MPV-style cars. On the other hand the car has a very dainty styling, with many unnecessary embellishments both in- and outside. Quality of materials is well under average, and the instruments – as always with a Citroen – very special. It is also not very funny to drive this space-box fast: The steering offers not much response from the road, the seats no firm support and there is also considerable body roll. A good car for families, fairly priced.

Peugeot 3008

For me this car is a perfect example why the so often conjured Crossover-idea doesn’t work. It’s neither a real SUV – since it is NOT available with 4x4 – nor an MPV or an Estate. The overall visibility is only modest, the variability of the rear seats is not existent and the split tailgate brings more disadvantages than advantages. The front end is simply ugly, and the flattening of the wheel arches needs – to say the least – time to get used to. A major design fault are the tyres which a) are just to small and b) do not stand flush with the outer wheel arch edge. Thus the 3008 always looks high on the road and “under-tyred”. The only area of the car I look onto with sympathy is the aircraft-inspired cockpit and the cool solution for the (optional) head-up display. But overall the new 5008 is a much more harmonious car.