2020 Vision - What will you be driving this decade? Fish Brothers of Swindon have the answer

Honda Jazz 1.5i VTEC Sport

The Honda Jazz Sport could easily be written off as a rather half-hearted top model that does little to remind us of how great Honda used to be at producing sporting cars. Look at it in this harsh fashion and I'd be hard pushed to argue. As a warm hatch, it's not in the same league as the best in the class. Not by a long chalk. That said, this is not a car devoid of appeal. Far from it. The Jazz has developed into a car that's pretty good fun to drive and the Sport will show you a good time on the right road while still offering all the reliable and practicality that Jazz owners have come to depend on.

Better than that, perhaps the Jazz Sport represents a first step, an olive branch bashfully proffered to Honda enthusiasts. Toyota recognised that it needed sportier cars in its portfolio and the delicious second generation NSX model that Honda has now brought us demonstrates that the same feeling may be abroad in Tokyo. And when Honda does sports cars it can be utterly brilliant. One step at a time though. 

KOREA MOVE

Kia Sportage

This improved fourth generation Kia's Sportage is an affordable mid-sized SUV that delivers even more of what buyers are looking for in this segment. 

Have the updates made to this improved fourth generation Kia Sportage been sufficient to keep buyers loyal? It's true that they could have been more far-reaching, but there's just enough here to keep existing customers happy, we think.

That's important as Kia is fortunate enough to have quite a few of these people in the UK, thanks to the impressive sales success achieved by earlier generation versions of this car. This enhanced MK4 model offers such folk a little more technology and, as before, they'll like the generous equipment levels and long warranty. Ultimately, it's a car you sit in and wonder just how so many rivals can really be worth around £5,000 more. That says it all really. 

STILL CRAZY

Nissan Juke MK2

The Nissan Juke is wilfully weird, but it's hit a nerve with British buyers who love the thing. 

You probably know the guy who complains that all new cars look the same but has nothing good to say when a brand like Nissan brings out something different and fresh. Don't be that guy. The Juke has deservedly carved itself a lucrative niche for itself with an inexpensive vehicle that drives well, is cheap to run and which isn't afraid to assert its own personality. The second- generation model's design remit doesn't alter that fundamental appeal but smartening the looks, creating a bigger cabin and adding more technology certainly isn't going to do the Juke's prospects any harm.

It remains an unusual proposition, with an appeal that extends beyond the small crossover segment and also attracts the kind of buyers who might otherwise consider trendy small runabouts like Fiat's 500, Vauxhall's ADAM and the MINI Hatch. Juke buyers think that this car makes urban trinkets like those look rather dull and compromised. It's an original. In every sense. 

LOVE AND EIGHT

Peugeot 208

Peugeot's 208 supermini has been rejuvenated in second generation form. 

Peugeot says that with this second generation 208, it wanted to create 'the sexiest small hatch in the purest way'. Certainly, no effort's been spared here: there's a new platform, a fresh look and a completely redesigned interior, all of it targeting what the brand hopes will be a younger buyer. There's an all-electric version too.

The second generation 208 is larger, lower and wider than its predecessor and borrows inspiration for its silhouette from the brand's old 205 supermini of the Nineties. Inside, this car gains Peugeot's 'i-Cockpit' design philosophy in its latest form. There's a classy 3D driver display and a central TFT infotainment screen available in various sizes, depending on spec. At the back of this 208, you'll find decent passenger space for a car of this size. And Peugeot's keen to point out that the e-208 all-electric version has the same amount of rear seat legroom and boot space as the fossil fuelled derivatives.

With the 100hp manual model, you can expect to manage up to 53.0mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and return an NEDC-rated CO2 reading of up to 96g/km, which is pretty good going for a car in this segment. The 1.5-litre BlueHDi diesel version of course does much better. Up to 71.4mpg on the combined cycle is theoretically possible, along with up to 84g/km of NEDC-rated CO2.

Engine-wise, there are three petrol units and a single diesel to choose from. If you know the Peugeot brand, you might not be too surprised to hear that the available petrol units are all 1.2-litre three-cylinder PureTech powerplants, in this case developing either 75, 100 or 130hp. The 100hp unit is optionally available with an 8-speed EAT8 auto gearbox. The 130hp engine gets the auto 'box included. We've not previously seen an automatic with 8-speeds in the supermini sector. The diesel is the company's usual 1.5-litre BlueHDi engine with 100hp. As for the all-electric e-208 version, well just one variant of that will be available featuring a 50kWh battery mated to a 100kW electric motor, this confection developing a healthy 134hp. 

CHARGING LESS

Renault ZOE

Renault's ZOE now gets a significantly longer operating range and some useful updates. 

The problem with electric cars to date has been three-fold; high prices, restricted performance at higher speeds and a limited driving range. Renault is bent on changing that and the latest version of the company's ZOE supermini looks quite affordable compared to an alternative high-spec diesel supermini. In addition, the brand has added in a more powerful R135 electric motor to push things along in the mid-range. And there's a more capable 52kWh Z.E. 50 battery that boosts the previous 186-mile WLTP operating range to as much as 242 miles. What's stopping you?

The ZOE is designed for city driving, so the steering has been geared to offer a smooth effortless feel. Likewise, the throttle pedal doesn't offer too much in the way of resistance, but the brake responds to a good hoofing which seems a little odd at first. Like all electric cars, the ZOE feels eerily quiet as it pulls away, with no discernible engine noise other than a faint whine. This usually means you'll hear every bump and thump from the road as a result, but Renault has done a good job on chassis refinement and ride quality is excellent.

In summary, we think that this improved Renault ZOE represents another step towards the electric vehicle becoming a genuinely practical mode of transport for the average motorist. 

7-UP

SEAT Tarraco

SEAT's Tarraco aims to shake up the mid-sized 7-seat SUV market. 

The Tarraco won't make anything like the same impact its smaller Ateca stablemate did when it was launched back in 2016, but it does bring something of that model's dynamic feel to a market segment that really needs a more dynamically-orientated product.

We don't think the styling's especially dynamic but that's a subjective call. What can't be denied is that there's a lot to like here for larger families wanting a spacious 7-seat mid-sized SUV with a sportier demeanour: agile handling, state-of-the-art technology, versatility, functionality and plenty of cabin space. Mind you, every other rival in this segment claims to have all these attributes too. It'll be interesting to see how the Tarraco slots into its sector. Over to you. 

THE KAM CAN

Skoda Kamiq

Skoda joins the segment for small, trendy SUVs with the Kamiq. 

There's nothing very original about the Kamiq, but it's more in tune with the current zeitgeist than the old Yeti was. And certainly, more fashionable than the next model up in the Czech maker's SUV model line-up, the rather worthy Karoq. Skoda buyers are now well used to re-worked Volkswagen Group engineering with a bit of practical embellishment at a lower price - which is precisely what's served up here. If you're looking for something more outlandish and personalisable, buy a Nissan Juke instead.

But one of those might not be as easy or as pleasing to live with as a Kamiq. You get most of the sensible virtues we like in the brand's Scala family hatch, without the rather vanilla blandness we don't. A Kamiq, in fact, is without doubt the trendiest car the marque has yet produced. A fashion statement that's also a Skoda. Whoever would have thought it? 

SPACE - THE FINAL FRONTIER

Toyota Yaris

Toyota's improved Yaris is a car that really gets people talking. June Neary finds out why.

Toyota has been continually improving its third generation Yaris supermini, but the package of revisions we look at here is the most far-reaching yet, delivering an all-new look, a new 1.5-litre petrol engine and standardisation of the brand's camera-driven 'Safety Sense' package. What was already a class act has just become genuinely hard to overlook.

Toyota has spent over 90 million Euros improving this model, so we're talking about more than just a light facelift here. The front end is completely new, much sleeker and classier than before. The big news on the engine front is the introduction of a new 1.5-litre petrol engine to replace the previous aging 1.33-litre unit. Power output is up 10 per cent to 110bhp and fuel consumption has been improved by 12 per cent.

LOAD SAFETY

Volkswagen Transporter

Volkswagen's Transporter T6.1 panel van continues to be a quality and cost-effective offering in the medium range LCV sector thanks to a wide range of common-rail diesel engines and a tangible boost to its safety specification. The interior remains one of the most polished in the panel van class and the wide range of body options should keep most operators happy.

The Transporter engine range consists of four 2.0-litre TDI Euro6 engines with outputs of 84PS, 102PS, 150PS and 204PS. All 84PS and 102PS engines are fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard, with 150PS and 204PS units equipped with either a six-speed transmission as standard or a seven-speed DSG automatic.

Even the largest panel van with the most powerful engine returns close to 35mpg on the combined cycle. One thankful of fuel will therefore be good enough for around 850 miles, enough to get you from Portsmouth to Prague!

The Transporter comes in long or short wheelbase guises, these giving it a total length of either 4,892mm or 5292mm. Then there are low, medium and high roof heights which give rise to maximum load volumes between 5.8m3 and 9.3m3. The maximum payloads vary from 749kg to a heavy duty 1,333kg.