Best Small Car 2021: Technology
Which small cars offers the most integrated solution when it comes to making a call, listening to tunes, navigating to a destination or using smartphone app mirroringLet’s face it. If you’re buying a new car you’ll most likely be spending plenty of time in it – including long hours in the daily traffic crawl and long-distance touring further afield. The latest automotive technologies including a comprehensive infotainment system can therefore make a big difference to just how well you’re kept entertained, informed and connected when in your car.
A minimum standard for infotainment features is met by all nine contenders in carsales’ Best Small Car 2021.
This includes the ability to pair your smartphone for telephone calls and audio streaming, mirror your phone apps via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, charge your devices via at least a couple of USB ports and, of course, listen to the radio on both the AM and FM bands.
Beyond that, there is patchy reception when it comes to infotainment features among the small cars tested here.
If you like to listen to digital radio, you’ll need to note that DAB+ is not fitted to every model at this level – it’s missing from the Skoda Scala Signature and the Volkswagen Golf R-Line.
Some swear by embedded sat-nav systems; others just end up swearing at them. But if you prefer to have integrated sat-nav rather than relying on your phone – which requires you to trust the cellular connection and have a phone plan with cheap or unlimited data costs – then you'll be happy to know that all but the Honda Civic RS are equipped with this feature.
Furthermore, all but the Honda Civic and Subaru Impreza 2.0i-S are equipped with wireless phone charging.
USB-C ports, which offer faster charging and data transfer, are only fitted to the Skoda Scala and Volkswagen Golf, with two in the front and two in the rear for both cars. The rest have the more familiar USB-A ports.
Meanwhile, wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is only standard in the Ford Focus ST-Line, Hyundai i30 N Line Premium, Skoda Scala and VW Golf.
Only the Ford Focus has an embedded SIM, which allows use of the FordPass app on a smartphone to access features such as locating the vehicle, locking and unlocking the doors and starting the engine remotely to allow heating or cooling in the cabin to the last known setting.
If high-fidelity sound is important, then all except the Ford Focus, Skoda Scala, Subaru Impreza and Volkswagen Golf lay claim to having a relatively high-end audio system of some kind as standard.
Best Small Car 2021 contenders:
Ford Focus ST-Line
Honda Civic RS
Hyundai i30 N Line Premium
Kia Cerato GT
Mazda3 G25 Astina
Skoda Scala Signature
Subaru Impreza 2.0i-S
Toyota Corolla ZR
Volkswagen Golf R-Line
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