Suzuki Alto v Holden Barina Spark v Nissan Micra 2011 Comparison

Also consider: Toyota Yaris 1.3 ($15,990 driveaway), Hyundai i20 ($14,990 driveaway)

Hatch Match
It's amazing what you can get at the bargain basement end of the new car market these days. And we have the Chinese and Malaysian brands to thank for it -- even if they're not on many shopping short-lists.

Malaysian brand Proton spooked the market last year with its $11,990 driveaway S16 sedan, then China's Chery matched that price earlier this year with the J1 hatch -- and quickly trimmed a further $1000 off the price, to limbo to $10,990 driveaway.

What each brand was counting on, however, was that established, mainstream players would sit idle. They didn't!

Small car specialist Suzuki was first to respond, matching the $11,990 driveaway price for its Indian-built Alto -- and yet offering a much safer car with six airbags and stability control.

Nissan with its Thailand-made Micra and Holden with its Korean-made Barina Spark weren't far behind. They couldn't limbo under the $11,990 bar, but they sharpened their pencils to $12,990 and $13,990 driveaway (respectively). Some of these deals are still out there if you shop around, which is why we've listed the RRP as well as their most recent promotional pricing.

The Suzuki Alto's 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine puts it among the most frugal petrol cars in the country. Although, uniquely among this trio, it insists on premium unleaded fuel...

At base level, Nissan's Micra also uses a three-cylinder engine (slightly larger in capacity at 1.2-litres, it is more refined than the Suzuki's powerplant).

Holden's Korean-built Barina Spark comes with a 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine. Its tall, angular bodywork stands in stark contrast to the squat, bug-eyed aesthetic of the others.

The three reside in perhaps the most ferociously competitive sector of the market worldwide. It shows, too, just how far the automobile has advanced in the past decade. Standard fare includes air conditioning, electric front windows at least, central locking, more audio inputs than some cars costing several times as much, trip computing and Bluetooth connectivity.

In vehicles targeting phone-addicted youngsters, we consider Bluetooth a safety feature. [Ed: in fact, should it now not be compulsory?]

On that front, six airbags, antilock brakes and stability control are the norm now (unlike the Chinese and Malaysian offerings).

Despite this, the Alto has a fair bit going for it. First up, the front seats are the largest and comfiest here and it's easy to find a good driving position.

Turn the key and you'll find a reasonable surge of low-end torque from its growly little 1.0-litre triple -- perhaps at odds with its output stating it needs 4800rpm to reach its peak 90Nm and 6000rpm to reach its 50kW power sweet spot.

You can sheet that home to a featherish kerb weight of 885kg. As a result, it flits around nimbly in crowded urban environments, with a nice light clutch action keeping it simple and comfy in the bumper-to-bumper.

You need to change gears often to get the best from it when the hills and twists arrive, but that doesn't make it unique in this company, and it's not an unpleasant car to push along. The steering's light but not without feel.

It wont win a grands prix anytime soon (14-second 0-100 sprint, 17 for the auto), but it does the job.

I didn't push it anywhere near a full load of people and gear, but you can take it as read that a couple of hundred extra kilos would take its toll on that nimbleness.

Visibility is good all round; the rear window sits a little high, but there's nothing poking out behind it. A short wheelbase and a nice tight 9m turning circle make it one of the market's most parkable cars.

Sipping just 4.7L/100km combined and emitting a tiny 110g/km CO2, it's not surprising the Green Vehicle Guide likes the Alto, giving it greenhouse gas and air pollution ratings of 8.5 out of 10.

The downside? For a car built on price sensitivity, it's most unbecoming to have a vehicle like this dependent on 95/98 RON premium unleaded. That's a couple of hundred dollars extra a year in fuel at average usage rates -- enough to quickly eat into its price advantage.

Storage is limited, with no centre box, a tiny glove box, a bit of nic-nac room on the console and door pockets a marketer might call 'slimline'. The rear seat is strictly kidstuff on journeys exceeding a few minutes. And then, no more than two -- the Alto is only legal for four.

Cargo space is limited, but helped out by a 50:50 split-fold rear seat. Annoyingly, the parcel shelf drops out of its mountings as it rises with the hatch. Grrr.

But amid the spartanness and the tightness, important ergonomics and cabin controls acquit themselves well -- and it comes with a six-speaker audio system.

Search new Suzuki Alto models here

It's not the place for those who like to sit low -- I would have liked to but there's no height adjustment.

It's clear in its intent, with its Midori and frosted-lipstick paint options and (comparative) abundance of storage -- a decent glovebox, lots of nic-nac cubby holes in the dash and console, and door-pocket drinkholders big enough for a 600ml bottle.

While the 'motorcycle-inspired' instrument pod's mix of analogue speedo, strip-light secondary gauges and numeric readouts works okay, it's easy to conclude the designers gave cuteness precedence over ergonomics. But you do get trip computing functions.

The graphic tacho, with its decided skew to aesthetics over usability, matches an emphysemic engine that struggles up hills in second gear, with a couple of well-fed chaps in front and a sportsbag on the rear seat.

At 948kg, it's only 63kg heavier than the Alto, and with peak power of 59kW it's the most muscular of our trio. But to this driver it felt less nippy than the three-cylinder engines. All three require high-ish revs to get the best from them, but the Spark needs to be pushed the hardest.

Around town the ride absorbs the rough stuff reasonably, but at speed the too-light rear end gets skittery. The steering feel delivers news of uneven surfaces in unpleasant kickback at times. In keeping with its tall, narrow silhouette, it feels the top-heaviest, too.

Rear legroom is okay with cooperation up front, but the Spark's narrowness precludes three adults across the back. At any rate, two would be asking an awful lot of the engine.

On the upside, the littlest Holden's interior feels roomy than it is by virtue of its almost van-like proportions, making for plenty of headroom all round. Equipment levels are reasonable -- it's the only one here to come with a USB audio port, auto-off lights and alloy wheels (14-inch) standard. It's also the only one to miss out on a full sized spare and -- glaringly -- the aforementioned auto transmission option.

On safety, it sees the others for equipment and adds seatbelt pretensioning and foglights. That said I found cause for concern in the possibility of knee injuries on the fan control knob on the console in the event of a collision.

Search new Holden Barina Spark models here

Indoors, it's the roomiest and best sorted one here -- the only one that comes close to a proper five seater. Despite a proliferation of hard plastics to match the others, it manages to uphold Nissan's reputation for build quality, at least in the context of its price range.

Like the Spark, it has a trip computer, but it's the only one with Bluetooth phone connectivity as standard (optional on the others, although if you twist the dealer's arm you can negotiate it).

On paper, the Micra doesn't have the power or torque of the Spark, at 56kW and 100Nm respectively. But you can feel the bigger bore and the longer stroke that go with marrying the three-pot engine configuration of the Alto with the 1.2 litre capacity of the Spark.

At 942kg, it's carrying Spark poundage, but the Micra feels the sprightliest car here, although that's hardly the word for 0-100km/h in 15.1 seconds.

But that figure doesn't reflect how nippy the Micra feels. It also steers incredibly well for a basic car. Don't be put off by the puny 14-inch wheels and tyres, they actually sock up bumps and thumps incredibly well.

No wonder it was a finalist in the numerous Car of the Year awards last year.

Search Nissan Micra models here

We were impressed with the Suzuki Alto when it was released two years ago -- and then the Holden Barina Spark came out. And we were impressed with the Holden Barina Spark when it was released in October last year -- until the new Nissan Micra came out literally one week later.

The good news is that each time a new one of these tiny cars is released, the category generally takes another step forward.

But if it were our money -- and the budget stretched that far -- the Micra would top our consideration list. The Nissan's better engine, better driving dynamics and roomy cabin edge it ahead in this hotly contested class.