Hyundai and Volkswagen ramp up pressure on rivals

Hyundai has announced full pricing and specification for its New Generation five-door i30 hatchback, due to launch in the UK on 12 March. Prices start at £14,495 on-the-road for the entry level i30 Classic with 1.4 100PS engine and rise for the 1.6 CRDi 110PS auto to £20,795.
New standard features on the i30 include voice-activated Bluetooth, LED daytime running lights, multi-function steering wheel, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors and one-touch indicators. Safety systems standard across the range include Vehicle Stability Management, Emergency Stop Signal and Hill-start Assist Control. Active trim level, adds 15-inch alloys, cruise control, rear parking sensors and Hyundai's new dynamic Flex Steer system, which gives the driver the option of three settings namely: Comfort, Normal and Sport. All ‘Style' models benefit from 16" alloy wheels, dual zone climate control, front parking sensors, rain sensing wipers, cornering lights, automatic headlights, automatic de-fog system for front windscreen and electrically folding door mirrors with LED indicators. Topping the trim will be Style Nav, which brings a fully integrated touchscreen satellite navigation system and rear view parking camera. There are 16 models in the new range including automatics on 1.6 petrol or diesel derivatives.

Another version of the VW UP has been added to the UK range, which hasn't even gone on sale yet. Getting into Volkswagen's award-winning up! city car is now easier than ever, with the introduction of the new five-door model. Pictured here for the first time, the five-door
up! has many of the same virtues as its three-door sibling: a 2.42 m long wheelbase that makes for impressive interior space, a capacious 251-litre boot, an efficient three-cylinder engine, new-to-the-class safety features and an innovative infotainment system. Rear passengers in the five-door up! benefit from exactly the same space as those in the three-door model, with 947 mm of headroom (versus 993 mm in the front) and 789 mm of legroom. The rear seat base is set slightly higher than that in the front, at 378 mm (versus 306 mm) giving passengers a clearer view of the road ahead. As well as front and side airbags, ABS with Hydraulic Brake Assist, Isofix child seat preparation in the rear and standard ESP (on all but the entry level Take up! model), the up! can be ordered with an optional City Emergency Braking system. This uses sensors to scan the space ahead of the vehicle, applying the brakes automatically if it detects that the car is about to hit an object in front, and costs from just £225. The up! has received a five-star rating and the Advanced Award from Euro NCAP, the European New Car Assessment Programme. It is the first vehicle in this class to receive these awards. The Maps & More infotainment system is a mobile Personal Infotainment Device that was developed to organise navigation, telephone, information and entertainment. It is removable, but unlike many other similar systems of this type, it melds with the car's network of systems and can be used to view vehicle information, such as the display of the parking sensors (where fitted). The system is standard on the High up! model and above, and optional on the rest of the range. The up! has already received top honours at the prestigious What Car? awards, where it was named Car of the Year for 2012, and has also been named TopGear magazine's Small Car of the Year. First UK deliveries of the five-door up! are expected to start in the second half of the year; prices are yet to be confirmed. The three-door up! is available to order now, with prices starting at £7,995 (RRP OTR) and the first models arriving in showrooms in March.