The five smallest new cars you can buy in NZ

Monday, 2 September 2019

While we do like our small cars in New Zealand, there is a limit - truly tiny city cars have never taken off here. Mainly because we have a lot of space that isn't city.

But some do drop under the 4 metre mark, so today we take a look at the five smallest cars you can buy new in New Zealand right now. There's no complicated formula at work here though - we have simply gone off length.

Mini (3821mm)

Surprise! While it is popular to grumble that BMW's incarnation of the Mini isn't really that mini, the three door hatch is still one of the smallest cars you can buy new.

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And it is that three door configuration that is to thank for that - all of the Mini's European competitors have gone the five door only route - and while the five door version of the Mini hatch is still under 4 metres long, it is a decent 160mm longer than the three door.

Interestingly enough, the Mini just edges out the car that a lot of people say is the true 'modern day Mini', the Suzuki Swift (3850mm long).

The Holden Spark is our Top Car for 2016. Small wonder.

Mitsubishi Mirage (3795mm)

While it was something fresh and quite interesting when it first launched, Mitsubishi's diminutive 3-cylinder runabout has aged quickly and now looks a bit ancient in the segment.

But then it is also incredibly cheap, so that has to count for something. And that rumbly little triple does have a decent dose of character and feels unbreakable as you thrash it along.

And given Mitsubishi's track record with the likes of the Lancer and ASX, the Mirage will probably just hang around for ages getting cheaper and cheaper while also adding more equipment as standard.

Think modern Minis are too big? Well, they are still actually some of the smallest cars in their segments.

Suzuki Ignis (3700mm)

Suzuki claims the Ignis is an SUV, but that is nonsense. Literally no-one buying it would really think they are buying an SUV - they are buying a charmingly cute city car with a bright and cheerful interior.

And that is the reason it makes this list. The even more charming (but oh-so agricultural) Jimny is actually shorter than everything else here, but while it is surprisingly good as a city car for someone willing to put up with it, its utilitarian ruggedness would probably be too much for most people looking in this segment.

The Mirage has been around for a while now, but like the Lancer before it, Mitsubishi just keeps adding more stuff and making it cheaper.

Not so the Ignis - easy and actually fun to drive, the Ignis also has an utterly remarkable turning circle. And just look at it!

Suzuki Celerio (3600mm)

Proving its talent as a small car and SUV specialist, Suzuki's 'other' small car lands here too.

Suzuki says the Ignis is an SUV. It isn't. But it is awesome.

Our five is actually six, as the Kia Picanto and Holden Spark land at exactly the same length.

Suzuki does like a good small car. The Celerio isn't quite it, but it's close.

It's easy to overlook the Celerio amidst the big personalities like the Swift, Ignis and Jimny in Suzuki's line up, but as a small basic form of transport, it is actually a very good little thing indeed.

Being built in India down to a price does mean it's interior quality is several notches down from the likes of the Ignis, but the Celerio's 3-cylinder engine is a charmingly growly delight and remarkably frugal to boot.

Holden Spark and Kia Picanto (3595mm)

And it's a tie for the smallest car on sale in new Zealand, with both Holden and Kia's babies dropping it at a tad under 3.6 metres long.

The Picanto is newer and has more equipment packed into it, but the Spark is a better car to drive. With 73kW the little Holden out-powers everything else on this list, apart from the much more expensive 100kW Mini.

The Kia eschews a continuously variable transmission in favour of a conventional self-shifter, but it is only a four-speed auto. But then every car on this list, apart from the Mirage, can be had with a manual - so you can go small and still have fun!