10
Hot Lists
Five of the best family hatchbacks you can buy right now
Time to put our sensible hats on for a roundup of very sensible family hatches
Honda Civic
Honda took an interesting tack with this Civic: honing the drivetrain for impatient European tastes first, then adapting it for lazy American driving afterwards. It shows: this is a well sorted, mature and very complete family hatchback, well kitted out and impressively refined.
Aimed at: spreadsheet users
Read the full Honda Civic Review
Advertisement - Page continues belowSkoda Octavia
The Octavia’s 27 years of production make it the most successful model in Skoda’s history, and on this evidence it's not slowing down yet. Its mid-life facelift further improves what was already a very good car indeed.
With our most sensible of sensible hats on, it’s easily the more practical car than the Golf or Leon, it has the least annoying interior and provides an impressively comfortable driving experience. Dynamism is in short supply, but you didn’t come here for that did you?
Aimed at: people with sensible shoes
Read the full Skoda Octavia Review
Volkswagen Golf
There wasn’t a whole bunch wrong with the Mk7 Golf. And when the Mk8 arrived, we longed for the clarity of the old car’s infotainment. While the touchscreen still rules in the Mk8.5, the new system is undoubtedly an improvement.
And the rest of the car is, sure enough, finely polished. Better steering, better refinement, better safety. All steps forward for a car that already pretty much led the class. Get yourself a 148bhp TSi with the multi-link axle in Style trim and you’re laughing.
Aimed at: everyone
Read the full Volkswagen Golf Review
Advertisement - Page continues belowMG4
On the face of it, the MG4 doesn’t seem like a very exciting car - certainly not something Top Gear would give a massively high score to. But when you dig into what it does for the money, how high it scores on multiple levels, it’s probably the only car in the class to recommend. It’s got range, charging, equipment, zippy dynamics and now some style.
Aimed at: early adopters/taxi drivers
Renault Megane E-Tech
This Renault is slick to drive, so you might briefly be tempted into range-blunting speeds that negate the car's clever efficiency measures. Go sensibly though and the range compromise is enough for most.
As for the non-electric parts of it, the Megane is conventionally desirable, handsome, and the cabin is well-finished and easy to use. There's very little wrong with it. Which is more than can be said of the ID.3.
Aimed at: stylish school runs
Trending this week
- Car Review
