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BY JONATHAN CROUCH The Market

In an age of niche marketing, it\’s rather refreshing to come across a class of car that should appeal to almost everybody. Apparently, 80% of British motorists travel just 20 miles each day to and from work and of those, 80% work in urban areas. These are the people targeted by the City car, a smaller spin on the standard Supermini concept, aimed at those who think that very small is very beautiful.

The Japanese tried – and failed – to launch this class of car in Europe in the early Nineties, having been forced into the production of such models by their own overcrowded roads. British buyers were having none of it: apart from burning their fingers with the odd Fiat Panda, just about the only thing they were prepared to consider that was smaller than a Supermini was Rover’s ubiquitous Mini – and that was seen as pretty eccentric.

Only with the launch of Fiat’s Polish-built Cinquecento in 1993 did attitudes begin to change and sales rise to the kind of numbers that industry analysts had predicted years before. When Ford’s Ka arrived in 1996 followed shortly afterwards by the SEAT Arosa and VW Lupo twins, customers at last had the kind of choice they had been craving, particularly as the Far Eastern makers had tried again and were pumping more Europeanised City cars into Europe as fast as they could make them.

Since it took the City car sector so long to get properly started, it’s only now that the used buyer can, for the first time, enjoy a really wide choice of alternatives. Cars like these weren’t much cheaper than their larger Supermini stablemates when they were new, so don’t expect it to be any different on the used market. You can however, expect to add the benefit of a slightly smaller price tag to savings on fuel, insurance and servicing costs. Throw in easier manoeuvrability and ‘chuckably’ fun handling and the appeal becomes easy to see.

Those manufacturers denied a proper City car for the UK market by their design departments (like Renault, Nissan, Toyota, Citroen and Peugeot) often chose to market stripped-out, entry-level Superminis in this sector. If a larger car is what you want, then fine, but don’t expect to enjoy all of the City car virtues we mentioned earlier.

Where the conventional Supermini does hold an advantage is in its (usually) greater suitability for longer journeys. Of the current crop of City cars, only the Ford Ka, VW Lupo and SEAT Arosa could, at a pinch, feasibly attempt a lengthier trip without causing too much discomfort. It’s unfortunate then, that all of these only have three doors. Almost everything else in the sector is really designed for shorter hops.

Cheap & Cheerful

The key player in this sector of the market is Ford’s Ka. Ford had soon realised how Fiat’s Cinquecento was mopping up sakes right across Europe and while Vauxhall lagged and dithered, Ford launched the car which has come to symbolise the sector. Arriving in 1996 with futuristic looks that flattered to deceive, since power came from a 1.3-litre ‘Endura-E’ petrol engine with roots going back more than a decade, the Ka was an instant hit. SEAT followed in due course with the cheeky Arosa.

Early P and R-plated SEAT Arosas and Ford Kas represent a good bet, particularly when you consider Japanese alternatives that are cheaper and better equipped but in almost every other way inferior. Stripped-out entry-level versions of larger Superminis like Peugeot’s 106, Citroen’s Saxo and Renault’s Clio were all promoted as City cars by marketing departments denied by their design teams of the real thing. A whole slew of pretenders soon followed, Vauxhall jumping into bed with Suzuki to bring us the Agila and Hyundai putting a toe in the water with the coolly received Atoz and Amica models. Fiat tried to reprise the success of the Cinquecento with the curvier Seicento model but found that the market had moved a good deal quicker than their design team.

Thanks to their Worthing design studio, the Koreans at Daewoo showed everyone how it should be done with the Matiz, introduced in 1998. All right, so it was a little flimsy but in every other way, it was the perfect City car, with five doors and a price tag so low that rivals couldn’t understand how Daewoo could do it for the money (they couldn’t: a loss was made on every car and the new Daewoo models now sport a Chevrolet badge). At the top end of this section comes the Smart City Coupe. Built to get into parking spaces that would make a Mini baulk, the Smart is still the ultimate city car.

Affordable Mid-Rangers

If you’ve got a little more money then you can afford some surprisingly sophisticated city cars. Late registration Ford Kas are still probably the default pick, but many will be tempted by the cheeky good looks of Volkswagen’s Lupo, introduced in 1999. With a range of decent powerplants and rock solid build quality, the Lupo commands hefty residuals. The late shape SEAT Arosa is a Lupo with a Spanish accent and many feel that the diesel versions in particular are the pick of the city car crop for the canny buyer. Smart offer the City Cabriolet for those who want the benefits of a city car with hood down motoring. The Kia Picanto is now looking good value for money in this sector are second generation Panda models. Toyota Aygo, Citroën C1 and Peugeot 107 models are now starting to look good value on the used market. Desirable But Potentially Pricey

Okay, so price isn’t the overriding concern? In that case, why not look at the latest generation of Smart models with the much improved interiors and gearchange? There’s no shortage of ex-demonstrator models to choose from. Otherwise for the total extrovert, the roofless and doorless Crossblade turns more heads than any Ferrari you could care to imagine. If you want to buy in at the top, consider the Audi A2. Small but beautifully appointed, this is city car driving on a higher plane. It’s no longer built but it’ll probably be a while until city cars are this well finished. The Mitsubishi i is another model that might cost a few bob but is endearingly different, with its tiny turbocharged engine and bizarre styling. What To Look For

Since most of these cars will have been used only for short trips and urban use, you don’t need to be too suspicious of low mileages. You do however, need to look out for the usual parking dents and scratches, including grazed or split bumpers and kerbed wheels. The large, wide-opening doors which tend to be fitted are prone to knocks.

Be equally fastidious when checking the interior, since the quality of materials used is unlikely to be of the best and may well be looking and feeling fairly tired. The same goes for things like sunroofs (which often tend to leak) and electrics (check electric windows, rear wipers and central locking where fitted). The brightly coloured trim often used on the seats can show up the regular unpleasant stains caused by kids and pets: check carefully.

Engine-wise, it’s pretty simple. Bear in mind though, that the tiny engines fitted to most City cars will in many cases have had to work over-hard on longer, fully-laden trips. Check that frequent servicing has taken place.