Toyota Yaris

With flagship hot hatches now producing 200bhp, few people can afford the inflated asking prices and insurance costs. Toyota has the solution with the Yaris T Sport, which delivers many of the thrills, without the big bills. Toyota's revised model can still compete with the best.

We've known for a long time that Toyota's Yaris is a great supermini, so a raft of improvements and a minor facelift can only make it even more popular.

Our favourite model has always been the fun-to-drive T Sport, and now that the feisty flagship is available with five doors, greater practicality has been added to the tempting package. The aggressive T Sport bodykit has new-look bumpers and a black grille, and all Yaris models now feature revised teardrop-shape headlamps. Despite these changes, the designers haven't been able to disguise the fact that the Yaris is a tall, narrow city car, but it still looks good in hot hatch trim.

Across the Yaris range, the most significant technical changes have been made to the suspension to improve ride quality, but the T Sport still uses firmer settings to give a sporty drive. As a result, occupants feel every bump and pothole. But the benefit is that the handling is superb and the Toyota is a hot hatch lover's dream. Power comes from a 103bhp 1.5-litre VVT-i engine, and while 0-60mph in nine seconds is respectable, the coarse-sounding unit has to be revved hard if swift progress is required. Thankfully, the close-ratio gearing saves the day, and the razor-sharp throttle response often makes the Yaris seem quicker than it is.

Fuel consumption of 40.4mpg and CO2 exhaust emissions of 165g/km will also keep running costs down. At £12,495, the five-door T Sport costs £500 more than the three-door, but delivers a fine combination of driver enjoyment and supermini practicality.