Nowadays the economy driver is just as discerning with regards to expectation of performance as the buyer off the bigger luxury cars.
As an example of how performance and specification demanding we have now become, we compare three of today's smaller hatchbacks.
The three hatchbacks being studied today consist of the Vauxhall Corsa VXR, the Mini Cooper S and the Renault Clio 2L Renaultsport 197.
The initial perception with regards to the Vauxhall is that it is a much nicer car than previous versions.
For a small car it develops a massive 189bhp from a 1.6 L turbocharged diesel engine and would genuinely appear to have the getup and go to match the good looks.
It is a sign of the times and an indication of how important the market is that he competition however is quite serious.
The Clio develops 194bhp from a 2 L engine that takes a little to get it going but once you do, boy does it fly.
The power of the Mini Cooper S is obvious to see right from the start with a turbocharged diesel 1.6 engine providing 173bhp.
From a drivers perspective the Mini has stunning performance and lightning reactions. With regards to the Renault, it does appear to perform better the faster you go. Finally the Vauxhall has loads of performance and handles extremely well.
As with all things the interior of the cars there is always an element of compromise with the poor plastics of Mini set against the brilliant driving position. It was difficult to get comfortable in the Renault despite the quality of the interior and lastly though the design of the Vauxhall inside was great this somehow compromised the visibility.
How would these cars pan out in the long run was one of the other key issues. It appears that the strong second-hand price of the mini could make it an excellent prospect for its owners. With regards to the Renault a heavy depreciation in the value of the car would tend to offset the definite advantage of the discounts available on purchase. Lastly, the folk soul was cheap as to get up and running and potentially better equipped to three but this was offset by the quite steep running costs of the car.
All three cars represent quite good value for money with possibly the Mini Cooper S edging it overall. The overall handling speed and performance of the Mini makes it very popular despite the fact that the interior plastics look cheap and the rear seats are tiny and the boot is negligible. One of the additional factors is that most of the extras for the Mini are quite expensive.
Set against this the Vauxhall is a good old rounder with excellent performance superb handling and an interior of excellent quality. Set against this unfortunately is the other role compromised visibility and the fact that they're all quite as many safety benefits and features as the other two.
Surprisingly the Renault Clio comes in third despite an excellent showing in the performance stakes. Indeed probably once you've managed to get the car wound up in going this is the best of the lot.
