NEW Suzuki Swift vs Renault Clio

Is the small car dead? Some say it's so but tell that to the new Suzuki Swift or Renault Clio, two cars still flying the flag for small motors in the face of increasingly expensive emissions and safety regulations, making them less and less profitable.

To the all-new Swift first, then. This city car/supermini joins us in Mild Hybrid Ultra form which costs £19,799.

It has a 3 cylinder, 1197cc petrol engine, plus a 12V starter-generator. It makes 81bhp at 5700rpm, has a 5-spd manual gearbox, weighs 949kg and will do 0-62mph in 12.5sec. Its economy is 64.2mpg and it emits 99g/km of CO2.

Then there's our supermini class favourite, the latest Renault Clio. This one is a 0.9 TCe Evolution which costs £17,995, has a 3 cyl, 999cc, turbocharged, petrol engine making 89bhp at 5000rpm, driving through a six-speed manual gearbox, which is good for 0-62mph in 12.2sec. It weighs 1103kg, will return 54.3mpg and emits 118g/km of CO2.

Join Matt Prior and James Disdale as they try these two small cars to decide which is best. There's more, too, over at autocar.co.uk and full access to the entire 129-year Autocar archive over at themagazineshop.com/autocar.