If you have around $20,000 to spend on a compact city car, it's hard to look past the Kia Picanto. It's surprisingly grown-up to drive and loaded with features, which is why it's comfortably the best-selling micro car in Australia.
But size matters – so we've heard – and for not all that much more money than Kia demands, you could find yourself behind the wheel of something more substantial.
Something like the Suzuki Swift GL Navigator with Safety Pack, perhaps. It's less showy than the Kia, but the Swift is practical, handsome and fun to drive.
Which of these first-car favourites gets things right, then?