Category: City Cars 
Price Range: £9,149 to £9,149
Quirky, unbelievably spacious, ideal for city driving, economical and tax-efficient.
May look too oddball for some, no manual gearbox option, poor audio system.
The four-seater Smart should have made.
It's truly a miracle of packaging; thanks to its long wheelbase with the wheels stretched right to each corner, the short nose and tucking the engine where a spare wheel would normally go, the i is impressively spacious inside. Two adults can sit in the back with sufficient headroom and decent legroom - and get in easily, with the five-door bodystyle - and even though the i is so narrow, there's plenty of elbow room side-to-side.
The positioning of the engine means that the 246-litre boot is shallow, but with the tailgate opening nearly the full width and height of the tail end, it's a large, square space which could easily accommodate a weekend bag or two, or the spoils of a substantial trip to the supermarket. The rear seats split 50:50 and fold flat, too, further increasing the cargo capacity and its possibilities.
There are two cupholders, a two-section glovebox with a handy slot (Mitsubishi suggests using it as a tissue-box holder) and door pockets for useful storage.
The i rides well, coping with city potholes, speed bumps and so forth with relative ease, although it can get a little choppy at higher speeds. Noise levels are low.
The only downside is that the seats are rather flat and unsupportive, especially the flat pads in the back, with short bases and back-rests designed more for petite Japanese people than hefty Europeans.
And, if we're getting picky, the audio's system's weedy, with a poor radio.
Going a long way to merit the £9,000 price, equipment levels are high. The UK-market i packs in climate control, front and rear electric windows, electric/folding door mirrors, a leather steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver's seat, an in-dash CD player with four speakers and remote central locking.
