Chic and cheap; a matter of OPINION.

Byline: By Alistair Coull and Val Jessop

HYUNDAI has gone back to its roots with the little Amica. The Korean car maker made its name in the UK

with small cars for cost-conscious motorists and the Amica, with prices from under pounds 7,000, is a chip off the old block.

There's been a lot of activity in the city car market recently with some very talented newcomers in the shape of cracking little cars like the Fiat panda, Kia Picanto and Citroen C1.

So what chance do Hyundai have with their baby Amica. After a week with one I think that if you are on the look-out for a no-nonsense, cheap to run, reliable city car, then the little Hyundai fits the bill perfectly.

There's no doubt the Amica is a chic city car. It's cute to look at, compact and economical.

It's still a narrow car which helps with parking, but compared to some rivals, it's longer than average. That means it has lots of room for four adults and their luggage. In fact, with 343 cubic feet it has aclass-leading amount of boot space for the weekly shop or weekend away

Though it is aimed at small car buyers, the Amica is not a no-frills offering. The test car was a GSI-specced model whjich meant it came with electric front windows, immobiliser, central locking, power steering, ABS with electrpnic brakeforce distribution and a stereo radio/CD.

Top of the range CDX models, which cost an extra pounds 500, add rear electric windows, alloy wheels and air conditioning to their list of goodies.

Surprisingly, although Hyundai say safety was a prime consideration in the design of the Amica, there's no passenger airbag - or even the option of one. It does have side impact beams, front and rear bumpers that cushion impacts and thre point seatbelts all round, but the omission of a front passenger airbag is, I feel, a big mistake.

Buyers also have a rear choice for a small car of opting for eithe a five-sped manual or a four-speed automatic gearbox in the CDX model.

One huge benefit of buying an Amica is its five year, unlimited mileage warranty, that is fully transferable if you sell the car -an offer unmatched by any other manufacturer in the UK.

Instrumentation is clear and switchgear, although its dotted around, is obvious, easy to find ansd simple to operate.

Inside, the cabin is functional and offers excellent headroom as well aas a split/fold 50/50 rear seat. Five doors as standard makes getting in or out an easy exercise.

But it's not all cosmetic changes. The Amica has a more powerful engine - a 1.1-litre four cylinder unit that develops 62bhp, some 7bhp more than the model which was sold in Britain until two years ago.

Sadly, it's not enough to make it a high performer but it doesn't claim to be a sports car. Its top speed of 91mph aand 0-62mph acceleration time of 15.2 seconds make it one of the slower cars on the market. The upside of this is its great fuel economy - over 52mpg in the combined cycle.

Long distance motoring was never a design goal, which is a relief as the engine, while nippy enough around town, runs out of puff at motorway speeds where noise levels also rise alarmingly.

Hyundai's latest model in the midget car market has more than a hint of yesterday about it.

That's not so surprising, as the new Amica hatchback is not that wildly different from the earlier Atoz incarnation, which didn't make much of an impact on the British motoring public - hence its quick exit.

The re-design - you couldn't really call it an 'all-new' model - is much more conservative and there have been a number of changes, including a new engine.

Visually, the roof has been lowered by 35 mm, so that it maintains generous headroom, yet doesn't look quite as top heavy as its predecessor, even with a slightly slimmer girth.

But these tweakings don't manage to reduce the Noddy car image, accentuated by very small wheels, similar to those you would expect to find on a golfing cart.

So, the overall effect compares to those equally small French city cars that run on electricity.

Actually, you have to hand it to Hyundai that despite the diminutive profile of the Amica, its capacity to swallow four adults in reasonable comfort is a packaging master stroke. The height of the cabin is good, and the width is okay - a little on the skimpy side for those not blessed with a lean skeleton.

Otherwise, the Amica is a friendly enough runabout in which to travel. It is only when it is made to cope with sharp bends at speed that it tends to become disorientated and wallows and totters about. Treat it as a city car and you'll be content. Even on the open roads, it is reasonably composed, so it needs to be treated with respect with a 1.1-litre unit which takes 15.2 seconds to reach 62 mph from start.

If it is driven hard the Amica's engine complains in fairly harsh and vocal terms.

The baby Hyundai might look like something out of Toyland, but it is ideal for zipping in and out of city streets, though it's not quite got the chic factor of some rivals.

But who can seriously crib about its less than perfect handling and less than stunning acceleration with a price tag of pounds 5,990 - for this the GSI model.

The Amica is certainly eco-friendly, returning an average fuel consumption of 52 mpg - and with an insurance grouping of 3, it is bound to be a serious consideration as an urban runabout.

In the last five years, sales of city cars have quadrupled in the UK, partly influenced by limited parking in towns and cities, partly as a result of a lower tax band for cars with small engines, and the introduction of congestion charges, so the future looks bright for the Amica.

The only downside was the emission of a passenger air bag and there was not even an option for one.

Hyundai Amica 1.1 GSI

ENGINE' 1086cc 12V 62 b h p @ 5500 r pm 72 lb /ft @ 3000 rpm

PERFORMANCE: Top speed: 91 mph 0-62mph: 15.2 secs

ECONOMY: Town: 42.2/ open road: 60.1/mixed: 52. 3 m p g CO2 EMISSIONS: 128 g/km

INSURANCE: Group 3

PRICE: pounds 5,990