2005 Suzuki Reno

The five-door-hatchback category has been whipping up a minor vortex of interest of late. And for good reason: Quad passenger doors offer faster seat access, inflated sterns yawn with cubic feet, and stubby dimensions mean they're zippy through urban snarl. But maybe most compelling is that their previously frumpy shapes have suddenly found style, and none more so than Suzuki's latest, the Reno, a five-door derivative of the Forenza that's been sculpted by that very sorcerer of chic, ItalDesign.

Beneath the handsome exterior, the five-door Forenza, er, Reno, is underpinned by good mechanical guts, including an eager 2.0-liter, 126-horsepower engine and standard four-wheel discs brakes. Even in base form, the shapely Reno includes such standard accessories as air-conditioning, MP3 and CD player, and finger-reach steering-wheel audio controls--that's the $13,449 bottom-drawer S version we're talking about; the midlevel LX is pegged at $15,349, while the well-appointed EX edges you up to $16,949. Buyers with brains will want to factor in $500 for the ABS (unfortunately only available with the mid- and top-end trims).

Behind the wheel, the Reno's road manners are considerably more sophisticated than those of Suzuki's similar stablemate, the Aerio, though our preproduction example could use still a bit more noise suppression. But with perky acceleration, responsive brakes, and agile lane-change maneuverability, it's the frugal-with-flair alternative to its Toyota Matrix and Mazda3 competitors.