One For The Road: A funky upgrade on a less-than-hot hatch

The fascinating Skoda Roomster is effectively a compact people carrier with 4x4 styling

Graham Harrison's Nissan Note has been spacious and reliable ferrying guitars and grandchildren without complaint. He now wants something "funkier" and has a budget of £12,000.

A Car for the Head

This should be two cars for the heart as Graham told me he finds the latest Note a bit bland and is looking for a vehicle that will do the same job, but looks a lot cooler. So it will have to be a small hatch and it may have to be the Chevrolet Aveo.

Here is an often-overlooked small car, which has very distinctive styling, both inside and out. There is plenty of room inside and what should please Graham is that it has a good-sized boot, which betters most similar cars in its class. Chevrolet is all about value so Graham will get a lot of specification for the money: £10,295 buys a 1.2 litre Aveo LS, which has air-conditioning and cruise control. It also comes with a five-year, 100,000-mile warranty and one year's AA roadside recovery.

A Car for the Heart

Then again, why go for a small hatchback when there is the fascinating Skoda Roomster? Here is a vehicle that defies accurate classification as it is effectively a compact people carrier with 4x4 styling.

Indeed, the four-wheel drive version of this model is called the Yeti. Graham, though, does not need the complication or expense when the Roomster has, well, plenty of room: three adults can sit in the back at a pinch and they can also pinch some boot space.

Actually, the entire rear seat doesn't just slide around; it can be removed entirely, leaving a massive area to play with. The only brand-new Roomster within budget is an S model at £11,855. But an SE model with air-conditioning is the better buy; I found a 2012 1.2TSI SE Plus at a car supermarket with just 2,500 miles for £9,990.

Looking to buy?

Email James Ruppert at onefortheroad@independent.co.uk, giving your age, address and phone number, details of the type of vehicle in which you are interested, and your budget.