You leave varsity and soon get a job at a local firm doing menial tasks. A year later someone recognises your potential and you get a promotion up the order.

Now you get more money but also more responsibility. The path continues until you are the top dog, earning the big bucks and responsible for steering the firm in the right direction.

In a similar fashion, the machines pictured here are currently climbing the corporate ladder. They have been through the entry-level phase, have scooped praise and awards and have subsequently evolved and grown up into competent commuters, but surprisingly, they still offer reasonable value for money. For around R150 000, a buyer can have a vehicle that has everything a commuter needs and more.

I’d go as far as to say that unless you have seven kids, are Kingsley Holgate or operate a tour bus, buying anything other than one of this quartet is extravagant and greedy.

Practical and well priced doesn’t mean that aesthetics have been overlooked here. Sure the Yaris is as common as two-tone shirts at a potjie competition but it is pleasing to most eyes. The bubble-like silhouette and comical eye-like headlights garner much favour among buyers seeking a cute car, even more so in the facelifted model you see here. The Yaris does lose a few aesthetic points with its plastic wheel covers, but you do get alloys on the dearer Spirit version.

As for the Clio, thankfully its designers ignored the seemingly kwashiorkor-inspired rear from the Megane. It actually looks pretty good until you park it next to the Mazda2 or Ford Fiesta. Mazda didn’t only manage to make their baby look modern, but the guys at the drawing board gave it a sporty flair that nothing in the segment could come close to. Until now.

While the Mazda is a smart-looking car, I did notice a few Mazda2 drivers looking a bit green with envy as I steered the new Ford Fiesta around town. Ford has pulled out all the stops with this latest offering. It looks classy, sporty and family-orientated at the same time and I reckon that it, along the Citi Golf, are perhaps the only sub-R150K cars for real men. Like the Yaris, the Ford comes without fog lamps but it still creates a sporty frontal presence with a gaping grille and sharp bumper-mounted vents.

Much the same inside

Inside the cabins, it is much the same with Ford and Mazda duking it out in the modernity stakes. And here we won’t give the Yaris a good mention – its centrally-mounted Toyota binnacle looks like it escaped from an episode of Star Trek. The Renault’s dash isn’t half bad if you ignore the gaudy blue facia trim.

Ergonomically, the Ford is a champ. It is the only car here with height and reach adjustable steering, so finding a comfortable position proved easiest. The fact that the Fiesta also uses a wheel to recline the seat backrest also helped in this department. Renault also employs a wheel adjuster so the black marks go to Mazda2 and Yaris for using a lever system. Levers only allow set positions while wheels are infinite.

The Toyota’s seats are cushier than armchairs, but they do lack side-support so you might have to hang onto the steering wheel around fast corners. In contrast, the Ford’s chairs have generous bolstering, but were unfortunately designed under the assumption that everyone has a 30-inch waistline, so they could prove a little tight for most.

The list of safety features is quite decent across the board here. Renault eclipses the rest in the airbag count. While all four cars have dual front airbags, none have curtain airbags, and only the Clio comes with front side airbags. On the active safety front, ABS and EBD are standard on all four.