Having driven the more common 1.6 litre variants of Ford's Laser, I knew them to be nice enough cars with decent handling and comfort, but not exactly exciting. Until I kept a long overdue appointment with the Laser GLXi 1.8 hatch.

1800cc engines seem to have been gaining favour lately, offering greater real-world power without too big a sacrifice in terms of economy, with `1.8i' badges appearing more often on the bootlid or hatch in front of you on the freeway.

Mostly because the manufacturers are making them available, and at reasonable prices. Laser had in fact been left behind in the price-war, until Ford gave it an end-of-year push on December 1, cutting prices and making a driver’s airbag standard equipment on all models.

Price cuts topped out at $1,000 on the volume selling LXi sedan or hatch (to $19,990 rrp), while GLXi sedan and hatch - subject of this review - got a smaller reduction of $900. Often competing in price with cars which are undeniably larger, and with engines of slightly bigger capacity, the GLXi has moved a little closer to the magic $20k barrier at $21,990.

Also on the plus side is the cargo hatch, which is easily accessed with a wide opening and low lip, and a 60/40 split folding rear seat to enable carrying of longer objects.

Less pleasing is the infuriating chime that begins chiding anyone who dares to open a door while the headlights are on or the key is in the ignition. But it sort of compensates with interior and courtesy lights that come on when the key is removed from the ignition lock. And the interior light has a comfortably long delay on entry.

Our test car also carried the optional "Power Pack" of power mirrors, locking and all-round power windows, with the added advantage of auto down and auto up on the driver's window.

Oh yes, and the December price rollback included the GLXi hatch getting the same velour interior trim as the sedan version.

Since Laser is effectively a Mazda 323 under the skin, this particular model at least is starting to look more like direct badge competition. But `Henry' now owns enough of Mazda to probably encounter no objections anyway.

As well as its `baggie', of course, the GLXi adds the higher output 1.8 litre engine, sportier suspension, disc brakes all round, driver seat tilt and height adjustment and cup holder.

Other items in the options department include air conditioning, a passenger baggie and 4-speed auto, but that1.8 litre DOHC engine is undoubtedly the biggest attraction.

It gets up and boogies if the loud pedal is pressed with any urgency, making this a 5-door hatch that can be an enjoyable drive as well as sensible everyday transport. It's a perky little number that sings quite happily and is tractable enough to make sure that gearshifts don't have to occur too frequently.

Almost a pity really, as the manual box in our test Laser had a satisfyingly smooth and rubbery action through all five gears. The sort of gearshift that gets you thinking `Why not change down another gear for this corner, and the next one…'

Okay, so all that brake-dancing is bound to have a negative effect on economy. Our worst fuel consumption of 8.9 L/100km (32mpg) was obtained while exploring GLXi's ability on twisty bits of road, but was reasonably compensated for with a best figure of 7.2 L/100km (39.5mpg) while cruising the highway with brain fully engaged.

Handling in those above-mentioned twisty bits is definitely a strong suit of the GLXi, remembering that one of the featured items in its equipment list is "sportier suspension".

Well, it may not really be in the sportscar category, despite a somewhat firmish ride at lower speeds, but the car certainly responds more willingly to driver input than most in its class, and its inherent front-wheel-drive understeer is easily controlled. Put simply, Laser GLXi is an enjoyable drive.

And surprisingly well behaved for its size (and suspension firmness) on corrugated gravel. The bumps are felt, but it maintains a reassuring steadiness while making its way over them.

Yes, we did some country driving in Laser, and concluded that its headlights are at least a bit better than average. In city areas, its low beam lights up the nearside kerb clearly for a good 30-35 metres, while out on the open road high beam has a wide spread of light across both sides of the road and reaches a fair distance ahead.

In an ever more price-conscious market, even with the recent price rollback, Ford Laser must play second-fiddle to some of its competitors for features and equipment - just not enough gadgets and baubles to match their glitter.