A) Its not gonna do both of those at once…..

B) Show me the mpg figures please!

D) Stick a 2.2l turbocharged PETROL engine in it and watch the oil burner go backwards in the mirror….

Like stating the obvious do we? 🙄

My point was that not many cars are capable of that kind of economy AND that kind of performance.

50mpg on a diesel is it 1990s again?

No, it’s 2006 which is when that came out 🙂 The combined figure is 55mpg I think, but people don’t often get that afaik. I wasn’t saying it was the most economical, I was saying it was a nice blend of economy and power.

Hmmm, thanks everyone for your input. Clear as mud then

What did you expect? They are all good cars, most cars are, you just have to test drive them and get the one you like. Don’t expect us to say ‘this one’s the best’ and that be that! Might as well as what 5″ travel MTB is best.

Btw I don’t find VW servicing expensive. Costs me £150 or so to get my Passat serviced, £300 for cambelt. But then I do have a nice dealer.

Had those choices for cars. In the end went Civic, The focuc didnt feel solid, the Golf did, but once I tried the Civic with that dashboard the others were dull to be behind. I have a 1.8ES 06, it’s a great car the engine is great and economical overall. It’s a safe drive around the country lanes of Carmarthenshire.
Wife has a VW and dont find the servicing that bad, there’s more VW specialists around.

Yeah I wanted the Civic, but the Passat was on special offer and a lot cheaper. Glad I did now, better for caravan towing, but I still heart Civics.

Mates got the civic diesel EX model. Really well specced inside. It’s pretty nippy, gets excellent mpg too. Still noisy from cold start though, and I just don’t like the power delivery with derv cars.

Simple really…If you like driving get the Focus, If you are image concious, get the Golf.

focus for me, you’ll get newer one with far more toys on for that money!

the price of golfs is laughable!

I love VAG TDI’s

They are a great compromise of performance and economy

I had a golf 2.0TDI for 3 years 04 to 07 as a company car, did 90k miles in it trouble free.

I now own an octavia 2.0tdi and a seat 1.9tdi. Both remaped, both kicking out 50bhp over factory spec and still average over 50mpg in both.

Never had any major problems with any of them in over 100K miles of motoring.

Also, although they sound like tractors at tickover the mapped engines are very responsive and just as good fun as any petrol I have driven when making ‘progress’ down country roads such as A458 into wales the other week 🙂

focus for me, you’ll get newer one with far more toys on for that money!

Not my experience. Coudn’t get a Focus with crusie control without paying through the nose.

Still noisy from cold start though, and I just don’t like the power delivery with derv cars

The Civic diesel was one of the best engines I’ve ever driven. Loads of power from down low and it kept on pulling to the red line.

BTW what is the boot like in the Civic ? could you lob a bike in the back?

good for its class due to non-multilink rear suspension. seats down, yes. Seats up, no (but thats the same with the others as well)

Lad at work has a type r and with the seats down his bike slots straight in

Got a 56 plate 2.2 es , love it
Great engine, plenty power when it’s loaded to the rafters

Towbar fitted , 3 bikes all the kit and loads of room
You can fit bikes in the back no probs

Parts are a bit pricey but some careful shopping will resolve that
Dealer here is ace , first name terms with clients who come back
My mates on his 5th Honda ( over 12yrs) he loves em

Only negatives , ride quality a bit harsh
Crap in snow ( cured by winter Tyres tho )

I’ve driven the vtec petrol a few times and it’s a nice engine

Just look for a solid service history from a good dealer and you’ll be safe
Plus the interior is genius , so simple and easy to use
Makes audi’s etc look fussy

The dash is a winner for me , like digital dash’s , had a yaris too 😉

Hth

BTW what is the boot like in the Civic ? could you lob a bike in the back?

Not long enough front-to-back to get bikes in whole (but short of a full-size estate, not much else will) but plenty of room for bikes with front wheels off. Seats fold properly flat in one motion too. Have got 3 people and bikes in there OK before too.

Seats up, I’ve got my road bike in the back (had to take both wheels off obviously, and drop the saddle) when I needed to park on the road overnight for work.

For general carrying stuff, it’s great – very wide, low lip, 485 litres including the big square chunk of space under the boot floor. The flip-up seats are great for carrying things that are awkward – plants, TVs, etc.

Not my experience. Coudn’t get a Focus with crusie control without paying through the nose.

Think you need the Ghia for cruise. Can be had for reasonable money though. Maybe you were unlucky?

Well I walked into the Ford dealer with 13g in mind, and with 1-3 year old cars you needed the top spec, titanium is it.. to get crusie. Whcih meant paying for leather and everything else. Thousands of quid to get a cheap option.

Still would be going for a secondhand Mondeo ST TDCi, same sort of money you are spending with more space and a more powerful yet economical engine.

+1 for Quirrel.

Still would be going for a secondhand Mondeo ST TDCi, same sort of money you are spending with more space and a more powerful yet economical engine.

We already have a bigger car though, in a Saab 9-3. I know I’d get more space, but we are looking for a car that is slightly more compact, but still big enough to accommodate our two year old.

Why do you want it more compact?

Some people don’t want two big cars. When we had our Mondeo (ST TDCI coincidentally), we could have got another Mondeo as a cheap second car but wanted something small. Got a Polo.

Why do you want it more compact?

Spurious reasons at best. I’m a new driver and our drive only takes one car and parking on the roadside is at a premium.

I picked up a Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi Ghia estate in 2008 for £5500. Done 60,000 miles and have had absolutely no problems with it.

Gets 60mpg average and has room for at least three bikes plus kit.

The estates are only 10cm longer than the hatchback so it’s very easy to drive.

Insurance is £700 with 21 year old female with one years licence and me added as a named driver. Quote was £1100 without having me as a named driver!??

Molgrips, maybe it’s changed but my 07 plate 2.0 ghia tdci is standard & has cruise (and auto wipers, auto lights etc).

My 55 Ghia has cruise, auto wipers, auto lights, heated windscreen, electric rear windows etc.

The only reason I bought a Ghia was for the cruise and the comfort suspension.

Salesman might have been wrong I suppose – it has been known 🙂

Anyway I wasn’t that keen on the car for what I wanted.

Forgot the Focus, go for the Golf, you wont regret it.