Okay my SO who believes that real cars stopped being made after 1998 and she has owned in the last 20 years, VW golf GTI MK1, MK2 8v and 16v MK 3 and is on her second MK3 lowered/girl racer and she now needs another car, love the VWs but looking at alternatives that are 'drivers cars', fuel efficent and still hot hatch so recommended by a friend the Cooper S and another the suzki but what are they like on fuel running costs and so on! Alternative suggestions welcome!

A hot Seat or Skoda. VW group, great build quality, great cars

Fiat 500 Abarth

The little skoda vrs. Real quick and runs on tractor fuel. Quicker than the mini on the sraights as well.

Mate is very happy with his Cooper S. Give us a bit more to work with. BMW 123d would be a good choice – serious poke and good fuel econonmy.

stick with the old VWs, cheaper to repair with no electrical gubbins or dual mass flywheels to break.
We chopped our 11 ish yr old VW Passat in for a new Ford Focus. The old Passat made less road noise inside and the finish was still much better than the new car 🙁
Thinking about chopping new car in for a slightly older Golf.
Skodas are good though, especially if your used to the VAG build quality

It's been a long time since VAG made the best cars,lots of choice out there. Ditch the brand loyalty and try a few. I like the hot Renaults,Minis are great(popular for good reason) and lots of Jap motors.

Those wee Suzukis are very, very nice indeed. Drive well, priced superbly…. I would certainly be giving it a close look, and certainly take one over the Mini.

ax gt? saxo vtr / vts? peugot hot hatches? fiat punto – sporty ones?

Fiat 500 abarth essesse

I have a cooper clubman d perfect space for a bike bag behind front seats. fast enough for a diesel and great fun down lanes

Corrado….

2003 Cooper S here, get around 34-36 MPG (combined) and it really does put a smile on your face. The newer models with the turbo instead of the super charger are supposed to be more efficient.

Crap car to put a bike in, possible but a tight fit!

something I have just considered after reading the post properly is a flaw to my answers – namely build quality after a vw.

fabia vrs.

The majority of VAG'S these day's are living on there forefather's great build quality, the modern one's are pretty guff and basic if im being honest(Skoda being the exception) 🙁 Swift is a belter of a wee car and if you buy the sport its nippy too at 120Bhp 8)

We have a Swift as a family car (shared by my brother, dad and myself) and we all love it.

We've got the 1.5l version (not the sport), returns about 36mpg (almost exclusively around town) and is fun to drive.

I've used it for a few motorway blasts down to London and visiting uni mates and it's been really well behaved on the motorway, so seems like a good all-rounder.

We've had it since april and have had no issues (not that you'd expect any for such a young car) and can definitely recommend it on the quality of the cabin alone. It just seems like a nice place to be.

Fiesta ST 150?

Audi TT?

Ive a 2003 cooper s with 210bhp kit(smaller pulley on charger an remap) on fast chuckable but not cheap on fuel. BigEaredBiker dont know how you manage that I get 20-25mpg only could just be me being leadfooted tho. Once managed only 70 miles out of a full tank on my yamaha r1.

Ive a 2003 cooper s with 210bhp kit(smaller pulley on charger an remap) on fast chuckable but not cheap on fuel. BigEaredBiker dont know how you manage that I get 20-25mpg only could just be me being leadfooted tho. Once managed only 70 miles out of a full tank on my yamaha r1.

Hmmm.. actually I think I might be wrong on that MPG figure. As that's the figure the computer provides.

I actually get about 320-330 miles out of a tank when I only drive to work an back which 50 miles a day around 30 of which are Motorway. If I drive just around town or like a nutter it'll be around 280 miles.

The maths – The mini has a 50 litre tank so 50/4.54 = 11 gallons.
330 (miles) / 11 (gallons) = 30 MPG.

THE COMPUTER LIES!!!

mrs tlr has a new cooper S.
the AC controls are super plasticky ! not in the VW league imo.
however, the car is a rock solid squeek free zone. steering feel is a bit wooden and gearbox is sh1t, but it does handle like a go-kart, quite literally and it's quick (turbo'd, not S/charger).
it returns ~32mpg too, so all in, recommended [for a girl that is !]

recommended [for a girl that is !]

Ahem, whilst I drive the mini daily it is actually the wife's car 😉

THE COMPUTER LIES!!!

I think they all do…my old megane did, as does my mondeo…I knock 10% off the figure it tells me and this appears closer to the truth.

We owned a Suzuki Swift Sport a while ago, great little car in some ways.

It handles really well, lovelly to drive.
BUT. Running costs for a small 1.6 car are high. You will struggle to get above 30mpg, maybe 35mpg on a motorway.
Tax band is high as well, over £200 a year.
Tyres are unique size Goodyear eagle F1's and cost £100 each.
It really needs a 6th gear as well. On motorways its a little noisy.

It'd fairly quick, but not cooper S quick. The normal cooper is similar in speed.

I'd look at the Fabia vRS and Fiat Panda 100hp instead.
I think if we had bought the Fabia instead, as originally intended we would still have it, rather than flogging the Suzuki after a year.

I've got a Fabia 1.9 tdi, my girlfriend has a Suzuki Swift 1.3. The Swift is good for the money, but feels cheaper in the cabin. I'm sure this won't apply, but steer clear of the 1.3 engine cos it's got no guts at all.

Scirocco GTX old school retro chic and a BLAST to drive!

thanks folks, corrado is the best car we have ever owned and would consider as 'keeper' I agree about the build quality of VW had a new GT TDI for a few weeks this summer, sad drive no involvement at all, anyone any experience with the mistbusi colt czt? I will ask her to have a look at the skodas, has to be a hot hatch sorry but she finds them more practical………….polo gti?

Well I've had 3 Mk5 Golfs and now have a Mk6 build quality is superb, yes Swift is a rather nice car but inside they're like a Little Tyke car utter cheap trashy plastic.

If she's into Golf GTi's she would probably be happy with a Cooper S but absolutely definitely not anything like a Suzuki or anything French or Italian as it will rattle like hell, fall apart in two days and depreciate like a stone.

I'm a bit of a GTi nut as well, having had two Mk II's, a Mark IV 25th Anniversary and now drive an R32. The ONLY Mark IV GTi worth getting is the Anniversary limited edition with the 180bhp engine and revised suspension, otherwise the Mark V is brilliant and early models now reasonable. Otherwise, the hot Skoda's are a good option.

Some of the Audi's are quick but very dull to drive, so steer clear IMO

Fabia VRS or Ibiza TDI FR (same car, effectively). The Ibiza also comes in 150bhp 1.8 petrol guise as well.
Or there's the Ibiza Cupra – petrol is the same 1.8 as in the FR, but putting out 180bhp and the TDI is 160bhp with a load of torque.
The TDI is mid 7's to 60 and will still do >50mpg.

If you are looking at new – the new Ibiza Cupra has got the 1.4TSi engine in it (turbo & supercharger) with 170bhp I think, and only comes with the DSG gearbox.

BOOOORINGGG

No one makes a crap car.
no make of car is more reliable than another
you want a "nicer" car, you pay more.

My suggestion for a pokey girls car has to be a fiat 500 arbarth.

As a committed VW driver (Derby, Golf mk II, III, IV, Mk3GTI 8V Porsche 944 & currently Passat estate) I can thoroughly recommend a Citron c2 VTS – cheap, quick, fun better build quality then you would expect – It will take a yeti in the back – cruises on autobahn at 100mph+ with power to spear – use mine round Bradford for work and it can handle its self with the boy racers – always makes me smile (Passat for family trips – fantastic on the open road – very big round town)

It's perceived quality. There are better built motors than VAG motors and usually cheaper. Don't be a badge snob,it's a fool's game.

OLLY…plenty of crap cars out there!

Thanks to other suggestions off to have a look at skoda vrs