MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Mrs FD wants a new car, of the small ish variety.
Its probably going to be on a PCP/Private Lease, or maybe 6 month ish old low mileage normal finance.
The criteria is basically as follows -
Has to be able to handle motorway commutes, therefore approx 100bhp.
Cruise control if possible.
In the running so far, in no particular order.
Audi A1 1.4 petrol or 1.6 diesel
Mini 1.6 petrol
Fiesta (not looked at enough yet) but likely to be no cheaper on lease/PCP. But much cheaper to buy out right.
Not in the running
Polo used to have 08 plate one and it was awful. (yes I know now a new one and same chassis as A1!)
What are we missing off, and which would you recommend?
Fiat 500?
tuk tuk
Testdrive the Fiesta and Mini.
Personally I'd take the Fiesta.
Fiat 500?
Last ime I looked you couldn't get cruise on a 500. But that is THE best small car available, no question.
100bhp not necessary for motorway either.
Dont disregard the Polo so quickly, the new one is a different beast and quite a bit of kit. My sister bought one after driving Peugeots for many years, she has finally seen the light and some German engineering quality.
New Festers are good and handle very well, not sure on cruise control though.
Mini's are good too and a lot of used bargains about.
The Audi 1.4 TSI engine is strong, fun to drive and economical, probably a costly option.
No Jap stuff in there? If you want reliablity Honda should be on the list, not sure what model falls in to that class?
Mazda also pretty sturdy and Toyota, although bland.
Skoda Fabia, well made if you can look past the badge.
Used TT, now has a diesel powertrain thats economical.
Golf has to be on the list too really, slightly bigger I know.
Not Keen on Fiat 500's TBH, Alfa Romeo uses the same platform and prettier / more refined. Mito I think.
1 series Coupe.
Think there's few there to be going on with!
100bhp not necessary for motorway either.
I drove an Aygo from Manchester to Southern Germany a few years ago. 68hp?
No issues at all, well only one. A **** came right upto my rear bumper and....it was UK plates... everyone else hung well back, let me do the overtake manoeuvres before overtaking me.
It all depends how you adapt to a gearbox/particular powertrain.
I think the Mini would have the best blend for your missus. Although if you occassionally will use it for your bike the Fiesta is best.
been said before but look at Mercs on Lings cars - A and B series are pretty cheap.
Ive got a Alfa Mito multiair (135) and it is fantastic. looks are a bit wierd at first but it is better in the flesh and reliability has be absolutly faultless in 29000 miles.
Really happy on the motorway and really comfy inside, even the back seats are nice and usable and importantly you can get a couple of bikes in with the back seats down.
the multiair petrols are really good very tourquey and drivable while listing 50mpg (i actually get 40 but im addicted to my turbo)
oh and you can get 0% pcp on them atm if you look around
like here: http://www.mangoletsi.com/mito-offers.html
Alfa Mito - oooo Good call.
Merc A? I had a 24hour testdrive in one- on motorway crosswinds it was badly affected (for me).
on motorway crosswinds it was badly affected (for me).
Just avoid eating sprouts and baked beans and you'll be fine.
To be fair with the 100bhp thing, thats more because the last small cars I had were around the 75bhp mark did struggle on motorways with the instant overtaking ability, the same on country A roads where you just want to blast past, rather than thinking 10 minutes before hand.
The Mrs does like the new Yaris 🙁
Golf's etc are too big for what Mrs FD wants.
The Fiat is an option I guess, as Mrs FD did say she liked the Abarth, but I pointed out to her you might as well buy a proper sports car rather than some over powered fwd thing!
Love my Merc A180 diesel.... does 55+mpg on a good day. not any worse in a side wind then any other smallish hatch that I've had (yaris, polo, panda, focus, etc). Brilliant use of space, and nice and quiet on the m-way.
Also consider a D4D yaris, only 75ish bhp on paper, but plenty enough go for a motorway. the SR & T-spirit models are well specced. Also just had a facelift, so a late previous gen one may be a good deal at the moment.
Dare I suggest a Kia Cee'd... not had any personal experience, but there's got to be some value in having 7 years warranty, and people thinking you're a star in a reasonbly priced car.
I've got a Citroen DS3 and it's great - would add that to the list.
Looks good, quality is brilliant (forget Citroen past, the DS range is genuinely good), and great engines - the 1.6 petrols are the same units as in the Mini, developed by BMW and built by PSA. The diesels are excellent too. If you are considering a Mini then it would spec out very similar but for less cash - it isn't quite as sharp in handling, but it does have a better ride quality. Loads of reviews out there and all are positive.
Last ime I looked you couldn't get cruise on a 500. But that is THE best small car available, no question.
Apart from the Panda of course.
Which is the same car, in a plainer frock, for a couple of grand less. 😀
titusrider - MemberIve got a Alfa Mito multiair (135) and it is fantastic. looks are a bit wierd at first but it is better in the flesh and reliability has be absolutly faultless in 29000 miles.
Really happy on the motorway and really comfy inside, even the back seats are nice and usable and importantly you can get a couple of bikes in with the back seats down.
the multiair petrols are really good very tourquey and drivable while listing 50mpg (i actually get 40 but im addicted to my turbo)
Is that real (i.e. measured/calculated) or from the trip computer? Impressive for a petrol/turbo car if that's real.
the 50mpg (it might be 51) is the combined claimed figure
I drive hard (in dynamic ie sport most of the time) and run it on 'posh petrol' and get 41mpg across a range of driving.
that is avg Computer MPG but i have checked it in the past and its been pretty spot on. The fact petrol is a bit cheaper means i see no need for diesel vs modern turbo petrol
MultiAir is fiat group exclusive and really makes quite a difference, the gulietta 170bhp gets similar perf in a bigger car. All explained here: [url] http://www.gizmag.com/fiat-releases-multiair-engine-technology--is-this-a-fundamental-breakthrough-in-internal-combustion-engine-design/11184/ [/url]
I drive hard (in dynamic ie sport most of the time) and run it on 'posh petrol' and get 41mpg across a range of driving.that is avg Computer MPG but i have checked it in the past and its been pretty spot on. The fact petrol is a bit cheaper means i see no need for diesel vs modern turbo petrol
Fair enough, that's pretty impressive.
DS3- good call. Nice interior as well.
Thanks all the DS3 is probably worth a look... I cant but help think though in a couple of years it will look dated, as most cars do that are strikingly different.
Skoda's are out, when we got the last Polo I tried to pursuade Mrs FD in to a Skoda instead.
I really dislike the styling of the Alfa, it looks like a fat Fiat Punto!
Hi. Merc have just introduced a new A class which is meant to be very different from the previous model. Maybe worth trying the new model?
Has anyone suggested Mazda 2? Mrs refuses to consider anything else, primarily due to reputation for reliability after a couple of bad VW experiences.
Underneath, a Mazda 2 is basically a Fiesta so it's more of a styling choice than mechanical. Good call though - broadens the options!
Out of your original list it would be a no brainer for me and it would be the Audi 1.4 TFSI. I was very pleasantly surprised when I drove one. Then engine is a cracker.
If you are prepared to look at the Fiat 500, then I would also look at the new VW Up!
No laughing at the back now but I have just ordered one for my daily 20 mile commute, 1/2 of which is motorway driving.
I took it for a long test drive including a good motorway stretch and the 75 bhp engine was fine. The 3 pot engines are very smooth and quiet when up to speed and I like the way they sound on pulling away. Quieter for motorway cruising than my 200PSI full fat Audi Quattro. 60 mpg quoted, reviews say you can easily achieve mid 50's, cheap as chips to run etc.
My question would be length of commute and is the next size class of car up required. I have decided to take a punt, whats the worse that could happen?
To be fair with the 100bhp thing, thats more because the last small cars I had were around the 75bhp mark did struggle on motorways with the instant overtaking ability, the same on country A roads where you just want to blast past, rather than thinking 10 minutes before hand.
If this is the issue you should probably be looking at a car with a turbo either petrol or diesel. The turbo will greatly improve the low down torque available for overtaking and mid range work. Normally aprirated petrol engines don't generally reach peak torque until 5-6000 rpm, takes some winding up, add a turbo and peak torque will be 1200-2000 rpm onwards. For everyday driving this often makes for a quicker car, even if the overall power output may be lower.
Consider your driving style, do you like to change gear a lot, ie drop down a couple of gears and pin it to overtake, or are you more likely to cruise in fourth and expect a dollap of low end grunt to get you past something? Then compare the torque figuers of the cars you have short listed and the rev's at which they peak.
Then cross off the French ones too 😉