Wife wants a new car to replace her Fiesta she’s had from new.

She now commutes on the A34 mostly and then into Oxford, so i guess an Auto is the way forward.

Petrol not diesel.

Comfortable is a massive requirement.

More poke for overtakes/pulling onto A34 etc than her little Fiesta 1.2

Sizing, about Focus sort of size… Lack of cabin noise, comfy etc…

What car is it she wants ?

I’ve said a Volvo V40, the S60 i had was the most comfortable car i’ve driven…  based upon that, thats my vote.

Got a Focus as a company motor, 30k in the last 11 months in great comfort. Lots of toys (self-park, radar, cruise control, decent satnav/infotainment, heated powered seats, electric everything), been lovely to drive – the new one, just out now, has adaptive cruise so set a limit, set distance to the car in front and it’ll even adjust the speed for you. They’ll have a three-pot petrol with 150 and 182hp flavours, wireless phone charging and built-in wifi as options, sorely tempted to have one of them next if I can

My wife has an A3 and bloody loves it.  I think it’s claustrophobic and don’t like driving it (maybe my MPV’s conditioned me to want massive windows & mirrors)

Budget @ £10k btw.

Petrol V40, one of the smaller engines. Try to get a Cross Country version for added luxury and softer ride.

£10k is achievable, and S/H obvs, you do get a nicer driver in an ovlov… and I would suspect at that price a well looked after second car.

2nd ad on eBay

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F263631402938

C30 – a bit leftfield, but a friend has one and I had forgotten how nice a place they are to be.

A few late model petrols kicking around.

I’d never buy another Audi after the shocking cost of a replacement water level sensor for an A6 (I didn’t pay it, it was an intermittent false positive fault so I just handed the car back at the end of the lease term). For me with £10k I’d go safe and get a Focus.

Focus is of course the easy choice, the minor worry is that it’s not really a step up in comfort from the Fiesta (12 plate), I’ve got a Mondeo which is a LOT more comfortable than the Fiesta… but not really driven a recent Focus.

I’d have said it could be a big step up (depending on the spec of the current Fiesta against a newer Focus.

Like this one in Titanium spec (so gets all the toys)

I don’t like focus. Rubbish visibility, awkward cabin, mediocre to drive.

Fiesta with the eco boost engine. Much more nippy than the 1.25

Also go to a car supermarket place and sit in as many cars as you can

Only driven a 1-Series briefly, but after a few years of owning a 3-series and a 5-series I’d say that a leather-trimmed BMW is a very comfortable place to be with an enjoyable driving experience.  Given that, I’d be looking at a 1-Series first.

Recently changed to a Passat with leather interior and ‘comfort seats’, and my wife has previously had Golfs with sporty cloth interior (GTD then TDi with R-Line spec).  They’ve all been very comfortable and enjoyable enough to drive, so perhaps a Golf would be an option. Our non-sporty Polo is not exactly comfortable though – not sure if this is a result of it being a Polo, or the basic trim level.

The only A3 I’ve driven was admittedly a few years old, but I hated it.  Centre console got in the way, couldn’t find a good driving position, not very comfortable at all.

Weeksy – welcome to try my 1 series if you’re near.

Mini Clubman is focus sized. Lots of old style ones at that price and a few new (bigger) style ones.

Drives well and pokey enough in the cooper or cooper s. Lots of gadget/tech stuff too, or you can ignore that and drive around doing Michael Caine impressions instead.

We have a Golf pool car at work, a 17 plate and while the seats aren’t mega mega plush all the systems on it make it so effortless to drive – auto handbrake, auto wipers and radar cruise control, which is just the best. I drive it hundreds of miles at a time and it’s just so easy to drive in traffic that I arrived much fresher than if I were in my own car.

The dash on the Focus is such a bloody mess that I couldn’t consider one.

steer clear of 2nd hand Fords the ecoboost engines have a habit of going boom!

Something with stop start technology, a good stereo, wifi hotspot and comfy seats as she will spend more time stationary on the A34 than she will driving most days around Oxford 🙂

Skoda Yeti. 2WD is very frugal, 4WD pretty good too. roomy, well equipped and very solid.

Has a bit of personality as well.

 don’t like focus. Rubbish visibility, awkward cabin, mediocre to driv

Wow…just goes to show how much personal preference and  subjectivity comes into it. For me the Ford Focus is the top of the pile in its class. By far the best to drive (VAG cars don’t drive that well at all in comparison in my experience, the equivalent Hyundai drives better). Not noticed a visibility problem…..I guess if you’re the sort that sets the seat in a super reclined position it might be a problem. The only criticism I have of the Focus is the driving position…I find it a bit too upright, long armed/short legged position. You get used to it, so not a long term issue (I only drive these cars as hire cars through work), but not as good as others in the class.

The wife has a 1 series which is great fn to drive…not as grippy as a Focus, especially in the wet and slippery conditions, but feels nicer so more fun, but I wouldn’t want to live with a 1 series on a day to day serious commute. Drives great, but interior feels a little cramped, door mirrors are small and has the usual German/BMW overly firm ride. But the 1.6 turbo petrol engine is a peach. More than enough power all  over the rev range. It’s the same engine as the Mini Cooper S, so maybe that could be a possibility if budget allows?

I’ve always been impressed with the Korean hire cars i’ve had in this category (can never remember their names), so could be the intelligent choice given their price and warranty coverage (though pricing seems to be coming up, but so is their quality), and the Astra drives well, but visibility not great, interior feels a little cramped in comparison to a Focus and has the brand image problem, and I just don’t get on with Vauxhall ergonomics.

It’s such a personal choice, test driving is the best option.

How far? Would a Leaf cover the distance just charging at home? Not much comfier, quieter or more frugal.

^ Good point – a Kia Ceed comes with a 7 year (fully transferrable) warranty which is pretty comprehensive. Good for long term peace of mind.

Mazda 3- 2.0 litre petrol, naturally aspirated, big and unstressed engine with good performance, available in Auto yet £20 (£120 for the auto) VED. Comes well spec’ed on the SE-L and above- climate control, heated seats, Nav, cruise, parking sensors, nice display with smaller alloys for more comfort. I really like them. The driving performance get’s good reviews. I found it really comfy and refined. There’s a dealer in Oxford & Newbury too.

Something like this- HERE. Main dealer, FSH, 12mn breakdown & 12mn warranty too.

I don’t like focus. Rubbish visibility, awkward cabin, mediocre to drive.

I’ve got an old Focus (mk2) at the moment and test drove a mk3 (they’ve just launched the mk4) a few months ago that was around the OPs budget and was really unimpressed with it.  It had lots of the same switches, handles, cabin ‘bits’ etc as my older one, but they all felt more plasticky and cheap.  The level of kit you get as standard was behind the competitors.  Cruise control, auto-lights and auto-wipers were top of the list; standard on basically all Astras, but only available on the Titanium Focus.

It had the “125hp” 1.0 ecoboost but it felt like it had about 80hp, it was completely gutless (and my current car is a 115hp, 160k miles and 13 years old 1.8 diesel). I also tried a Mazda 3, less power on paper than the Focus by about 10hp but loads nicer to drive, it felt solid and expensive inside.  I tried a Seat Leon too and that was great, the 150hp 1.4tfsi engine was a lovely thing to rev, but was really economical on a motorway cruise.

I drive a lot for business and current car is a Golf GTD.

Its a great car, just the right size, I can fit my 3 teenage kids in,but still park it easily when in London, the  boot is reasonable for its class, great performance , handles brilliantly and its as comfortable to drive over long distances as bigger cars I’ve owned.

In many ways I prefer it to the BMW 320d I had for a couple of years.

I’ve driven a few mk3 Focuses and owned a mk1 and mk2.

The mk3 is a lot more refined but not as fun to drive as the earlier ones. Boot is small too and the interior is cheap.

I’m normally a Ford fan but it was an easy decision to go for the Golf instead.

The new Focus addresses my criticism of the mk3 though and I’ll have a close look at one next year.

The other car I seriously considered was the Mazda 3. They drive very nicely but they didn’t have a GTD equivalent in the range.

A few colleagues have had 1 series. They both criticised the lack of space and the one with an m sport the overly hard ride.

Another colleague had the V40. Very comfortable but boot is small. Love the styling  though.

steer clear of 2nd hand Fords the ecoboost engines have a habit of going boom

Don’t think they do. the 2.3 in the RS has issues with the head gasket . The 1.0 had an issue to do with coolant but as far as I am aware they have been sorted and the engine is meant to be reliable.

I currently have a 1.0 Fiesta 125 as a courtesy car and it is good fun, nippy especially when you get past 4500 rpm.

Sounds cool too, not much use as a bikers car though.

seat ibiza

skoda rapid

skoda fabia

ford focus

I have a 1 series and whilst fun, quick and feels well put together, comfortable it is not. To be fair it’s at the sportier end of the scale but even so, the driving position and seats are pretty bad for any decent length drive.

There again, when I had my BMW 130i (so MSport suspension and 18 inch wheels), I drove home to Wallingford (S. Oxfordshire) from Heligan House (near St Austell in Cornwall) non-stop and it was fine.

I aimed to keep driving until I needed a wee, and made it home 🙂

I then made the mistake of changing it for a Skoda Yeti and although there was more interior space, I found the seats far less comfortable and my back would ache after about 2 hours.

Also go to a car supermarket place and sit in as many cars as you can

Which will prove nothing. It’s only after extended periods driving a car that the little niggles really start to show up, niggles that can grow into real dislike of a vehicle. Not just ergonomics, but a seat that seems perfectly comfy for twenty minutes to half an hour can start to feel like a church pew after a couple of hours. The absolute worst was a Vauxhall Vectra 1.8i, around 1998-2000, which was fine for ten minutes, but became excruciating after half an hour. Company car, but I had to drive the wretched thing to visit clients on runs up to two hours. Having spent the last two years driving a huge variety of cars for two to three hours at a time, 200+ miles back from Cornwall, or up to Liverpool, there are few cars these days that are really uncomfortable, Citroen Berlingos with a fixed seat are the worst, but that’s because I couldn’t straighten my left leg, causing me great discomfort.

I was forced to spend five hours in a VW Touran after accidents on both carriageways of the M5 at Taunton caused chaos, and I was glad I was in that car, it was so very comfy.

I love the cabin layout of newer Vauxhalls, I’ve driven dozens of Corsas, Zafiras, Astras, plus I’ve driven quite a few Mokkas and I’ve got an Insignia SRi Turbo D hire car at the moment, and I absolutely love the whole car layout, they suit me perfectly, and, having driven 1, 3, 5 Series, X1, X3 and X5 BMWs, I’ll take a Mokka or the Insignia over any BMW any day of the week.

Citroen and Renault have very comfy seats as well, the DS3 and the Clio are both really well kitted out, and are lovely to drive. Both are very attractive cars as well.

We had a 62 reg 1.0lt turbo Focus and really liked it. Quiet, refined, comfy. Now have a 1 Series 1.5lt turbo M Sport. It’s a lovely car and a step up from the Focus for sure. Better for long journeys and a nicer vehicle to own. Saying that, with a 10k budget you could get a newer, hi-spec Focus so that could close the gap.

We have a couple of year old Fiestas at work and can confirm the Focus is a superior motor.

I’d never buy another Audi after the shocking cost of a replacement water level sensor for an A6 (I didn’t pay it, it was an intermittent false positive fault so I just handed the car back at the end of the lease term). For me with £10k I’d go safe and get a Focus.

What lease period did you have that took you beyond the warranty?

“Citroen Berlingos with a fixed seat are the worst, ”

no such thing. RTFM youll find the adjuster.

New shape Ibiza would be a good shout, really nice inside and out and massive for a “small” car, loads of leg room and the boot is impressive. You can pick up early SE Technologies for around 10K, the 8″ touchscreen is brilliant.

A chronic back injury means I’ve had to research car seating in some depth.

My investigations led me to Volvo.

V90 in my case, but I assume the seats in the other models are correspondingly good.

(Surely all cars should be designed around seating position and driver comfort? But no. The seat in my VW seems  carefully designed to focus all my body weight into my lower spine, with torsional moment for added aggravation of my inflamed disk. Amazing really. The seats in a Volvo Inscription series I sat in yesterday, however, seemed to support my body weight evenly all the way from my shoulders down to my knees. Exceptional. (But it shouldn’t be, it should be normal.))

When some cars can’t even get the wheel/seat/pedals In line I take nothing for a given.

trail_rat – yeah, exactly. Looking at you, Audi.