[Closed] New warm supermini's - are there any?

1.0 litre engine on the Fiesta you specced. You going for a cold hatch?

1.0 litre engine on the Fiesta you specced. You going for a cold hatch?

I take it you know very little about modern engines?

It 'only' has 140bhp too, but in reality, the better economy over the ST is closer to my original brief.

In my book that's pretty warm in a small car!

I had a Fiesta Zetec S for four years - I grew to hate the thing very, very quickly. The interiors is horrid - lots and lots of scratchy plastic which seemed to mark quite easily. It was small inside, the dash design is dating badly. I did 82k in it and it felt utterly shagged when it went back. It was noisy and is feeling its age now compared to newer cars like the MINI.

I know the ST gets loads of love, but the above still apply plus Recarro seats that I can't get comfy in. My experience of Ford dealers is not good either.

The current MINI Cooper is fantastic and was what I was going to order as a replacement but I was promoted last year so got access to bigger cars of interest. The MINI (IMO) is better to drive, a nicer place to sit and has a pretty good engine. I was able to get a bike in the back. I had three of the original MINI's and they were all pretty good plus the warranty was good when it did go wrong.

I also looked at the Polo Blue GT - it felt really quite nippy with the ACT engine. The refinement was good, pretty nippy but the MINI interior was way better in my eyes.

was the the latest Fiesta model you had? If so, thats a very scathing (but interesting) opinion when comparing to glowing praise from elsewhere.

Im hoping the test drives I am yet to take will yield an obvious winner.

Budget permitting I dont think I could turn down a mini. However, having reviewed my current annual mileage (18k), I think I may be about to price myself out of a few finance deals.

It was a 61 plate, so just before the basking shark mouth facelift. At the time I was restricted to that or a Corsa, so took the lesser of two evils!

18k a year is reasonable mileage and personally I'd want something that didn't grate on longer trips. For me there as t enough adjustment in the seats to ever get truly comfy; I was always too close or too far way. I'm faily average at a smidge under six foot. The interior is cack, but it's got to be coming to the end of its life now whereas the MINI us much newer. It was capable of carrying a reasonable amount of stuff for a small car, but it just didn't feel well made. As I said, lots of scratchy hard plastic that marked easily, when it went back it rattled a lot and the suspension etc was getting noisey and clunky. I didn't drive it like a tit because it wasn't quick and our mileage rate with work isn't great so I needed to eek every last MPG out of it. The MPG was way off the claims too....like 16mpg out. My new car is much closer.

I really liked the Polo (plus it was dirt cheap on out new work lease scheme so I could have had lots of options) but it did feel small inside and the interior didn't do much for me. I thought the 1.4ACT engine was great though and felt strong.

I know you want something fun to drive etc, but for 18k a year, I'd ant to balance that with something that has a decent interior for the boring stuff that you'll need to do too. For me the MINI was fun to drive, had a great interior plus an interesting little engine.

I've had a 208 gti for a few years and like it. Loads of power, fun handling and not bad mpg. Worth a look at least?

2nd hand Suzuki Swift Sport?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/suzuki/swift/used-suzuki-swift-1-6-sport-3dr-batley-fpa-201602130995690?logcode=p

Right then, drove the polo today, although an R-Line it was the lesser powered model (90hp). Lovely refinement, easily the classiest car of all I've driven, but I couldn't live with the lower power output so would need to be at least the 110bhp version.
Slightly worried by the centre console proximity to left leg, would mean needing to lean left shin on it pretty much permanently. The mini definitely has been the most spacious and comfortable fit so far.

Also went and sat in a Swift Sport. Fit is ok, quality slightly better than expected. Slightly impeded on RHS as door feels a bit close. Had some good banter with sales manager based on asking him straight up if he could compete with dealers on auto-trader that are selling delivery mileage models for 12k (-2k under RRP). Essentially, the answer is yes.
Main issue with the Swift is the lack of first years free insurance (1 year free with VW) , and road tax at £140. This makes it instantly £500 more expensive in the first year, and £120pa more each subsequent year.
Surprisingly, the monthly repayments were almost identical compared to the polo, probably due to lower residual value. Albeit, 42mths on polo and 36 on swift.

Swings and roundabouts. Driving Swift next week but will need to knock my socks off to compete I think.

Took the Zetec S 140ps out for a spin today. Makes a satisfying noise and is very nippy from a standing start. Wasn't sure how i'd take to switching back to a 5sp box but in reality it has decent ratios and never seems to get stressed.
Cornering is indeed lovely, cabin plastics not so lovely.

Dealer was happy to knock the price right down to 'drive the deal/carwow' levels so the Fiesta is comfortably coming in as cheapest option at the moment - Including metallic paint and a few toys like SatNav, auto lights.

So in a bit of a quandary now. Original brief was for economy motoring. Which whilst im never really going to save the planet in a 140ps motor - it is at least cheap to insure, tax, and perhaps more importantly, to purchase. Plus, fun to drive?..

Polo R-Line 110 still appeals. Comes in around £20-£30pcm more expensive over 3 years.

I'm shit at making my mind up.

Fiesta as it's more fun to drive.

Having had a terrible experience with a BMW 1 Series we have been looking to replace it with a rival. Looking like the replacement will be another 1 but new this time as they're great to drive and that makes all the difference.

Test drove the Swift Sport today - dealer was busy so was fortunate enough to be accompanied by the dealership valet, who when asked if he minded if I give it some beans, responded "mate, take it to the red line and spank it, I really don't mind"

Cue best test drive I've ever had 🙂

Car is gutless under 4K, at which point it comes alive. Stay in the power band and skip through the gear box and it just points and goes wherever you want. A couple of large roundabouts taken at ludicrous speeds (empty roads) and a lovely bit of lift off oversteer to keep things going in the right direction. Brilliant little chassis, great tyres. Loved it.

Won't buy one though. I'd revert to hooligan mode every single drive and get through a set of tyres every month.. Would be skint before I lost my licence!

Still grinning from ear to ear though

Forgot to mention, inexperienced sales lady in Ford dealership asked if I wanted a list of options/pricing on the Fiesta, and proceeded to print me out a document containing the above, along with dealer margins on every model of Fiesta and every single option (!)

So I am in fortunate position of knowing exactly how much their cars cost them to purchase from Ford. Margin isn't as big as you might imagine!

I know you ruled out the Twingo as they've dropped the 133, but there is a 90bhp version, throw in the rear drive and it may still be an interesting little motor.

In the past I've had a Panda 100hp and Yaris T-Sport, both excellent, but both sadly out of production. Having said that, if I had a spare few grand I'd bag a good condition Panda 100hp for the weekend.

slimjim78 - Member

Forgot to mention, inexperienced sales lady in Ford dealership asked if I wanted a list of options/pricing on the Fiesta, and proceeded to print me out a document containing the above, along with dealer margins on every model of Fiesta and every single option (!)

Different product, but I bought my Wife a Skagen watch from John Lewis for her birthday.
While the sales girl went to get a box, she left a folder open with all the barcodes for the different watches to scan & put it through the till.
On the page was retail price & John Lewis purchase price......! Eeek!
There is a lot of mark-up on a £100 watch. They were basically buying them in for £33.00 and selling them for £100....almost put me off buying it to be honest.

The plan was ititially to pay off and own, but as the prospect of PCP has settled on me, the idea of changing every 2 or 3 years and remaining within warranty/MOT period has grown on me.

Just be careful with PCP - I dabbled a while ago and found the 'value' of your old car and the final payment weren't enough to cover the deposit for the next PCP.

The Swift sounds ace! I'd love to own one of those one day, but they're just too small for our current needs.

Edit: Now triple post 😆

Edit: Not sure how double post came about!

How much is the PCP on the Fiesta? A lad over the road from us has an ST on lease and he got it silly low cost per month, something like £160.

I wouldn't buy a Polo for 2 reasons. I had one about 5 years ago and it was badly screwed together, the brakes were appalling, and VW's are set up so you can not left foot brake, which is a real pain seeing as though they are quite dull to drive.

^^^ how about the triple post? 😆

Well.. I went and bought* a bloody Polo GT today didn't I

Local dealer caved and offered to match a great drive the deal price that came out of the blue on a phone call. got 3k off the list price plus metallic paint, auto lights/wipers and arm rest. Essentially, paid the same price for a Polo GT that I would've paid for the Fiesta.
Totally seduced by the cute little thing. Hoping the 150bhp will keep me entertained whilst the blue motion sips fuel during motor way mileage.

FunkyD - wasn't quite as low as £160pcm but It would depend over how many months the term was set, and how much deposit you were laying down.
Hope I have a better experience of the Polo than you did..

*leased. Nice to pretend though.

Just spotted this thread. Congrats on the purchase!
I'm stuck between the GTI and the GT myself. Not sure I can justify the additional running costs for 42bhp more.. works out as about £80 more PM, plus the additional £1500 purchase cost.

Edit: I struggle a bit with the standard GT interior. Not seen it in real life though. What do you think of it?

I'd love to hear what you think about the GT. There aren't many user reviews on this. Would really appreciate real world feedback. So did you just walk into the dealership and to the deal? Did you have a print off of the broker deals? I'd prefer to go through the local dealer.

Don't forget the increased road tax for the gti, plus pricier tyres and insurance. When you add all the costs over the course of a year, or three years lease in my case, it's not exactly pocket change.

I was all set for the R-Line but changed my mind at the 11th hour when the dealer said he'd had a GT as a company car and loved it with the added grunt. I honestly don't think he was trying to up sell but either way - it worked! I prefer the rear bumper on the GT but prefer the front bumper on the R-Line. GT comes with cruise which is a bonus but loses parking sensors which I'm not too fussed about. Re seats, im not a fan of the blue TBH, I much prefer the R-Lines, but I went for the blue paint which at least ties the colours together. They are really comfy however, and the alcantara feels a bit special. Black head lining is a really nice touch too.

I did the deal based on walking in off the street and asking politely if they'd entertain matching drivethedeal pricing (screen shot on mobile phone). Seems to work with about 50% of dealers, although in this case I happened to recognise the guy as he'd already sent me an offer on another model via carwow.

I don't get the car for at least another 10 weeks (!) but I'll be sure to update you then if you're still in the market!.
GTi would be lovely, but reality is a warm hatch suits me much better. Especially on the pocket.

Mind you, things have moved on since my 205 /R5GTT days, the GT will be quicker than all my old school hot hatches on paper, and will cost me about 1/10th to insure. The only genuine benefit I can think of about getting older.

Not sure about GTi, but the GT residual value was at least £1500 better than all the other marques I tested. Seems the VW badge and high spec goes in its favour

Nice purchase, hope the wait's not too long. Be interesting to hear what mpg it does.

Cheers. Yeah, I was initially put off by what I read about real world mpg. Honest John reckons on 47mpg , I think a genuine 50 should therefore be achievable with my commute. Plus a few extra horses on tap should I ever fancy the scenic route

Our Gert's Ibiza ACT with 140hp rarely breaks 40. I made mid forties once driving like a nun on a quiet A road journey.

I've got a 64 blue GT. Can get 50-52mpg on current 25 mile rural A road commute. Long term average with some urban thrown in is around 47.

The highlight isn't the power or the bluemotion though, it's the media system. Absolute doddle to use!

The BlueGT sounds like the best of both worlds. It's probably enough real world power should you fancy some fun. My partners got a new 1.2 Tsi and it's such a refined car, so that plus more power and toys seems a winner.

Residuals on these cars is really good! I can't believe that a '14 with 20k on it is still over £14000! I just need to wait 4 months before I can order mine.

Did you opt for the 3-dr or 5-dr? Manual or DSG?
I'm really struggling to find one to test drive in either manual or DSG.

I've gone 3 door - IMO it looks cleaner and I rarely need to use the back seats, plus I appreciate the much bigger door aperture.

I'd have loved to go for the DSG as it sounds excellent - but was already stretching my budget and its an expensive option, so manual for me.

Thanks for the input geolog - thats bang on where I wanted the economy to be - good to know.

slimjim78 - Member

I've gone 3 door - IMO it looks cleaner and I rarely need to use the back seats, plus I appreciate the much bigger door aperture

Out of interest, what do you appreciate about the bigger door aperture?
FWIW, I much prefer the look of 3 door cars but find the length of the door to be a real pain in the ass in car parks - frequently having to squeeze out of the narrow gap available when parked next to other cars, as you can't open the door as far.

The bigger aperture is simply much easier to flop my bulk in and out of. I hear you re car parks and the longer doors - but I've been living with my 3 door Megane for last 5 years which I think has the longest doors ever produced, I've never not been able to get out of the car on the strength of them.
Also with a new car, I'm likely to be parking it at remote parking spaces wherever possible in order to help prevent other muppets parking too close.

3 door is a compromise I suppose, but the fact I'd have to pay more to make my car look uglier means it's a compromise I'm happy to accept

The new DS3 is surprisingly good, rented one and was impressed. Firend just bought a new one to replace her old Corsa, it was a run off between Corsa, Ford Fiesta and the DS. Would I buy a Citroen, probably not but many do

So...
3 months later my shiny new Polo GT has arrived in the UK. And they've sent me a 5 door. I ordered 3.

I asked for 3 door, paid 3 door price - and dealership just said over the phone 'you ordered 3 door didn't you'.. Am now facing a nervous wait whilst before they phone me back. I don't have my paperwork with me butt suppose there's a small chance I overlooked the door number on the order form..

I'm down £500 for deposit. If it turns out I signed on the dotted line for a 5 door I'm guessing I don't have a leg to stand on and would have to face losing the deposit. Would there be any more issues with not completing the purchase?

If they indeed incorrectly ordered the car, I'd be within my rights to walk away with my deposit?. The loss of time and the fact that my current car has recently been written off could well leave me stranded without a vehicle.

Dealer has just called back to confirm its their error. They have offered to lend me an Up! until a new car can be built and delivered.
Fair offer by them, just a bit pissed that id need to commute 70 miles per day in an Up! !

3 months depreciation-free driving?

Have you driven one?..
It's like a lawn mower engine in a biscuit tin .

But yes, point taken. Suppose I should accept their offer

i think you'll be pleasantly surprised. a little on the tinny side as you might imagine, but they bowl along pretty well IME.
edit. ah, ok then...

I commute 30 miles each way up and down the A9 in an 8 year old 1L Yaris....

I'm being obtuse. I guess I'm masking my disappointment that VW couldn't even build the car I ASKED FOR.

Grump.

Hey, you didn't get your new shiny car as promised. Grumps are mandatory '

Any news on fixing your issue? Have you got a new build date or are they sourcing one from with in the UK?

On a side note, it's possible I got your incorrect car.. spec sounds similar. Was it DSG or manual? Picking it up this week at some point.