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Which is the best small hatchback?

Passion, instruction, buying, care, maintenance and more, any form of vehicle discussion is welcome here
redsturgeon
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Re: Which is the best small hatchback?

#146185

Postby redsturgeon » June 16th, 2018, 10:05 pm

88V8 wrote:Peugeot 205.
The 1.9 GTi is best, but all models are excellent small, that's properly small, cars.

V8


The original 205 gti was a fantastic drivers car but probably not the sort of thing the OP has in mind.

John

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Re: Which is the best small hatchback?

#146471

Postby PrincessB » June 18th, 2018, 5:01 pm

Hey, people, I am looking for a small hatchback. Options I have are KIA RIO and Toyota Yaris.
Any other option that you people feel should be considered.


You might wish to narrow your selection down by asking a few questions to yourself about your vehicle preferences. This should eliminate swathes of cars that don't meet your criteria allowing you to focus on the remaining few.

In no particular order, here are some questions that might help.

1) Do you have brand or country of manufacture loyalty. If you want a German car you have removed everyone apart from the Germans. By the same token, you might not want a French car which removes Citroen, Renault and Peugeot.

2) Four seats or five? Worth checking as some smaller cars only have seatbelts for four - You might want a two seater instead.

3) Performance which can vary from 'Not a car for a long journey' through to 'Goodness me that things quick' with everything in between.

4) Engine type - Petrol/Diesel/Hybrid/Electric? You might wish to avoid diesel after the bad press recently or feel a small electric car just won't go far enough.

5) Gearbox - Automatic or manual? If you prefer automatics, read reviews as they indicate that some automatic gearboxes are still a bit on the clunky side.

6) Seating position - By which I'm referring to how high you are in the car, there are loads of micro SUVs which put you quite high up for a better view or you may prefer a lower more sporty feel.

7) Boot size, apparently the Fiat Panda and the Fiat 500 share the same underbody but what a difference in practical storage space the body shape above makes. I would not want to put a dog in Fiat 500.

8) Is it luxurious or basic enough to meet your needs, you'll wince if you ever have to transport a load of growbags or a dog with a full leather interior.

9) Do you have any movement problems, this could make a huge difference as the worst thing is to resent getting in and out of the vehicle every single time.

I've tried to keep personal preference to a minimum but your post asked for opinions, on my radar would be:

Skoda Yeti - No larger than an old saloon car, plenty of practical space and a higher driving position.
Mazda MX-5 - The complete opposite but lots of fun for two.
Nissan Note - Very large boot space for the size of the car.
Suzuki Swift - Cheaper than a mini with the option of the sport model for a more thrilling experience.
A Mini - everyone else seems to have bought one and you've got lots of options for performance.

On the smaller side, useful if you spend most of your time in the middle of a crowded city
Suzuki Ignis is a TARDIS of a car
Fiat Panda
Ford KA

Regards,

B.

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Re: Which is the best small hatchback?

#146499

Postby tjh290633 » June 18th, 2018, 6:41 pm

PrincessB wrote:5) Gearbox - Automatic or manual? If you prefer automatics, read reviews as they indicate that some automatic gearboxes are still a bit on the clunky side.

Don't forget that there are several types of automatic gearboxes. Proper ones, with a torque converter, Manual gearboxes with automated changing, and Continuous Variable Transmissions (as originally pioneered by DAF).

The automated Manual type seem to be the source of clunky changes, but they do vary. Those on Mercedes Sprinter minibuses seem to be pretty smooth.

TJH

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Re: Which is the best small hatchback?

#146544

Postby BT63 » June 18th, 2018, 9:27 pm

PrincessB wrote:I've tried to keep personal preference to a minimum but your post asked for opinions, on my radar would be:

Skoda Yeti - No larger than an old saloon car, plenty of practical space and a higher driving position.
Mazda MX-5 - The complete opposite but lots of fun for two.
Nissan Note - Very large boot space for the size of the car.
Suzuki Swift - Cheaper than a mini with the option of the sport model for a more thrilling experience.
A Mini - everyone else seems to have bought one and you've got lots of options for performance.



I had a Suzuki Swift Sport (2012-16 version) and although a great 'track car' and Sunday afternoon hooligan car, it was flawed for British road use:

The suspension was too firm (jittery ride).
The tyres had small sidewalls (prone to pothole damage).
It was quite noisy and a lot of vibration (tiring for the driver).
On motorway journeys for some reason it was surprisingly thirsty (35mpg).
Tricky to drive on ice because of the sensitive accelerator and relatively powerful engine for a car that size (wheelspin).

I wouldn't have one again unless by some miracle the quality of British road surfaces improves greatly. However, I'd consider a non-sport version of the 2012-16 Swift which I rate quite highly (the 2017+ version is even bigger).
Indeed, I wouldn't rush to consider anything marketed as 'sporty' nowadays because of the fashion for oversize rims, rubberband tyres and rock-hard suspension which are totally unsuitable for making good, safe progress on Britains broken road surfaces.

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Re: Which is the best small hatchback?

#146590

Postby bungeejumper » June 19th, 2018, 9:18 am

BT63 wrote:I had a Suzuki Swift Sport (2012-16 version) and although a great 'track car' and Sunday afternoon hooligan car, it was flawed for British road use:...……….

It was quite noisy and a lot of vibration (tiring for the driver).
On motorway journeys for some reason it was surprisingly thirsty (35mpg).
Tricky to drive on ice because of the sensitive accelerator and relatively powerful engine for a car that size (wheelspin).

Sounds like they've got the gear ratios too tight, or too low, so as to improve acceleration. That would be a pity - I've heard quite good things about the (normal spec) Swift in terms of reliability and value for money. Seems to be a popular student car around these parts.

A long, long time ago, the wife had a battered Austin Metro with a nearly-new Mini Cooper lump. (Scrapyard bargain. :D ) The power output wasn't that much more than the bog standard model, but the close ratio gears could surprise the Cavalier cowboys at the traffic lights. Dammit, it was fun! Not something that was often said about the Metro.

The dear old Peugeot GTI with the 1.9 engine was a real classic, but it was a bit too much of a handful for many drivers, which was why they became almost uninsurable for some age groups. The 1.6 GTI had better manners, but there were other strong contenders so it never quite took off.

BJ

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Re: Which is the best small hatchback?

#146598

Postby BT63 » June 19th, 2018, 9:36 am

bungeejumper wrote:Sounds like they've got the gear ratios too tight, or too low, so as to improve acceleration. That would be a pity - I've heard quite good things about the (normal spec) Swift in terms of reliability and value for money. Seems to be a popular student car around these parts.


Gear ratios are very good. It's just as if the car has no sound deadening material in it and the body is very stiff.

Interesting you mention it's a popular student car because during my couple-of-years ownership each year saw a significant increase in the insurance cost compared to our other cars at the time. Initially it was the same cost for me to insure as my wife's old Polo but by the time I sold it the Swift Sport's insurance cost was about 1.5x that of the Polo.

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Re: Which is the best small hatchback?

#146606

Postby BT63 » June 19th, 2018, 9:55 am

Regarding Suzuki's 'reliability' and 'value for money', I would add that may be helped because Suzuki's designs are very basic (including no turbo until the latest 2017- model) and because Suzuki cars have a 9k service interval unlike the typical 20k service interval of most other manufacturers.

Value for money is good but if you look closely at a Suzuki you'll find much poorer tolerances in the fit of body panels and interior trim. It wouldn't surprise me if some of the poor fuel consumption of my ex-Swift Sport at motorway speeds was due to body panel mis-alignments adding drag.

In mine, the infotainment system (Garmin-based) regularly froze which was a pain if I was using the satnav at the time. The only way to un-freeze was switch off and on the engine a couple of times.

Mine also developed an unresolvable issue where the car would not tolerate being moved a short distance such as shuffling cars on our driveway at Christmas. If moved just a few car lengths, it could take up to a dozen attempts and up to half an hour to get the engine started for its next journey.

In mine, occasionally it took several attempts to select 1st gear, especially when cold. Also getting it into 5th was sometimes difficult.

The seats felt as if the fabric coverings weren't particularly robust and would, after several years, split and have the foam hanging out of them just like old cars did when I was a child. On mine, the 'leather' gearstick surround had split before the car was two years old and before 20k.

So I wouldn't say Suzuki were any better built nor more reliable than other manufacturers with comparably simple designs. For example: while my Suzuki Swift Sport had several nagging issues, my wife's Viva has been 100% trouble-free in the 2.5yrs since she bought it.

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Re: Which is the best small hatchback?

#146669

Postby bungeejumper » June 19th, 2018, 1:27 pm

BT63 wrote:Regarding Suzuki's 'reliability' and 'value for money', I would add that may be helped because Suzuki's designs are very basic (including no turbo until the latest 2017- model) and because Suzuki cars have a 9k service interval unlike the typical 20k service interval of most other manufacturers.

Value for money is good but if you look closely at a Suzuki you'll find much poorer tolerances in the fit of body panels and interior trim. It wouldn't surprise me if some of the poor fuel consumption of my ex-Swift Sport at motorway speeds was due to body panel mis-alignments adding drag.....

….So I wouldn't say Suzuki were any better built nor more reliable than other manufacturers with comparably simple designs. For example: while my Suzuki Swift Sport had several nagging issues, my wife's Viva has been 100% trouble-free in the 2.5yrs since she bought it.

I think some of the smaller Suzukis are designed pretty much for the Indian market, and I believe the Alto (for instance) is built there. Oddly, the same car is also sold by Nissan as the Pixo, but it gets markedly worse reviews than its Suzuki counterpart (https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/nissan/pixo-2009).

LOL, my (usually sensible) nephew bought a Pixo from new, and it was appalling. The poor sap then traded it in for an (ahem) Chevrolet Matiz, which was even worse. In both cases he'd have been better off spending his £7,000 on a well-thrashed Seat Leon like any normal youngster. At least he'd have had some fun in exchange for his garage bills. Huh, kids today...….. ;)


BJ


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