Small car with surprisingly good luggage area?
Discussion
Suggestions, please, for a small hatchback for low-cost small-load-lugging? It will be a 2nd/3rd car, so there's no need for any driving fun.
Requirements:
From a few searches here, it seems the Jazz is a popular choice. I can just about put up with the OAP image.
Requirements:
- tardis-like luggage space with the rear seats folded
- don't care about rear leg-room
- but prefer 5dr over 3dr for ease of loading
- properly flat loading area when the rear seats are folded (absolute requirement)
- good economy - 45mpg or more combined
- performance doesn't matter, but nothing so slow it's embarassing
From a few searches here, it seems the Jazz is a popular choice. I can just about put up with the OAP image.
Edited by 5705 on Thursday 22 December 17:42
5705 said:
Thanks for that. 
Will see if there's info on the load space on the Vauxhall website...
Anyone know if the Fabia's seats fold flat?
Fabia estate is bloody big inside with the seats folded flat (and they do fold properly flat) but it really isn't big by any stretch of the imagination, even being an estate. My dad has an 05 one, 1.9 tdi, and it feels like a very well made car. It's used a few times a week loaded up to the rafters with music gear and not put up any complaints so far, the only thing that's had to be replaced in 50,000 miles was the front suspension bushes. Cheap job and a common fault. Bonkers MPG as well, however I don't know if you'd get a tdi in your budget and the sdi is a bit... slow Will see if there's info on the load space on the Vauxhall website...Anyone know if the Fabia's seats fold flat?
Should get a good petrol model though and maybe the 1.4 diesel?Definitely worth a look
Mercedes A-Class does all of the above, its by far and away the most practical small car IMO, masses of room. You'll want the newer W169 (05 on) model as the previous shape is unreliable and poorly built. An early A150 Classic SE starts from arround £3500 - £4000 and will easily achieve 45mpg. E.g. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...
Seats fold fully flat, and the rear bench can be partially removed to further increase luggage space. Some models have an optionally removable front passenger seat giving you the potential for a massive 1995 litres of space
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXCkC8AGfzI
Seats fold fully flat, and the rear bench can be partially removed to further increase luggage space. Some models have an optionally removable front passenger seat giving you the potential for a massive 1995 litres of space
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXCkC8AGfzI
Thanks all. Seems the Jazz is the easiest answer.
306 - reliable enough? I've had Peugeots in the past, and liked the ride but not the overall ownership experience. Still, it sounds worth checking out. Will go see the closest 306 after the holiday.
A Class is an interesting suggestion. I like MBs of old (W124), but had tuned out of the more recent ones due to MB's falling standards. '05 A Class may stretch the budget.
(Currently liking the old-shape Fabia the more I read about them, and my anti-Skoda bias seems to have disappeared!)
306 - reliable enough? I've had Peugeots in the past, and liked the ride but not the overall ownership experience. Still, it sounds worth checking out. Will go see the closest 306 after the holiday.
A Class is an interesting suggestion. I like MBs of old (W124), but had tuned out of the more recent ones due to MB's falling standards. '05 A Class may stretch the budget.
(Currently liking the old-shape Fabia the more I read about them, and my anti-Skoda bias seems to have disappeared!)
Go and get an Audi A2 TDI. Aluminium construction means light weight which means small engine which returns high MPG, even by todays standards - £30 road tax too. Clever packaging creates more space than you'd expect, cult following means minimal depreciation, etc, etc.
The pertrols cost slightly more to run but are cheaper to buy.
The pertrols cost slightly more to run but are cheaper to buy.
Edited by Risotto on Friday 23 December 13:48
I've had a Skoda Fabia 1.9 TDI Estate for seven years - initially as the "main" car, but it it is now the second car used hacking about in (i.e. I drive it and the wife has the nice car)
The boot is huge, particularly with the back seats down - the amount of stuff you can cram into it is phenomenal.
On a more fun note a Fabia with this engine is a bit of a sleeper - it has more torque than a Mk3 Golf VR6. The engine is pretty unrefined by modern standards though, although there's no worries about DPF's, HP pumps, unlike modern diesels.
No less than 44 mpg, and more like 55 if not hooned. Cheap road tax and insurance as well.
Keep an eye out for electrical issues in the cabin if you do test drive one - like most VAG cars of that era the Convenience module which controls the central locking, windows, mirrors, etc is prone to failure, causing all sorts of issues, including self locking.......
The interior is pretty cheap, but it lasts well.
Good luck on your car hunting
The boot is huge, particularly with the back seats down - the amount of stuff you can cram into it is phenomenal.
On a more fun note a Fabia with this engine is a bit of a sleeper - it has more torque than a Mk3 Golf VR6. The engine is pretty unrefined by modern standards though, although there's no worries about DPF's, HP pumps, unlike modern diesels.
No less than 44 mpg, and more like 55 if not hooned. Cheap road tax and insurance as well.
Keep an eye out for electrical issues in the cabin if you do test drive one - like most VAG cars of that era the Convenience module which controls the central locking, windows, mirrors, etc is prone to failure, causing all sorts of issues, including self locking.......
The interior is pretty cheap, but it lasts well.
Good luck on your car hunting
XitUp said:
I don't think you can call a car with less than 100bhp a sleeper unless it's very, very light.
I wondered if that comment would open a can of worms 
To keep it brief, going from my 2.0 140 TDI Golf I used to own to the Fabia TDI 100, was not as big a difference as you might have expected in terms of performance.....
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