Post lockdown commuter car

[WoolyFox]

With the lockdown dragging on, I am deciding how I will commute to Canary Wharf once my season ticket expires in July and wondering whether driving there for 6 months might not be a bad idea.

What I am looking for is a car to get me to and from the Wharf (or O2 Greenwich) twice or three times a week from July, relatively frugal on fuel for the majority motorway and stop start traffic on the A2, comfortable ride and a nice place to be in for 90 minutes travel time. At the end of the 6 months I will hopefully be emigrating so keeping the car with a family member or selling it will be the outcome.

Budget is no more £6000 but less than this is always welcome. I am not fussed whether it is a saloon or estate, diesel or petrol/hybrid as I won't be using it for that long initially. Good value, efficient and comfortable are the main criteria. Quirky and interesting are a bonus.

Let see what suggestions you have.

From my own perusing of the classifieds:
Honda CR-Z GT
Lexus GS450H with Mark Levinson stereo
BMW Alpina D3 Touring
Citreon C8 (not entirely serious)

[TurboBlue]

Just checked your garage, I see why you need something efficient!

I was going to suggest this anyway but seeing how you have a penchant for all wheel drive it might be suitable (I've always liked the look of these but have never driven one):

Audi A4 Allroad 2.0TFSI £5,750
You'll be selling in the winter; doesn't have troublesome air suspension of the bigger A6.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

[ZX10R NIN]

I have a leftfield option & your commute will be cut to 20 minutes each way in the process too:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2016-PIAGGIO-MP3-300-LT...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/piaggio-mp3-300-lt-driv...

I commute from near Brands to near Smithfields in 45-60 minutes even on wet days it's a much easier way to commute vs 2-2.5hrs when I have to take the car.

To get fully kitted out & take your test you can add another £1000-1500 to the price.

[WoolyFox]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I don't think I could stomach an All-road, heard many bad things involving expensive repairs. Also don't Audis ride hard? The ones I've been in are nice but I don't think I could live with it even for 6 months.

I don't think commuting by motorbike is an option, I have seen a few crashes when commuting by coach with filtering bikes which put me off.

I was considering a Vauxhall Ampera (or Chevy Volt) as a viable alternative but the prices seem to be holding. Cheapest right now is £6995 so maybe with the crisis over, the price may fall into my range.

Efficiency wise, anything of 30MPG is great considering my current car struggles to get 17MPG...

[Otispunkmeyer]

WoolyFox said:

Thanks for the replies so far.

I don't think I could stomach an All-road, heard many bad things involving expensive repairs. Also don't Audis ride hard? The ones I've been in are nice but I don't think I could live with it even for 6 months.

I don't think commuting by motorbike is an option, I have seen a few crashes when commuting by coach with filtering bikes which put me off.

I was considering a Vauxhall Ampera (or Chevy Volt) as a viable alternative but the prices seem to be holding. Cheapest right now is £6995 so maybe with the crisis over, the price may fall into my range.

Efficiency wise, anything of 30MPG is great considering my current car struggles to get 17MPG...

CRZ-GT would be my choice off your list. But I am not sure how nice they are to be in for 90 minutes. If its anything like the Civic of the time, it'll be noisy and stiffly sprung.

Have you though of a Prius? I am not joking. They aren't drivers cars and they aren't quick, but actually, they're pretty relaxing things to drive around and I find mine is quiet even on the motorways as the profile is pretty much designed for low aero drag and at sensible speeds the engine only really does about 1500-2000 rpm. I get 55 MPG out of mine on a mix of driving, including a good chunk of going up/down the A42.

Might struggle to get one for £6k, unless you go for an older MK2. Or maybe the less loved Auris Hybird?

Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Friday 1st May 10:32

[MorganP104]

Otispunkmeyer said:

Or maybe the less loved Auris Hybird?

You say less loved, but in my experience, the Auris is a nicer car to drive, and more "conventional" than the Prius. I worked for a large Japanese company in the mid-noughties, and regularly drove Prius and Auris pool cars. The Auris was always a nicer steer, despite sharing drivetrain/running gear with the Prius.

I would imagine the difference is in the chassis & suspension set up - the only key area where the Auris differs from the Prius.

[WoolyFox]

Although a serial Toyota owner (Yaris, Camry and Land Cruiser), I would like a change and try something different.

CR-Z is taking my fancy but would need to test drive one whenever that is possible