The Girlfriend needs a new car...

[TREMAiNE]

We're in the process of purchasing our first home, so nothing will happen until around October where her PCP term is up for her GT86.
If/when she gives the car back, she'll have around £5,000 of equity left to go towards her next car.

I've managed to explain to her some of the negative aspects of finance and she has agreed on a £15,000 budget for the next car (she was originally looking at £20-30,000 cars.

Because I already have an impractical car, we are in agreement that her next car needs to be more sensible and practical - small, easy to park, good for shopping trips and practical. 35mpg+ is preferred but not essential, though I imagine that won't be hard to get. She averages 37mpg in her GT86.

We're trying to get something in or just out of warranty and it needs to be fun to drive, cheap to run, and whilst not outright 'fast', it needs at least a bit of oomph. She'd like a nice interior too - nice doesn't necessarily premium and luxurious, it could mean sporty too - as long as it looks nice. She'd also like a decent infotainment system, which seems to be the more difficult part of the criteria to tick. Apple Car play is a bonus.
FWD or AWD, nothing RWD as the GT86 has scared her a few times in the wet.

So far, we both like the looks of the Swift Sport with the 1.4 Turbo engine. Roughly 150bhp and 170ib-ft is quite appealing for a shopping trolley. She had the original Swift Sport many years ago and absolutely loved it. The interior of the new one looks pretty nice, the screen definitely looks nice enough and it does seem to tick all the boxes. It's also well under budget too.

We've also considered a Cooper S which seems to be the only hot hatch in the budget that has a decent interior.
Fiesta ST is a no go.

I feel like there should be a good selection to choose from... But apart from these two, I can't think of any other suitable cars?

Any suggestions, PH?

[TREMAiNE]

Appreciate all the responses!

Megane RS would be nice but I think it's a bit big really. The smaller the better. I love the UP GTI but sadly she can't stand it!

The Mercedes is definitely not for us, they have the absolute worst interiors of any car on the road to my eyes. I don't think there is anything likeable about the car.

The Polo GTI appeals to me and would probably be the direction I'd go in, but I am not sure if she'll like it. We'll have to get her a test drive.

The 1 series and A3 are a little boring but are worth a look at the very least.

Something quite important which I didn't mention, as it is very much a compromise car for her, I'd (if possible) like it to be low mileage - under 20k where I can. She does about 15k a year and will probably keep it for 3 years.

V1nce Fox said:

If you're buying a first home, have you discussed just using the 5k vehicle equity to buy something outright?

Our mortgage has been approved (well, is going through now) on the basis of continuing to finance a car at roughly £220 per month; with this and our other expenses we'll still have plenty left over each month so finance isn't much of a concern.

We have had this discussion and whilst I personally would be going down this route, she doesn't want to and wants something a bit newer and nicer, something that she isn't worried will let her down and has a decent infotainment system to keep her happy.
Though going for something around the 15k mark means that in 3 or so years, she'll be out of the finance loop - which is my aim.