What should I replace my trusty old Toyota Corolla with?

I am looking to replace my reliable 12-year-old Toyota Corolla. I cover 10,000 miles a year and have test driven the SEAT Leon, Skoda Octavia, Nissan Pulsar and Toyota Auris, all 1.2 petrol turbo.

Trouble is the Leon, Octavia, and Pulsar have handbrakes on the far left of the driver's seat, past the cupholders, which is a troublesome stretch if you use the handbrake as often as I do in town. Even a deal-breaker.

It could be back to the Toyota Auris, which at least has a handy handbrake and what feels like a great all-round 1.2 turbo engine. No review ever mentions handbrake position for ease of driving, is mine a reasonable objection?

Asked on 19 September 2016 by trefordian

Answered by Honest John

It's because the cars are basically designed and built for a LHD market. I drive more than 100 different cars a year and this doesn't bother me unduly. The move now is towards electromechanical parking brakes. If you want a good basic car for low money, check out a Dacia Duster Lauriate 1.2 TCe 125 for £12,895. Or maybe the new FIAT Tipo.

Tags: handbrakes buying a new car

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