Hi,

I drive a motorway commute most days. Additionally I drive the missus in stop start traffic most days. My current auto 2.7lt jag is not good on mpg for this (although not bad on the motorway for mpg).

I need car that has good motorway mpg as well as town. Many small cars which would be good for town seem to only have 5 gears which would over run at 4,000rpm on the motorway making them less efficient there.

Wife had a1.3 Yaris for some years, it does 70 mph at 3100 revs, typical ratio i would have thought, if you run at 4000 rpm you are well over the limit in most 5 gear motors. (But hey, that's your choice - not good if mpg is a concern though)

I don't think you should get hung-up on six gears as opposed to five. A few small cars I have driven recently are surprisingly low revving on the motorway. I know it's not what your after but I was surprised how relaxed (road noise aside!) a Toyota Aygo was at speed. No acceleration of course, but pretty relaxed. Funny you should mention the Fiesta as I have driven the old-school 1.25 (admittedly a 2015 model) and that was pretty good on the motorway. I wouldn't reject it out of hand for being five speed, I'd recommend you give one a go.

If you're coming from a 2.7 litre Jag, how small is small?

The Vauxhall Astra was available with a 1.3 litre diesel engine which had a 6-speed manual box.
70 mph equates to about 2100 RPM in 6th.

1.3 litres means good economy in urban use, and the 6th gear means still good economy if you typically drive at -ahem- 'somewhat more than' 70 on the motorway.

Performance is better than you'd think - it's 16 valve, and revs merrily round to 5,000 RPM.

It's a Vauxhall, so used prices are relatively low, to the benefit of buyers.
Parts and servicing also relatively cheap. Body and interior build quality is solid.

The engine is chain-cam: Some people will claim it's made from cheese, but it can be fine if it has had frequent oil and filter changes (look for one with excellent service history and check the intervals). I reckon it's more reliable than the (belt cam) 1.9 litre engine. Others prefer the Isuzu-based 1.7 litre, but I don't know if that had the 6 speed box.

If you really want Fiesta-size, the Corsa came with the 1.3 diesel too, though again I'm not certain it had the 6-speed box.