After weeks of consideration and a couple of test drives the Mrs and I are back from a head to head test drive of the two cars.
Before the test the Fiat was the favourite. Cute looking, stylish, well equipped, perky and "fun" - the Mrs was almost ready to buy one without driving it.
After the test drive it got a thumbs down. She is fairly small and I am fairly tall - the seat was too high for her and she had to "reach down" to get the handbrake while I had no headroom in the passenger seat. What was most odd was the size of the seat squab meant that it was always pushing the back of her calves as she used the brake and clutch peddle. She was struggling to drive it anything like smoothly and felt claustrophobic, finding the retro dash up close was not so nice. The 500 was noisier, particularly transmission noise and the ride was fidgety.
The i10 was quieter and enjoyed a better ride. It had much more space and the interior is pleasantly styled. The plastic steering wheel in the base model was nasty and has forced a climb to the top spec model and the leather wheel - however this brings a host of goodies missing even from my new A3 sport like heated seats and sunroof. It is also much cheaper than the Fiat, but gains two doors and more boot space and has two years more warranty. I doubt it will withstand depreciation as well however. Delivery is suggested as mid June - which is quicker than I expected.
It will be sad to see our Mazda 323 go - 6 1/2 years and 60k miles of good service but the suspect CAT, non functioning boot, rusting wheel arch and numerous scrapes mean it is worth more as a £2k scrapper than a cheap and simple runaround.
|
Hi,
In an earlier discussion thread on the i10, HJ said "It rides and handles a lot better than a standard FIAT 500". Having driven the i10, I was impressed with its ride quality, and pound for pound no other car beats it for equipment levels.
However, I think the 500 and i10 are very different cars and for this reason I'm quite surprised you're weighing one against the other. The 500 is all about style, whereas the i10 is more about value for money. I think your conundrum is one of head vs heart!
I agree with your comment about the i10 base version steering wheel having a really cheap feel to it - are you sure the mid-range comfort doesn't come with the leather trimming?
You'd probably find the i10 more economical than the 500. The economy figures for the i10 are probably far more achievable in real world motoring than many claimed figures for 1 litre engines (which are basically working like crazy... and making more noise than the quiet i10 1.2 which has plenty of torque and doesn't have to work as hard).
The i10 is certainly on the shortlist for my next car. Personally I think it looks great in Oyster Grey - see HJ's video test.
Good luck with your decision and let us know which you go for. Of the two, my money would go on the i10.
|
fiat versus hyundai?
youth verses blue rinse
innit
fiat every time
cant imagine as said how the two meet?
|
Brettmick
Have you considered buying a leather bound steering wheel and fitting it to the base model if it suits you otherwise?
|
|
|
|
It is worth adding that this is pure 2nd car - the A3 is 3 months old and the 1.8T model so for distance or speed it is the choice, just not for my paranoia in the Sainsburys car park.
They are two different cars but in the same way that the A3 and Focus (or Golf) are two different cars. Perhaps because this is the 2nd car the decision is more pragmatic and less clouded by "badge snobbery".
Changing the steering wheel was not something I wanted to mess about with - air bags and warranty issues all considered. £950 for alloy wheels, front fogs, tilt/slide sunroof, remote central locking, heated seats, 2 more speakers, all round electric windows, leather steering wheel and cabin trim upgrade plus a high level spoiler that improves the back end seems good value - and we countered it by sticking with red and not spending £350 on another colour.
So the decision is an i10.
Even though the Mrs loves the look of the 500 and even paused to consider a Mini....
|
must admit i would have chosen a fiat panda 100 hp
but there u go
|
|
|
Good choice I'd say - putting myself in your buying/use criteria 'shoes'. Also, non-metallic red is a good colour - bright & cheerful, suits the slightly cheeky nature of the car, with the advantage of being easier to repair/match in the event; and of course, cheaper too!
The heated seats will be a real boon - I didn't rate such things once upon a time, but the near instant comfort & ease they provide on chilly mornings can't be underestimated. At least 5 years of totally worry-free motoring ahead for you.
When I tried a FIAT 500, apart from the initial blow-your-socks-off looks, the ride thing & slightly strained engine note did concern me - latterly even the looks begin to look a bit cheesy & cliched too.
Edited by woodbines on 18/05/2009 at 11:34
|
|
|
|
