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I have to admit, much as I like Hyundais in general, id also recommend looking at the Swift - many consider it a cut-price Mini and for good reason.
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We've just done the rounds of superminis as we were replacing a Ka (for safety reasons - new commute) and my gf was determined that the new car had to be just as fun to drive.
For us, having tried Suzuki, Toyota, VW, Ford, Citroen and Mazda, the Mazda 2 was hands down the best car to drive. Really nippy and involving drive, although the Fords had nicer interiors, they were just a little too grown up and sedate.
We'll have to let you know what it's like to live with once we've got it (next couple of weeks hopefully).
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Thanks for the replies they are very helpful.
Having thought more about it the Yaris for me slightly edges out the Hyundai in terms of drive quality and emotional connection. Though obviously neither of them come close to the drive of an MX-5, I don't ever really drive for pure enjoyment and as such am much more focused on value rather than excitement for this upcoming purchase.
However I will definitely try out the Suzuki Swift and maybe the Mazda 2. I'd not considered the Swift as it is rarely mentioned in any "top of the class" articles and scores quite poorly in the JD Power customer satisfaction survey. Also, both of them have notably higher running costs for the models I'd consider (mpg, eco, average servicing as listed on WhatCar). Still, they've both been recommended and their purchase prices seem viable so I'll give them a go :)
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customer satisfaction survey you are looking at probably refers to old model swift?
current model swift is a whole different beast
suzuki were named in recent telegraph as most reliable cars to buy and cheapest to repair
having driven most of the cars mentioned in this thread i would say the swift is miles ahead and the best, depending what wheels/tyres you get of course like any car will determine handling
look at some of the low miles recently registered ones on the suzuki web site if you are not hung up about being the first keeper
even clarkson gave the swift nearly perfect marks
a hidden secret these cars
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Its worth noting with regards to economy atleast that going by test figures isnt really wise as you may be disapointed with the reality given that some cars perform better in real life than do others, regardless of what the official figures say.
While you are looking at the Swift, you could check out the Splash aswell.
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While you are looking at the Swift you could check out the Splash aswell.
Last year I had a test drive in a 1.2 Agila (Vauxhall's Splash) and a Yaris 1.3TR. Liked the Agila a lot - so much better to drive than the 1.2 Corsa I also had a go in. But compared to the mk1 Yaris 1.0 we were looking to replace, I was disappointed by the mk2 1.3.
However we've not yet had a problem with the 7 year old mk1 Yaris (a stepson now owns it).
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An update to my on-going investigations following up the suggestions in the thread...
I test drove a Mazda 2 Tamura (1.3) the other day and was quite disappointed. The engine didn't feel like it had much pep and the drive (feel, responsiveness, etc) felt similar to the Yaris, just a different seating position. The dealer also uninterested in offering advice for much information and certainly no deals of any sort, which is a downer as otherwise it's a little too far out of my price range.
Today I tested a Suzuki Swift 1.5GLX. Definitely a much better experience. Nice drive, engine (obviously) having more 'go' than the others I've been looking at, good dashboard. Also the dealer was brimming with enthusiasm for making it work for my money. On the downside there is no footrest next to the clutch (and no option for one - can these be modded in?!) and as you might expect the running costs are slightly higher due to engine.
Right now it's a toss up between the pre-reg'd 1.33 Yaris and the Swift, as the i20 has such a long back order at 12+ weeks I'd either have to fix up the MX-5 properly for next MOT (likely expensive) or go without a car for 2 months (not a viable option).
So I've ended up with another equivalent dilemma! :)
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Id still go for the Swift and push the deal hard.
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It sounds to me like you're heading for the 1.33 Yaris, latest engine, good fuel economy and low insurance band. The swift is no where near as well built and the MPG is average if not below. Another car without clutch rest, its virtually the first thing I look for in a car.
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I've had a Swift for a year and I'm quite happy with it. I've noticed that the Sport version has a clutch rest fitted so I'd speak to the dealer about it.
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ask over at www.swiftowners.co.uk/ about the foot rest, the automatic swift has one maybe just fit one from an auto version? or does the sport have one im trying to remember?
its your money, the yaris is not better built than the current swift what a lot of tosh that is, maybe last generations of both cars yes - current versions not at all
try getting prices from more dealers?
as for car choice its really up to you now
Edited by retgwte on 20/08/2009 at 00:24
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Wife's little cousins did a 2 grand governmental whassername with their perfectly good but allegedly MoT-fail polluting 1.8 Mondeo and got an i20. I heard it drive off the other day, or rather didn't. It was virtually silent.
Today went in a spanking new Yaris 1.4 diesel manual. It wasn't totally silent inside, but damn nearly.
You'd have to drive each of them a couple of hundred miles to know. The Yaris had lots of room in the back considering. Suppose the boot may be a bit small. But it's a small car so what's surprising about that?
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I think with all of these small hatchbacks (and Asian ones in particular) you should really just buy what you like. There isn't much to go wrong with them, the build as a result of the simplicity is uniformly excellent and they're all much of a muchness in terms of the driving dynamics -- there isn't much you can do with a 4-pot 1.2 and they all have feel-free steering as a result of the electric PAS (a pet-hate of mine).
Would tend to agree that the Swift is much the best of the bunch. From the i10 up they're all very competent.
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its your money the yaris is not better built than the current swift what a lot of tosh that is maybe last generations of both cars yes - current versions not at all
In the 2009 JD Power Survey The Yaris finished 2nd in class, the Swift finished 17th, this is what they said:
"This is the lowest-placed Japanese supermini, in 78th overall. The finger of blame points to dodgy reliability: the Swift is one of just two superminis to be rated as poor for the durability of its mechanical parts. The cabin and exterior don't hold up much better, either.
Wallet-emptying running costs added to owners' disappointment, as did dealers who struggled to provide prompt and efficient service."
Need I say more....
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If you bump a Suzuki swift at 6mph - its a write off!
www.thatcham.org/bumpers/pdfs/research_news_vol2_i...f
Edited by brum on 20/08/2009 at 13:34
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scare stories
if real world crash repairs were costing that much the insurance companies would be loading the premiums, they are not and they are not
my swift was rear ended at probably more than 6 mph, it sure felt like it, repair costs were about 600 quid, and the silly woman driving the car into my rear was paying so who cares?
bumpers are not really there to protect the car in the way this article describes, the whole front and rear of cars is designed to collapse progressively to disipate as much energy as possible and lower the amount of energy felt by the people inside as much as possible
so all in all some pretty poor science and economics in that article
but hey keep believing this rubbish if you want
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Over 17,000 miles I have only had one problem with the build quality of my Swift. The mechanical parts according to HJ are from Toyota and according to some of the guys on the swiftowners forum, the Swift is actually loosely based around the Yaris platform.
I know a few other Swift owners and they are also pleased with their cars. It may not be the cheapest small car to run but it is one of the most fun!
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scare stories so all in all some pretty poor science and economics in that article but hey keep believing this rubbish if you want
Thatcham is a not for profit orgination supported by leading insurers.
Admiral Insurance Co Ltd
Allianz Insurance plc
Amlin Insurance Services
Ansvar Insurance Co Ltd
AXA Insurance UK plc
Brit Insurance Ltd
Chaucer Insurance
Co-operative Insurance Society Ltd
Direct Line Insurance plc
Ecclesiastical Insurance Grp
Equity Red Star Motor Policies
Esure Insurance Ltd
Fortis Insurance Ltd
Groupama Insurance Company Ltd
Highway Insurance Company Ltd
HSBC Insurance (UK) Ltd
Illium Managing Agy Ltd
Insurance Corp of Channel Islands Ltd
Jubilee Motor Policies at Lloyd?s
KGM Underwriting Agencies Ltd
Landmark Insurance Co Ltd
Legal & General Insurance Ltd
Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society Ltd
MIT Syndicate 3210 at Lloyd?s
MMA Insurance plc
Norwich Union Insurance Ltd
Provident Insurance plc
QBE Insurance Co (UK) Ltd
RBS Insurance
Royal & Sun Alliance plc
The NFU Mutual Ins. Society Ltd
Trafalgar Insurance plc
UK Insurance Ltd
Zurich Insurance Co
"Member companies contribute to the financing of Thatcham from a percentage of their motor premium income. Our Board of Directors comprises senior personnel from our member companies who provide strategic guidance for our research programme. There is ongoing liaison between Thatcham and insurers through the Engineering Technical Sub-Committee and the Research Liaison Group. "
So you can expect insurance premiums to shift in the future to reflect research carried out by Thatcham.
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That article dates back to November 2007, nearly two years ago. Its also slams the Honda CRV for its bumper protection and hasn't stopped people buying them.
My insurance premium hasn't gone up as a result of this, and I can't see it doing so.
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yes those scare stories were spread around and written about years ago, my current premium is very competitive versus yaris/auris et al
so the insurance companies clearly voting with their quotations
remember the car safety industry is not totally unbiased or always sensible, one of the classics being the need to have a seat belt warning buzzer to get a high star rating - personally i know when the belts are on I dont need an annoying buzzer, but hey for the greater good i put up with it, but this mandate clearly does not make the cars any safer for folk like me who routinely put the belts on and get passengers to do likewise
etc
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