1 1.4 CRDi 89 5dr

Totally average, which isn't good enough these days

I bought this car because I needed a small, cheap diesel that was easily accessible. It was in excellent condition, fully serviced, with 85,000 on the clock. Two careful lady owners, honest! The build quality is decent, and there is adequate equipment including stop/start technology. There is also a six speed box. The boot is excellent, and contains a spare and jack. The back seats are roomy and seat three easily. Tax is £30 and insurance is cheap. There have been a few minor niggles with the electrics, which seem to be very prevalent. These include the ESP light going on and off, and the CD player failing. At the price I got this car for I cannot complain at such problems, which should be expected in a ten year-old car.
However the car has been a little disappointing. It is comfortable to drive, but sluggish and very thirsty. I drive 15 miles a day on an open, largely traffic free road. I am averaging 47mpg. That is appalling!
I previously drove two Ford Fusions. The 1.4 diesel averaged 59 mpg over the same route, and the 1.6 diesel did 60+mpg. An old Peugeot 207 did over 60, and an ancient Punto petrol gave 45 to the gallon. Why this performance is so poor I am not sure. I have had the car checked over, and am now running her on BP Ultimate diesel to see if this makes a difference.
Overall then, a decent enough car, but not not one for the most frugal motorist.

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