Do I go Korean?

Jelster

Jelster

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I want to replace my 7 year old Mini Clubman JCW. Had it from new, and it's been a great car, but it's now on 62k, and as I'm getting older, getting in & out isn't as easy as it used to be. So what to replace it with... Well, a small SUV is probably good as that will definitely make the getting in/out easier, but the Mini Countryman is just too expensive when you compare it to what else is on the market.

My other needs are, around 200bhp, auto, and an up to date cabin, as it will probably be the last car we have. Must be either new or under 5k miles and less than 2 years old. My budget is £32-35k, depending on what I get for my current car.

I have ruled out the following:

Cupra Formentor - beautiful car inside & out, but they are very prone to software problems.
Ford Puma ST - get's great reviews but doesn't come in 200bhp with an auto - manual only.
Volvo CX40 - a bit too big and very thirsty
Audi SQ2 - Too expensive
VW T-roc - Too expensive

What that leaves me with is the following:

Hyundai Kona - great build quality and I can get a new one with a 5 year warranty in budget
Kia Niro. - virtually the same as the Kona, but engine options are as good
Kia Sportage - ex demo hybrids are in budget, a bit bigger than we intended, but we have a dealer in the village.
Mazda CX30 - boot is a bit small but can get a decent ex demo in budget.

Other than the Mazda, the Korean cars look very tempting. The build quality looks good, so many extras come as standard, and the cabins are very modern. Having been a BMW/Mini owner for the last 20 years, I still have some nervousness with the Korean manufacturers. Not sure if that is warranted as the latest reviews seem very good.
 
I've driven a Sportage (not hybrid) over a weekend and it did tempt me. However I am a fan of Mazda for the value-for-money, loads of extras in a decent price, and I really like my 6 estate, second I've had. Very reliable in my experience, but I would expect all Japanese and Korean cars to be very reliable
 
If you intend to a lot of long journeys I'd personally would go for the Volvo XC40, Volvo's don't overly impress on a test drive but after 10k miles nothing p*ss*s you off (and to me thats important), and the seats, general comfort and climate control are all excellent. We currently have B5 XC60 2ltr 250bhp Auto, and I'm amazed at the economy, getting 40mpg on long runs and its averaged 38.1mpg from new., so I'd expect the B4 XC40 to get about 4-5mpg more than that. Also long term ownership is good, I got 250K miles out of my previous Volvo, it was still comfortable, didn't rattle, etc......

But if most of your driving will be local, then I'd spread my net a bit wider, its actually quite hard to buy a bad car these days, though easy to buy one that doesn't suit your needs.
 
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Compared to the latest Japanese & Korean models, the Volvo cockbit looks a bit dated. Good point about it being good for high miles though. Couple of friends have XC range and love them.
 
buy whatever you fancy just don't buy a dirty diesel, petrol hybrid is the way future
 
Mr Bump said:
buy whatever you fancy just don't buy a dirty diesel, petrol hybrid is the way future
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Have never, and would never, buy an oil burner. Had a couple as company cars and that was bad enough.
 
I can recommend Hyundai as a brand.

I ran my i10 for four years then replaced it with an i30 that I've run for ten years so far. No problem with either, other than a navigator update that was problematic, due to a clerical error (wrong disk sent to the dealer).
 
Hyundai seem to have a good name with my local mechanics. My dear mams Getz which she passed on to me years ago has been very very reliable and by all reports the newer ones are very good cars reliability wise.

In the words of one of my local mechanics "They're well thought out cars."
 
Just some general thoughts.....

I agree about diesel......never again having had both diesel and lean burn petrol cars as company cars.

Once I retired I got a Ford Kuga, was a 69 plate with 1500 miles on the clock (it was a returned unmodified mobility scheme car) 1.5L ST LIne 150BHP front wheel drive model.

My reasoning, it was to replace my Ford Focus that I bought after being made redundant but still needed to work for a few more years, and I wanted the higher ride height and that bit easier for getting in & out. I wanted a lean(er) burn engine with as low VED as I could get for the size of car. (Yes, I would have liked the FWD 180BHP version but the price difference and the lack of availability was against me!)

To date after 2 and bit years of ownership and currently about 15k on the clock I have been happy with it......oh and another IMO key factor was not having to bend to access and use the rear load area.......as the door goes above my head level ;) It cruises well and has good 'poke' in any gear & any speed when or if needed for safe overtaking.

I very much doubt I will be changing it in my driving lifetime as my budget & funds are no longer there and at <8000 miles (actually less than 5000 miles) per year I sincerely hope it will last me out :LOL:
 
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Mr Bump said:
buy whatever you fancy just don't buy a dirty diesel, petrol hybrid is the way future
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Maybe if you do little miles. If I had to buy right now it's be another 2016 diesel. Absolutely love mine 232bhp and still returns 60mpg average 800 miles range for the monthly trips to Scotland and Wales.

It's laughable that people fall for the governments plans time and time again.
We first need emissions based on Co, then diesel was all the rage and we did nox, now that evil and we prefer electric. (Most of which comes from gas)

I'd put money on tyre's being the next evil thing.
 
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robj20 said:
Maybe if you do little miles. If I had to buy right now it's be another 2016 diesel. Absolutely love mine 232bhp and still returns 60mpg average 800 miles range for the monthly trips to Scotland and Wales.

It's laughable that people fall for the governments plans time and time again.
We first need emissions based on Co, then diesel was all the rage and we did nox, now that evil and we prefer electric. (Most of which comes from gas)

I'd put money on tyre's being the next evil thing.
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I just don't like diesels. I was a mechanic when I first left school and have always been mechanically minded, and I just don't like them. Direct injection petrol with electronic ignition has alays been cleaner, more reliable and quieter. Hybrid even more so.

Box Brownie said:
Once I retired I got a Ford Kuga, was a 69 plate with 1500 miles on the clock (it was a returned unmodified mobility scheme car) 1.5L ST LIne 150BHP front wheel drive model.

My reasoning, it was to replace my Ford Focus that I bought after being made redundant but still needed to work for a few more years, and I wanted the higher ride height and that bit easier for getting in & out. I wanted a lean(er) burn engine with as low VED as I could get for the size of car. (Yes, I would have liked the FWD 180BHP version but the price difference and the lack of availability was against me!)
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I think we are on similar reasonings. If I park next to a kerb in the Clubman, getting out is really difficult because I struggle to push with my legs as my feet are too high in relation to my backside, so have to pull myself out with my hands. It's OK on my drive, but that couple of inches from a kerb make a big difference.
 
Jelster said:
I just don't like diesels. I was a mechanic when I first left school and have always been mechanically minded, and I just don't like them. Direct injection petrol with electronic ignition has alays been cleaner, more reliable and quieter. Hybrid even more so.
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Re: diesel fuel ~ my dad was a Black Cab Taxi driver, a journeyman i.e. did not own it but 'rented' very long term......a Saturday job he got me when IIRC was about 14 or 15 years old was to wash the cabs in the garage (in Parsons Green) and it was not uncommon for small splashes of diesel to get on the floor but especially when combined with water, the surface went from skating rink to 'agh!'

That was in effect my first introduction to diesel......apart from my dad telling me about summer & winter diesel and the manual heater plugs switch and how long it was needed when starting in the winter!
Jelster said:
I think we are on similar reasonings. If I park next to a kerb in the Clubman, getting out is really difficult because I struggle to push with my legs as my feet are too high in relation to my backside, so have to pull myself out with my hands. It's OK on my drive, but that couple of inches from a kerb make a big difference.
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Another nice thing about the Kuga is the level load deck at the rear....no more lift & pull......just pull and hold :D
 
Had a lift in a Hyundai Kona hybrid the other day and was impressed. My next car when current one is on its last legs will be a petrol hybrid.

Currently drive a six cylinder petrol car and love it (40+ mpg on a journey) but one of the best cars I had was a six cylinder diesel which I couldn’t fault.
 
When I bought my last car I went for KIA mainly because of the warranty and it gave me all the gizmos as standard that I would have to pay extra for with other brands.
 
Steep said:
When I bought my last car I went for KIA mainly because of the warranty and it gave me all the gizmos as standard that I would have to pay extra for with other brands.
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Definitely, get past the badge thing and they're good value cars.
 
robj20 said:
Definitely, get past the badge thing and they're good value cars.
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I recall when KIA first arrived in the UK their badge was/resembled smoking chimneys................back then I was not impressed with the symbolism. Since then I know a couple who have both the Piccanto and an Hyundai i40 estate and AFAIK have been very happy with both and IIRC they have replaced both over the years for updated models.
 
EV ? , My daughter just purchased a Volvo XC90 hybrid her and hubby love it , Only has an electric range of about 25 miles , That's enough for her to get to work and back , Really cheap over night charge with Octopus energy. It was a dealer demo car so came at a good price.
 
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I leased a Kia Sportage for 3 years in 2013 so the model prior to the current shape.
The dash was a bit plasticky but I think that has improved now. Other than that I thought it drove very nicely and I never had any problems with it.

My only real gripe was that I got the 1.6 petrol which was naturally aspirated so wasn't very gutsy especially when overtaking.
 
My wife is on her third hyundai i10 auto ,only changed as she got very good trade in offers and DiL is on her second i30 ,the first got totalled in a Tesco car park and she was not even in it,its replacement was an i30 diesel 6spd auto that does 50odd mpg.
Very good cars, I would consider one if I ever changed my Toyota hybrid
 
Had a Kia Stonic and then a Sportage.

Very good cars and if I was looking for a Sportage type car then that would be the one I would go for again. Build quality while not up to there German brands, is still very good. The big thing is the fact that you get a huge warranty and they are very well specced. I had the S Line 170bhp and was pretty pokey for a big heavy car, loads of space, comfortable, and had everything, even heated rear seats. Looked good too.
 
Brand new RAV4 should meet your requirements and come in budget. It'll be a CVT though, but a nice car and should be fairly bomb proof.
 
cambsno said:
Had a Kia Stonic and then a Sportage.

Very good cars and if I was looking for a Sportage type car then that would be the one I would go for again. Build quality while not up to there German brands, is still very good. The big thing is the fact that you get a huge warranty and they are very well specced. I had the S Line 170bhp and was pretty pokey for a big heavy car, loads of space, comfortable, and had everything, even heated rear seats. Looked good too.
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The phrase "build quality" often causes me to raise and eyebrow especially when used in connection with German marque 4x4's as they tend to not do so well in the quality and reliability surveys. It's a while since I looked at the surveys but at the time I was thinking about a 4x4 I did look and some of the vaunted German marques were right at the bottom. That was internal combustion and I don't know if things have changed for electric or hybrid.
 
woof woof said:
The phrase "build quality" often causes me to raise and eyebrow especially when used in connection with German marque 4x4's as they tend to not do so well in the quality and reliability surveys. It's a while since I looked at the surveys but at the time I was thinking about a 4x4 I did look and some of the vaunted German marques were right at the bottom. That was internal combustion and I don't know if things have changed for electric or hybrid.
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For me it is more about the quality of the finish, little marks on the leather that you probably wouldnt get on a more premium car, or a scrape on the plastic part of the seat. Just small things really.
 
cambsno said:
For me it is more about the quality of the finish, little marks on the leather that you probably wouldnt get on a more premium car, or a scrape on the plastic part of the seat. Just small things really.
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I do appreciate how things look and feel and how owning a "quality" marque can make us feel but reliability does count for a lot and I think needs to be in the mix of things to think about somewhere. I have owned just the two German cars, a Porsche and a Merc, I wouldn't rate either of them highly for reliability or for any real world quality. Nice plastics and surfaces and exposed or hidden screws count for little for me. I care more about how often it's going to be back at the dealer or how often it's going to leave me at the side of the road but I do realise that some assign different weights to different aspects of a product and of course quite a few issues with cars are minor things which are more likely to annoy us than leave us stranded.
 
woof woof said:
I do appreciate how things look and feel and how owning a "quality" marque can make us feel but reliability does count for a lot and I think needs to be in the mix of things to think about somewhere. I have owned just the two German cars, a Porsche and a Merc, I wouldn't rate either of them highly for reliability or for any real world quality. Nice plastics and surfaces and exposed or hidden screws count for little for me. I care more about how often it's going to be back at the dealer or how often it's going to leave me at the side of the road but I do realise that some assign different weights to different aspects of a product and of course quite a few issues with cars are minor things which are more likely to annoy us than leave us stranded.
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absolutely spot on for me as well one of the reasons i am on my 7th citroen, cheap as chips to buy and run , don't mind being sat for a month unused plastics well just plastics and very reliable at least have been for me. i value simplicity in a car as well, when i was looking for my last car i considered a citroen C3 with a turbo, small 1.2 petrol and decided not to as i simply wanted simple and less to go wrong and i am glad i did as my car has done 58,000 miles in 4 years just with basic servicing and nothing has broke.
 
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gman said:
Brand new RAV4 should meet your requirements and come in budget. It'll be a CVT though, but a nice car and should be fairly bomb proof.
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Nothing wrong with a Toyota CVT box, just look at the number of taxi drivers with hybrid auris (s) or prius (s).
They don't break
 
troutfisher said:
Nothing wrong with a Toyota CVT box, just look at the number of taxi drivers with hybrid auris (s) or prius (s).
They don't break
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Another bonus with Toyota is theire servicing, get it serviced at a main deealera nd you automatically get a 12 month manyfacturer backed warranty - no third parties involved. (Besides our XC60, we have a Yaris as a little runabout, or for when a second car is needed)
 
troutfisher said:
Nothing wrong with a Toyota CVT box, just look at the number of taxi drivers with hybrid auris (s) or prius (s).
They don't break
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It was more to due with some people don't like how they operate.
 
cambsno said:
For me it is more about the quality of the finish, little marks on the leather that you probably wouldnt get on a more premium car, or a scrape on the plastic part of the seat. Just small things really.
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Also, I've had a lot of Honda's in the past and whilst reliable they are terrible for dash squeaks and rattles, which irritates me. I don't find this problem with BMW and AUDI. Speaking of which, my current AUDI has been the most reliable car to date, which has surprised me. I'm going to regret saying that.
 
I think the thing I seem to have gleaned over the last decade is how much better cars are now in general to the point there are very few mass market bad cars, yes some of the posher end are quite poor as they age mainly due to over complexity and deferred maintenance which is a posh way of basically not keeping up on certain things until they break.

I watch that you tube channel highpeak and the guy just tells it as it is , expensive cars long term generally need deeper pockets and people think if they spend more up front they get a better car long term and that isn't the case you just need to spend more on servicing and maintainace

classic case in point he had a guy come in to buy a 10 year old range rover and needed details to sort out the finance.
the guy at high peak said you do not want to buy this car if you need finance just to put it on your drive as the cost of running it and fixing it will cripple you
 
gman said:
Brand new RAV4 should meet your requirements and come in budget. It'll be a CVT though, but a nice car and should be fairly bomb proof.
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RAV4 is more expensive than you think!

Anyway, had change of heart yesterday, and tried the Ford Puma ST, which is 200bhp but manual only (the wife pointed out that as I'm no longer working the likelyhood of me getting stuck in traffic and over-working my knee were quite low). I actually loved it. Really nice inside, very nice Recaro seats, and they have a fully loaded one in stock. Offered me a great deal on my Clubman too. However Wifey want to test drive the Q2, so will do that at the weekend.
 
Jelster said:
RAV4 is more expensive than you think!

Anyway, had change of heart yesterday, and tried the Ford Puma ST, which is 200bhp but manual only (the wife pointed out that as I'm no longer working the likelyhood of me getting stuck in traffic and over-working my knee were quite low). I actually loved it. Really nice inside, very nice Recaro seats, and they have a fully loaded one in stock. Offered me a great deal on my Clubman too. However Wifey want to test drive the Q2, so will do that at the weekend.
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wow
Ford Puma ST
your green cred just took a dive then :-(
 
Jelster said:
RAV4 is more expensive than you think!

Anyway, had change of heart yesterday, and tried the Ford Puma ST, which is 200bhp but manual only (the wife pointed out that as I'm no longer working the likelyhood of me getting stuck in traffic and over-working my knee were quite low). I actually loved it. Really nice inside, very nice Recaro seats, and they have a fully loaded one in stock. Offered me a great deal on my Clubman too. However Wifey want to test drive the Q2, so will do that at the weekend.
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I found three eight in budget and meeting your spec.
 
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Mr Bump said:
wow
Ford Puma ST
your green cred just took a dive then :-(
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It's much more economical than my current car. My Brother-in-law also has one, and he gets better than 40 MPG on a run. Like any car, drrive it hard and it will drink fuel...
 
Jelster said:
It's much more economical than my current car. My Brother-in-law also has one, and he gets better than 40 MPG on a run. Like any car, drrive it hard and it will drink fuel...
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but it will pollute massively in urban areas where a hybrid would not?
MPG does not equal green :-(
 
imattersuk said:
Haven't you got a house in Greece ? What's your carbon footprint ?
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what a load of bunkum comment so i have a house in Greece its very low impact it uses almost zero power it has solar water heaters and the leccy bill is tiny whats your point? you going on some jolly to a 2 star hotel in wherever will use more juice than my house does
 
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