Maybe getting a bit ahead of myself.  15 months left of lease on the focus. 
Toyota Corolla, they have a huge range compared to Ford Focus. But 
First paragraph of a review says ‘poor infotainment system’ and  ‘Not as much fun to drive as a focus’ ! 
They do have a 2L hybrid 178bhp , 1 gear transmission. 0-60 in  7.9 secs. I took a screenshot , will add a link to review..

 

Reviews from 3 year ago!!! 

@Guy Heaton 

The Corolla is one of the few cars to actually gain multilink suspension recently...which makes me wonder why it should be any less 'fun' than the Focus. 

And it doesn't have rubber band tyres.  They are cheap to lease as they keep their value.  5 year warranty.

Reviews say it is not a car you want thrash everywhere but for someone like me who just bimbles along with occasional needs for a bit of poke it is perfect.

10 hours ago, Guy Heaton said:

And it doesn't have rubber band tyres.  They are cheap to lease as they keep their value.  5 year warranty.

Reviews say it is not a car you want thrash everywhere but for someone like me who just bimbles along with occasional needs for a bit of poke it is perfect.

'Bimbles along'...is that what drivers doing 30 MPH in a 50 zone do? 😁

The corolla is a good looking car and let's face it toyota's hybrids are apprantly really good. The only thing I would struggle with is the CVT gearbox never been a fan .... if toyota offered a hybrid without CVT I'd be there like a flash 👍

8 hours ago, MoonDust_Focus said:

The corolla is a good looking car and let's face it toyota's hybrids are apprantly really good. The only thing I would struggle with is the CVT gearbox never been a fan .... if toyota offered a hybrid without CVT I'd be there like a flash 👍

CVT box is the reason I didn't chose one myself.  Choice would have been more difficult for me if they'd offered a manual...

Proper full hybrids need the CVT.  Haven't driven a Corolla but have driven a liexus nx with the same box and it just goes.

That Corolla hybrid I was looking at is described as 1 speed transmission..

Yes.  It has fake steps put in to make it feel like a normal auto.

What about the new Cupras? They look really tasty.

2 hours ago, Frowma said:

What about the new Cupras? They look really tasty.

They don’t seem to be available to me. That’s high spec SEATs ? 

12 hours ago, Alex.S said:

They don’t seem to be available to me. That’s high spec SEATs ? 

Cupra is its own brand now, same as DS is now separate from Citroen.  

They only make 'fast' versions though so won't be available unfortunately.  

The Formentor looks fantastic for such a big car imo!

Massively expensive to lease as they plummet in value.

4 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

The Formentor looks fantastic for such a big car imo!

Lol, we saw the tv ad for that the other night and until the car appeared right at the end you wouldn't have a clue what it was advertising! And - like most car ads these days - it gave no explanation as to why you might want to buy it anyway.

Autocar tested the 2.0TSI VZ2 DSG 4 drive (phew!) recently and gave it a decent enough review. Its basically a VW T-Roc R, though as with most current VW group cars they don't like the gear selector switch or touchscreen controls for most functions. 

Looks are such a personal thing - not my cup of tea I must admit.

 

 

4 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

They only make 'fast' versions though so won't be available unfortunately.  

Not sure what you mean there, Tom, not the biggest dealer network but a fair spread across the UK.

17 hours ago, Alex.S said:

They don’t seem to be available to me. That’s high spec SEATs ? 

Forgot that you mentioned on another thread you were looking at Motability scheme, Alex. Confusingly I've seen some Cupra dealers mention it but I guess that's because they're still SEAT dealers as well. Maybe it will change as the brand becomes established.

That particular one, on a 4 year, 5k a year lease, £2500 deposit, is £430 quid a month.

Not that I'd ever spend that much but that sort of cash gets you a C300 or an M340.

17 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Forgot that you mentioned on another thread you were looking at Motability scheme, Alex. Confusingly I've seen some Cupra dealers mention it but I guess that's because they're still SEAT dealers as well. Maybe it will change as the brand becomes established.

Cupra isn’t even listed. 
I had a look at VW offerings , very little, a few small SUVs only. 
Ford have a lot though advance payments have gone up and I can’t find a focus that I’d actually go for. Trim and looks aren’t a problem it’s getting the engine id want and an automatic.  Hopefully in a years time they’ll have a full range of proper hybrids or plug ins . 

50 minutes ago, Alex.S said:

Hopefully in a years time they’ll have a full range of proper hybrids or plug ins . 

Just heard on the radio news "Ford have announced their European car range will be fully electric by 2030" which is not really news at all. What we all want to know is how quickly they are going to get there.

 I'm baffled as to what to do myself now. I had hopes of one more pokey petrol but can't find anything that I particularly fancy.  Do I replace my existing car which is out of warranty in a couple of weeks anyway. Or do I soldier on until a viable electric comes along? etc.

9 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Just heard on the radio news "Ford have announced their European car range will be fully electric by 2030" which is not really news at all. What we all want to know is how quickly they are going to get there.

 I'm baffled as to what to do myself now. I had hopes of one more pokey petrol but can't find anything that I particularly fancy.  Do I replace my existing car which is out of warranty in a couple of weeks anyway. Or do I soldier on until a viable electric comes along? etc.

The only thing you can control is buying a car now.Everything else is up in the air until it happens👍

Not sure if you'd be interested in a crossover type car but there's a Toyota C-HR parked near me today that caught my eye...  Looks awesome tbh.  Same hybird engine (and CVT) as the Corolla presumably.

I never used to like crossovers until recently...must be my age!  

Crossovers not for me, unless it’s a Porsche! 
I watched a YouTube review of a Sporty Toyota Corolla hatchback. Didn’t get through the 20mins. I will go back and watch rest but interior I don’t like , outside looks alright. Engines 2L 180bhp . Some kind of hybrid. Double wishbone rear suspension. Was on carwow (I think it’s called 🤔) basically selling motors but the reviewer can and is very critical when need be. Making the usual golf/focus comparisons. Aesthetically it’s inferior. Advance payment is double what the focus cost also ..

Mate go for it.  Then when it's time for me to change you can tell me if it's worth it.  😀

1 hour ago, Guy Heaton said:

Mate go for it.  Then when it's time for me to change you can tell me if it's worth it.  😀

If ford produce a decent choice of hybrid or full electric I’ll probably stick with them. 
just realised I’ve missed an itv program about electric cars! I’ll get it on catch up.

Was too busy watching the glorious Glasgow Rangers! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿