My next car

[ColW]

Hi All, I had been considering upgrading from my 1.5 eco boost to an ST but the fuel consumption and insurance were putting me off. With Ford announcing the end of the focus and I'm not a fan of the puma I decided to look elsewhere. I had considered and test drove a seat born but I don't like the touch controls. I have since traded in my focus with a good return after owning for nearly 3 years and got a 2 year old bmw 128ti. It is a lovely car to drive and can be quite economical on the motorway if driven carefully. 

I will still look in on here now and then. 

[DaveT70]

Lovely car, you won't be disappointed

[dezwez]

good luck 👍

[tazzman600]

Hi Colin. I've noticed you had the 182 horse ecoboost. How was that on fuel? 

[ColW]

2 hours ago, tazzman600 said:

Hi Colin. I've noticed you had the 182 horse ecoboost. How was that on fuel? 

Hi Tazzman, I used to average around 38mpg with my daily commute of mixed motorway and main roads. On a good long motorway run I got up to 47mpg getting from South Manchester to Newcastle and back and still having fuel left in the tank. All that was driving a little above the speed limit as well, around 80 on motorways. 

[tazzman600]

Hi Colin. Thanks for your reply. I'm surprised then that you didn't go for the ST. Why? Because of my short experience of one, the 2.0 litre, I drove it a few hundred miles and was pleased I got very high 30's. Only reason I didn't get it was the dealer took the wee wee on my part ex.

I hope you don't suffer the myriad of faults beemers are having. 

My last car was a Lexus is250 and the number of beemer owners who approached me asking about it with the idea of getting one blew my mind. Unfortunately I wrote my beloved is250 and this focus I have now is a stop gap till my next Lexus.

I have the 140 zetec s which actually is a ruddy good car. I tested 2x 182's and they really really surprised me but they needed too much doing. Got mine cheap and have put over 2.5k in it. Can still sell it for more than I paid for it 😁

[Eric Bloodaxe]

6 hours ago, ColW said:

1.5 eco boost

Just out of interest, was that a very late Mk 3.5 or a very early Mk 4, Colin?

Hope you continue popping in to let us know how you get on with the 128ti.

[ColW]

1 hour ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Just out of interest, was that a very late Mk 3.5 or a very early Mk 4, Colin?

Hope you continue popping in to let us know how you get on with the 128ti.

Hi Eric, it was a 2018 MK3.5 4 cylinder. I did really enjoy the car but had the opportunity to go for something with a bit more power rather than start spending on new tyres brakes etc for its next mot.

If I hadn't been offered as much for the part ex I would have probably kept it longer and spent the money on it. 

The acceleration on the 128ti is a whole other level plus all the extras I get with the car compared to the focus it's s a totally different driving experience. 

[ColW]

2 hours ago, tazzman600 said:

Hi Colin. Thanks for your reply. I'm surprised then that you didn't go for the ST. Why? Because of my short experience of one, the 2.0 litre, I drove it a few hundred miles and was pleased I got very high 30's. Only reason I didn't get it was the dealer took the wee wee on my part ex.

I hope you don't suffer the myriad of faults beemers are having. 

My last car was a Lexus is250 and the number of beemer owners who approached me asking about it with the idea of getting one blew my mind. Unfortunately I wrote my beloved is250 and this focus I have now is a stop gap till my next Lexus.

I have the 140 zetec s which actually is a ruddy good car. I tested 2x 182's and they really really surprised me but they needed too much doing. Got mine cheap and have put over 2.5k in it. Can still sell it for more than I paid for it 😁

Hi Tazzman, if they still made a 2  litre I would probably have gone for an ST. I would have had to go to an older car to get the 2 litre. The 2.3 ecoboost has similar performance to my BMW but the fuel consumption is listed much higher and I did check several sites to see real world consumption.  I think it was mid 20s to low 30s mpg.  They are also listed as a few insurance groups higher than the BMW.  

[tazzman600]

Hi Colin. What you said about the performance between the 2.3 focus and your 128ti. I find unbelievable. From what I've read the focus has about 100bhp more than the 128.

As for insurance. That's a different ball game and totally to do with the driver and his record and where he lives and what's been stolen in his area etc etc.

Anyway you enjoy your beemer for as long as you can because I promise you. You'll be spending 000's repairing it in a few years time. That info come from the mouths of beemer owners.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

14 minutes ago, tazzman600 said:

Hi Colin. What you said about the performance between the 2.3 focus and your 128ti. I find unbelievable. From what I've read the focus has about 100bhp more than the 128.

I think you've been reading about the old Focus 2.3 RS, not the current Focus 2.3 ST. The difference is about 15ps (Focus ST: 280, 128ti: 265).

[ColW]

The focus ST, BMW 128ti and golf GTI are all similar spec and similar price. I had dropped the golf from my list after the test drive of the Cupra born because of the touch sensitive controls. I believe they were addressing the controls for the latest model but I wasn't in a position to buy new.

I will look what is available when my finance for the BMW is coming to an end. I may look again at battery powered because the Cupra born was a nice car and fun to drive apart from the controls. The extra cost didn't justify the savings in fuel for me. 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

4 hours ago, ColW said:

I believe they were addressing the controls for the latest model but I wasn't in a position to buy new.

That issue put me off the Golf 8 too. I understand next year's version replaces the haptic touch pads on the steering wheel with proper buttons, and the temperature "sliders" are now backlit, but, as far as I can see, other than updated software, that's about it control-wise. Some minor styling changes and a slight power hike also.

They're sticking with the stubby switch for the DSG gear selector, and no manual GTI, which I would prefer.

You might find the Hyundai i30N worth a look, too.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

8 hours ago, ColW said:

I may look again at battery powered because the Cupra born was a nice car and fun to drive apart from the controls. The extra cost didn't justify the savings in fuel for me. 

Straying into territory of another thread now, but I also rather like what they did to the ID3 to turn it into a Cupra Born. Seen some positive reviews on the way it drives. As with the Golf, though, hated the dash and controls. 

I suspect that the VW group's next generation of EVs will be a lot better - quite interested to see how the VW ID1 and ID2 and other brand siblings turn out. 

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

On 1/26/2024 at 8:13 AM, ColW said:

Hi All, I had been considering upgrading from my 1.5 eco boost to an ST but the fuel consumption and insurance were putting me off. With Ford announcing the end of the focus and I'm not a fan of the puma I decided to look elsewhere. I had considered and test drove a seat born but I don't like the touch controls. I have since traded in my focus with a good return after owning for nearly 3 years and got a 2 year old bmw 128ti. It is a lovely car to drive and can be quite economical on the motorway if driven carefully. 

I will still look in on here now and then. 

Hi.

If you need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line.

Regards,

Dan.