Just now, Tizer said:

I've only done not much more than 20,000 miles, I got it just before Covid.

I would buy another but they stopped doing that Engine.

I did have a Mk2.5 Diesel before and I think that was a better car because it had Independent Rear Suspension, my Mk4 should have had that but Ford changed the rules just before my car was built, and the Mk2.5 had Electro/Hydraulic Steering which was not only better but you could set it to Stiff if you wanted. 

The Electric Steering is apparently better on the Mk4 than the Mk3 but far too light for my personal preference.

As I'd be getting the estate I believe I'd be getting the independent rear setup?

Personally I usually always advocate for the more analogue versions of most cars, which always equates to the older models.

The steering characteristic plays very nicely for us.  A must-have is steering that is not too heavy in feel for my wife, as she has rheumatoid arthritis and gets pain from driving anything with weighty steering.  This is one of the main points in favour of the Focus, and why all Beemers, Volvos, SUVs and many others are off the table.   

1 minute ago, FocusDanielSan said:

As I'd be getting the estate I believe I'd be getting the independent rear setup

Yes, it is slightly different though to keep the low and level Load Space.

6 hours ago, FocusDanielSan said:

I still don't see how much improvement could be had in that platform to make it at all enjoyable to driye.

Was there anything besides economy you were particularly impressed with in your experience of the hatchback?

I can see where you're coming from - my local taxi drivers are heavily into Toyota hybrids these days, and I've chatted with a few who have older Aurises, some over 300k miles. As they say, "reliable it is, fun it aint".

Tbh I approached it with a "could I live with this sort of thing" frame of mind.

The Corolla is, though, a different platform and a different kettle of fish imo. Very tidy handling, went very well (2.0 version), much smoother drive than any dual clutch set up I've tried (I'm not a 2 pedal fan normally). All in all, and somewhat to my surprise, I found it quite an enjoyable drive.

I was similarly impressed with the current Civic hybrid - hatchback only, but decent boot, but a bit big for our current needs. It seemed huge compared to the one we had 20 years back.

As you can see, I decided on one last fling with the Fiesta before I grow up but would certainly consider a Corolla in the future.

 

I liked my 1.5 petrol Vignale hatchback with manual transmission over 20k ish miles. I only got shot of it so I could rotate my hat to the backwards direction and drive like a yobbo in a Fiesta ST. 
 

in 182ps guise it was really nice and on runs got decent mpg, I’d say with a pragmatic hat on it easily did mid 40mpg and best I ever got was Inverness to Crawley on one tank, much to the annoyance of the missus. 
 

Agree with the comments about trim rattles, it’s annoying but if you understand it’s a Ford then it’s not the end of the world assuming you get it for good money. Why Ford cant design door seals that remain stuck to the doors is beyond me. 

13 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

The Corolla is, though, a different platform and a different kettle of fish imo. Very tidy handling, went very well (2.0 version), much smoother drive than any dual clutch set up I've tried (I'm not a 2 pedal fan normally). All in all, and somewhat to my surprise, I found it quite an enjoyable drive.

Yes, the 2.0 version is chalk and cheese to the 1.8 and just as economical

Possible plot twist emerging with the 2.0 Corolla.  Test drive needed.  If they’ve upped the refinement of the powertrain so much that it doesn’t dominate, and the handling is as tidy as you guys say, then it could actually be a contender.  

39 minutes ago, FocusDanielSan said:

Possible plot twist emerging with the 2.0 Corolla.  Test drive needed.  If they’ve upped the refinement of the powertrain so much that it doesn’t dominate, and the handling is as tidy as you guys say, then it could actually be a contender.  

The 2.0 is worlds apart from the 1.8 it's quite unbelieveable

I’d get the 1.0, there’s millions out there. If it wants a new lower belt 80,000 miles down the line so be it. 

29 minutes ago, Focustivct said:

I’d get the 1.0, there’s millions out there. If it wants a new lower belt 80,000 miles down the line so be it. 

I kind of thought why doesn't Ford install a view-ing glass somewhere so the belt condition can be inspected visually 😄 Or at least a removable bolt which could allow inspection with one of those small round cable cameras.. I guess it would take the edge off things and people would just rest instead of worry....

4 hours ago, FocusDanielSan said:

Test drive needed

Won't cost anything to give it a try😀.

4 hours ago, DaveT70 said:

The 2.0 is worlds apart from the 1.8 it's quite unbelieveable

I didn't get to try one, but I understand from various test reports the revised/uprated 1.8 for 2023 MY is much improved. The commercial version of the tourer much praised by Autocar in the report I mentioned earlier is actually a 1.8. 

The 2.0 also got a boost from around 180ps, which is what I drove, to 200ps.

Of course, the Suzuki Swace is a rebadged 1.8 Corolla Tourer and can be cheaper depending on spec.

20 hours ago, Buxty said:

I liked my 1.5 petrol Vignale hatchback with manual transmission over 20k ish miles. I only got shot of it so I could rotate my hat to the backwards direction and drive like a yobbo in a Fiesta ST. 
 

in 182ps guise it was really nice and on runs got decent mpg, I’d say with a pragmatic hat on it easily did mid 40mpg and best I ever got was Inverness to Crawley on one tank, much to the annoyance of the missus. 
 

Agree with the comments about trim rattles, it’s annoying but if you understand it’s a Ford then it’s not the end of the world assuming you get it for good money. Why Ford cant design door seals that remain stuck to the doors is beyond me. 

Wow! that's quite a bit above what otherwise seems to be the expected mpg for that engine, very interesting.  

28 minutes ago, FocusDanielSan said:

Wow! that's quite a bit above what otherwise seems to be the expected mpg for that engine, very interesting.  

As I said earlier, the Fuel consumption for the Manual cars is good but the Automatic Petrol ones are not as good.

I'm away for the weekend. I did about 130 miles today half Motorway and reset my Trip Counter and it is showing 57 mpg.

13 hours ago, FocusDanielSan said:

Wow! that's quite a bit above what otherwise seems to be the expected mpg for that engine, very interesting.  

It was a good day for it honestly, but was entirely motorway and was at 70mph as much as possible so no hypermiling boring stuff. 

A photo of my Fuel consumption as per my earlier post 

Ah.  'On a run'.  The three words that are like nails down a blackboard to those of us that work out useful long term MPG averages over each tankful.  

On 6/7/2024 at 3:03 PM, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Won't cost anything to give it a try😀.

I didn't get to try one, but I understand from various test reports the revised/uprated 1.8 for 2023 MY is much improved. The commercial version of the tourer much praised by Autocar in the report I mentioned earlier is actually a 1.8. 

The 2.0 also got a boost from around 180ps, which is what I drove, to 200ps.

Of course, the Suzuki Swace is a rebadged 1.8 Corolla Tourer and can be cheaper depending on spec.

Found one within easy reach, should hopefully be test driving this week.

Nearly £15k for a 19 plate with 74k on the clock...yikes.

Will report back if it happens.

1 minute ago, FocusDanielSan said:

Nearly £15k for a 19 plate with 74k on the clock..

That's good to know 👍 So my 2019 with only 26k should be worth ......🤔 a canny bit more 🤣

13 hours ago, unofix said:

That's good to know 👍 So my 2019 with only 26k should be worth ......🤔 a canny bit more 🤣

Only if you stick a Toyota badge on it.  

Not sure about the Toyota anymore. It looks like they have been cheating their way through the automotive industry, unless this is fake news.

At least Ford only cheated their clients with unreliable wet belts 😄