Superminis - downsized petrol turbos £8k

[SlowV6]

With the vast majority of our journeys being urban and undertaken by the wife, with me now working from home, we are considering swapping our e91 330d for a modern(ish) supermini.

It must be a petrol, 5 door and I would prefer a downsided turbo rather than an NA. Not too fussed about manual or auto but would be keen to hear if VW groups 1.2Tsi mated to the DSG is a reliable combo. My mother has a 2016 Polo with this engine & gearbox and I was very impressed, although I think out of budget (see below!). Decent boot space for wife's work stuff would be a bonus.

Othe than the VW group cars, of which the Ibiza are cheapest and look nice in a decent spec what else should I consider:

Ford Fiesta ecoboost (should I worry?)
Hyundai i20 1.0Turbo looks interesting.
Not sure what else at the moment!

Budget about £8k including the beemer, which is a 143k mile 2008 58 M-Sport ZF6 with an M57. Brand new MOT, retail silver with black Dakota pleather. I have guessed £4K private sale for arguments sake. We live in Dorset and don't really want to travel more than about 50miles tops, especially at the moment.

So what else should I consider in this category? Should I go up to Focus sized for better VFM. Any real world experiences appreciated.

Thanks

[colin79666]

SlowV6 said:

Ford Fiesta ecoboost (should I worry?)

Yes, hence the “ecoboom” nickname.

Why would you prefer a turbo? They have good mpg on paper but in reality they often don’t perform too well as with a small capacity you need to be on boost so often to get anywhere.

I’d add the Suzuki Swift to the list. Boot is a bit small but otherwise pretty good and reliable. The Sport is really nippy and the second gen was available as a 5 door.

[ChrisH72]

I've recently moved from an E92 325i to a fiesta ST3. I know you're not looking at the ST but I'm very happy with the decision. It may be a step down in quality from the Beemer but the Fiesta is so much lighter and more fun to drive and I won't miss BMW running costs.

If you're after a good drive then £8k would get you a 2016 1.0 ST line which came with 5 doors. I have driven the 1.0 and it's very good. The early ones gained a bad rep but it seems to be sorted by the time you get to the ones you could buy. There are millions of ecoboost Ford's on the roads and I wouldn't be put off by a few reports of failures.

Another option would be a 208 GT line with the 1.2 turbo. They seem to get good reviews and look pretty good.

[sosidge]

I've just got rid of a 2015 i20 after nearly three years of ownership. 1.2 petrol rather than the turbo. Echo the above comment that it is not certain that a downsized turbo is any more economical in the real world.

As a sensible package it was actually really good, the car has great space on the inside (compared with the other 2015-era superminis I looked at) with a good spec and good ergonomics overall. Small concern about the quality of the seat padding so make sure you are comfortable.

Safe handling but boring as hell to drive with a gutless engine. No reliability issues although I had the clutch replaced under warranty (I think the previous owner had a leaden heel). Perfect for people that want an inexpensive, reliable car-as-a-tool. I happen to think it's quite good looking as well.

Economy wise, high 20s around the city, low 40s on the motorway, pushing 50 on A-roads.

Should be plenty around for under 8k.

Looked at pretty much everything else on the market and the only other car that could match it for space was the then-new Ibiza but the spec on the Ibiza is not very good unless you have the top trim.

[SlowV6]

Thanks soSidge for your review. Very useful.

The turbo requirement is for driving enjoyment. Happy to pay a bit more at the pumps to avoid a gutless small NA engine.

Thanks for your feedback all.

[Truckosaurus]

The 2.0 BMW engined MINI Cooper Ss are getting down to that price now.

Seem to be plenty of them around so shouldn't be hard to find a good one.

[Zetec-S]

colin79666 said:

SlowV6 said:

Ford Fiesta ecoboost (should I worry?)

Yes, hence the “ecoboom” nickname.

Wrong

A few early ones had some coolant pipe issues, if you were going for an early version (pre 2016) then check the recall has been done. However, with an 8k budget you'll get a very nice newer model so it won't be a worry. If you can stretch it a little more then go for the 140bhp ST-Line version. I've driven an early 100bhp version and was suitably impressed, so imagine the 140 is good fun.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010295...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009083...

[cerb4.5lee]

I went from a E90 330i to a F56 Mini Cooper S(2.0 B48 turbo engine) over 3 years ago now and I'm still happy with it. It offers me 40 mpg versus the 26 mpg I got from the 330i. The Mini is relatively light so it feels peppy to drive, whereas in the 330i you had to be revving the backside off it before it got a shift on.

I find the Cooper S great fun to drive, and it still puts a smile on my face.

[ChrisH72]

Doesn't the 5dr cooper s start around £11k though?

[dell44]

I bought my daughter a 2017 Suzuki Swift 1.0 boosterjet 18 months ago. I paid 8.3K. So it would easily fit your budget. Great little car, averages 57mpg, loads of go, 110bhp but feels much stronger. Really well built, feels like it will last a very long time & has stood up well to the abuse my daughter throws at it, 5 door with hidden rear door handles. They are built in Japan, and it show. Only slight negative is it's a 5 speed box & the change quality can be variable when it's cold, though a Suzuki tech told me it is fixed on 2018 onwards cars.

[SlowV6]

ChrisH72 said:

Doesn't the 5dr cooper s start around £11k though?

Yep - I did check and they are way out of budget.

[Martyn76]

my missus is on her 2nd Clio TCE, has a little 3 cyclinder 990cc turbo engine and is pretty good! Once the turbo comes in it has plenty of go and it's a comfortable place to sit with plenty of modern toys : bluetooth - audio and phone calls, sat nav, LED headlights on her model (GT line), reversing sensors.

Plenty of 18 reg ones at around the £8k mark too , deffo worth a look.

[cerb4.5lee]

SlowV6 said:

ChrisH72 said:

Doesn't the 5dr cooper s start around £11k though?

Yep - I did check and they are way out of budget.

Yes and you can get the 3dr for £8k, but the 5dr is more expensive because it was released a bit later.

[SlowV6]

Sadly, the following condition must be met for this car: NoOfDoors > NoOfCylinders

[cerb4.5lee]

SlowV6 said:

Sadly, the following condition must be met for this car: NoOfDoors > NoOfCylinders

When I'm struggling to get my two kids into the back of the Mini...I do often wonder why I went for the 3dr! A 5dr would be miles easier for sure.

[ChrisH72]

I’m fairly sure that fuel economy isn’t much better on the really small engines than on something a bit livelier as others have said. For example the ST gets close to 40mpg mixed driving which is probably not much worse than the 1.0 ecoboost. Obviously insurance is more but that might not matter for you.

With that in mind how about the rs clio.? 5 doors and you did say auto box is fine.

[A500leroy]

Clubman cooper s?

[ZX10R NIN]

I'd say a Focus sized car is a better option in a lot of cases they'll be better steers too.

Guilietta Sportiva

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010255...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009113...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008252...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010034...

Cloverleaf

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010265...

1.5T Focus Titanium X 182

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010265...

Zetec S 150

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011065...

DS5 DSport 200 these are a good steer & so well spec'd they're wort a test drive

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010195...

V40 T4 SE Nav 180

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010205...

308 Feline 160

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010305...

1.4T Astra Elite 150

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011055...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011075...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010034...

[Brett748]

The 1.0 Ecoboost is a horrible engine. I found it to make a horrible noise, be unrefined and uneconomical.

I drove a 0.9 TCe Clio recently and it was far nicer to use.

I’d look for something with a little more capacity like a 2.0 turbo, after a 330d a tiny petrol engine will feel very weak.

[resolve10]

Surprised to see the mixed reviews for the Fiesta Ecoboost - I know two owners who've had theirs for well over three years each and have had no problems.

I had one as a courtesy car a couple of years ago and I didn't want to give it back.

I can't think of a better suggestion that fits your brief.