All good info, thanks.
To expand a bit. I currently get a car allowance from work. They are now offering a company car scheme, though it needs to be a plug in hybrid or an EV. Even if that wasnt part of the rules, from the tax perspective, it doesnt make sense to have a petrol as a company car anyway. I'd happily switch to an EV as a company car, but ideally id need to have the kerb dropped, put a driveway in (which id quite like to do anyway) and get a charger fitted before i go down that route. Or we need to move, extend the house, since we need more space. So quite a lot to work out.
My wifes car is getting on a bit, so ive always planned to get a car for work that i'd then keep and replace that one, then move onto something else. i want something used this time, but with a decent warranty. So far ive considered the Toyota Corolla estate and the Kia Sportage. The Corolla is similar to my wifes current car, Leon estate. I do like the sportage too. its a bit more expensive than the toyota. Warranty wise, 7 years on the Kia, 10 on the corolla if you have it serviced by them. so even at a couple of years old, its still reasonable.
If i can make the numbers work, and my BMW is worth what i expect at the end of the term (January) then i'd likely but the corolla on HP rather than PCP but it depends on how much deposit i can put down without dipping into savings too much, and interest rates etc.
I dont really have the energy to deal with cars outside of warranty with potential for big bills, so buying something used with 1 year warranty, hardly seems worth the effort.
I was in a taxi recently which I thought was a Corolla estate. It was actually a Suzuki Swace. Me neither.
Yeah ive heard they are made in the same factory as the corollas. Never noticed one on the road though.
despite the 190bhp torque is sub 200NM so if you are doing NSL driving I'd check if overtaking is adequate versus non-cvt cars of same bhp,
equally if there will be a high percentage of NSL will the hybrid'ish (small battery) really pay off.
[personally there is an abuse of terminology with hybrid/mild-hybrid stuff which is just impacting the urban part of wltp - otherwise still seems like an additional maintenance liability )
I think the sub 200NM is for the engine alone. With the hybrid stuff as well ive seen 285NM in a few places.
NSL?
Normally, id not bother with a hybrid to be honest. But its typically the only way to get a bit more power in a regular car. i dont need 300bhp with pops n bangs innit, but i'd like a bit more than a 135bhp 1.5 which seems to be the norm. there is very little in the middle of those, unless you go hybrid.
its a proper hybrid, rather than a mild hybrid. It can drive on EV power alone. Its all tuned for efficiency, so users tend to get good MPG in all driving situations. The 2.0 pulls well by all accounts. The CVT is my only concern, but i'll give it a good test drive. it will be absolutely fine for my wife though once its hers.
I agree, Hybrids do seem like an additional liability to be honest. Twice as much to go wrong. Having said that. The corolla still features high on the reliability surveys. They seem to get better with every generation... not something the Germans seem to manage. I certainly wouldn't trade my current BMW 1 series in for the new one, its worse in every way. all cars are so complicated these days. EVs are much simpler machines on the face of it, but software issue seem to be the cause of most of the EV issues ive read about. IMO, Mild hybrids are a complete waste of resources as its entirely a box ticking exercise for manufacturers
Good but might as well buy an old one and save a lot of money. They have always been reliable and felt solid, probably more so when they were simpler. Usually rust kills them before anything mechanical.
I get a car allowance from work, so cant really just get an old one. 2023 looks like the sweet spot as it has the latest infotainment system, which is less rubbish than the previous one and generally works well.
So i'll probably be of a mind to think ******** to it and get something old and be done with it, get out there and start shouting at clouds!