Best small'ish family car for £10k?

Soldato
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Hopefully in the not so distant future we want to get something a bit better for my partner. She currently has a fiesta. But it's a bit tight now with 2 kids and a pram.

That said she doesn't want anything too big, she quite likes the look of a Renault Captur

Any suggestions? I mentioned a 1 series or A3 but they didn't appeal
 
Soldato
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Captur is tiny, think Fiesta on stilts.

For a family, Kuga, Qashqai etc. is the size you need, but you'll get a much newer and higher spec for your 10k if you buck fashion an get a traditional hatchback, Focus, Golf, Astra size car.
 
Soldato
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Not popular to many, but the newer shape Qashqai (2013/4 onwwards) in Tekna trim is a nice family wagon, 360 camera's, pan roof, self parking, electric leather seats, heated seats, etc.. and their engines are fairly frugal.. It's not overly engaging to drive, but that's not the point, it's relaxing and driven as a family wagon I think it makes sense and it's not that big, it's slightly smaller than the Captur.
 
Soldato
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I'll take a look thanks for the suggestions.

I say pram but tbh it's not that long until we will stop needing it, so that's not essential.

She doesn't like the idea of something too big in terms of feeling confident driving it but I am trying to get her to branch away from her comfort zone a bit
 
Associate
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Don’t get a Qashqai, had a top spec one for a couple of weeks as courtesy car, one of the worst cars I have even driven. My brother also has one and can’t wait to give it back. At this price point, I would certainly think Focus, Corolla, Civic something along those line.
 
Soldato
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Don’t get a Qashqai, had a top spec one for a couple of weeks as courtesy car, one of the worst cars I have even driven. My brother also has one and can’t wait to give it back. At this price point, I would certainly think Focus, Corolla, Civic something along those line.
A neighbor bought one of these. I thought it was a "proper 4x4" but it seems severely underpowered for what it 'appeared to be'. Was it just gutless?
 
Associate
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A neighbor bought one of these. I thought it was a "proper 4x4" but it seems severely underpowered for what it 'appeared to be'. Was it just gutless?
It was very gutless, it was a automatic and was slow to select correct gear. Parking sensors and cameras activating whilst In traffic, it felt cheap. Good things I did like the driving position and space in the boot under the boot floor.
 
Man of Honour
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Juke is terrible and won't really carry any more than a Fiesta.

You might be faced with a problem that you want something bigger than a Fiesta, that isn't too big, coupled with your partner seemingly favouring crossover styling (which means less boot space typically for how big the car appears).

The best option is likely something like a Civic, boot is big enough to not be completely filled by a pram but overall the car shouldn't daunt her.
 
Man of Honour
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A neighbor bought one of these. I thought it was a "proper 4x4" but it seems severely underpowered for what it 'appeared to be'. Was it just gutless?

There is only 1-2 models which are even remotely "proper 4x4" and even then the performance is very meh just they are reasonably capable off-road compared to the other models.

Largely a vehicle for people who have given up on life IMO though the ~2017 facelift looks OK to be fair - the older ones combine a tired look with snooze inducing performance and not great handling. Dunno about the newer ones but the older ones I've experience of the ride rolls a lot compared to competing offerings based on the VW platform, etc.

Though I do like the Tekna trim level personally - pair that up with the newer facelift, at least ~2L ~180PS 4x4 configuration and better ride/handling I might actually consider one.

No idea on the latest hybrid model - but that is a long way off a 10K car.

At ~10K the Nissan Pulsar might be worth a look.
 
Man of Honour
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You will break them if you try to offroad them much.

That goes for most modern cars - especially most of the SUVs which are just an "on stilts" to use Fox's description variant of the regular hatchback or estate platform rather than a ground up SUV (or based off the pickup) design like the older Pathfinder, etc.
 
Soldato
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You can get the newer shape Qashqai for that. I drove one from Cambridgeshire down to the south coast a few months ago and it was lovely. Plenty of poke, decent MPG for a petrol and good set of features.


I was very impressed I must say.


That would be my top choice :)
 
Soldato
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Golf or focus estate - the Nissan Juke is a joke and any of the cross over suv type things are pointless vehicles and about as practical as a chocolate teapot.
 
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