Upgrade from 2014 Ford Fiesta

X-Morgan · 30 Aug 2020 at 15:06

Hi all,

Was looking to upgrade my car to something a bit better behind the wheel in terms of refinement and comfort. Just something nice to sit in, with nice tech like Apple Car Play, climate control, the usual suspects.

My last three cars have been Fiestas and I'm driving a 2014 Fiesta Titanium (125hp 1.0 Ecoboost).

I've had a few cars in my head and looking around AutoTrader filtered to the following:

2016-17 or newer (catching the mid life facelifts of many of the below cars)
Manual
Petrol
Hatchback
5 doors

I don't do massive miles (around 6k year)

Some that have caught my eye are the below:

Audi A3 Sport (Been weary of the S-Line: is it as harsh as people make it out to be with the sport suspension compared to dynamic suspension?)
BMW 118i Sport/M Sport
Seat Leon FR (or any trim that's higher)
Volkswagen Golf GT/R-Line

I'm trying to get best bang for buck and ideally not spend over £16-17k.

Would be grand if someone could chime in as this will be the first time I've went with something other than Ford.

Cheers!

nas · 30 Aug 2020 at 17:00

You might find the 118i abit sluggish, the 120i may be a better option.

X-Morgan · 30 Aug 2020 at 17:13

nas said:
You might find the 118i abit sluggish, the 120i may be a better option.

There's no 120i's within 100 miles of me that's newer than 2016-17. Seems like they don't exist around here!

Armageus · 30 Aug 2020 at 17:24

If you are wanting a genuine improvement in comfort and refinement, probably better to look at a 3 series or A4 sized car

X-Morgan · 30 Aug 2020 at 17:34

Armageus said:
If you are wanting a genuine improvement in comfort and refinement, probably better to look at a 3 series or A4 sized car

I think a 3 series and an A4 are too big for my needs. A lot of that size would go to waste.

Nasher · 30 Aug 2020 at 17:57

Focus ST?

I don't think any of the options are going to give top level comfort tbh. I've never found the ride all that good on Audi/VW/Seats, their damping just doesn't work on UK roads. Only the big models like the A6 upwards are smooth.

X-Morgan · 30 Aug 2020 at 19:48

Nasher said:
Focus ST?

I don't think any of the options are going to give top level comfort tbh. I've never found the ride all that good on Audi/VW/Seats, their damping just doesn't work on UK roads. Only the big models like the A6 upwards are smooth.

I'm not looking for top level comfort. Just something better than a crashy Fiesta on 17 inch wheels. Glasgow's roads aren't that forgiving!

Armageus · 30 Aug 2020 at 19:56

X-Morgan said:
I'm not looking for top level comfort. Just something better than a crashy Fiesta on 17 inch wheels. Glasgow's roads aren't that forgiving!

Swap the wheels for some 16" ones then?

X-Morgan · 30 Aug 2020 at 20:17

Armageus said:
Swap the wheels for some 16" ones then?

Wouldn't really meet the requirement of having a nicer interior to sit in.

Armageus · 30 Aug 2020 at 20:37

X-Morgan said:
Wouldn't really meet the requirement of having a nicer interior to sit in.

Much cheaper option though considering you only do 6k/year

Nasher · 30 Aug 2020 at 21:10

Wheels are exterior

But smaller wheels will make the ride better. Also acceleration, steering, fuel economy. Cheaper tyres too.

X-Morgan · 30 Aug 2020 at 21:11

Armageus said:
Much cheaper option though considering you only do 6k/year

Not exactly what I was looking for, but thanks for your input. Like I said, I'm looking for something more comfortable on the inside too, nicer place to sit in while I do those 6,000 miles.

ShiWarrior · 30 Aug 2020 at 21:24

Top Spec EV ? (Leaf/Zoe/i3) ?

failing that, if your looking at a small car, but want inside nice, i loved the BMW 1 series i drove for 2 weeks, auto box was amazing (2016 ish model)
no idea if you can get one on your budget though

i felt it was one of the best cars ive driven in terms of "nice place to be"
ive had clio sport, Focus, nissan 200, Almera , polo., Pugs as well

mccarf · 30 Aug 2020 at 21:26

It's much bigger than the cars you've listed, but what about a Skoda Superb? Great spec, quality ride and very quiet car when driving. You could get a 1 year old approved one in your budget
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007241645517

Nasher · 30 Aug 2020 at 21:28

TBH if you want a nice ride don't get anything "sporty", unless you actually want a proper performance car.

BMW M sport, Audi S-line, Lexus F-sport etc. All they do is stick a bodykit, bigger wheels and hard springs on it, because that's what most peoples idea of sporty is. But they are just an un-sporty car made less comfortable.

Dis86 · 30 Aug 2020 at 23:27

What's with the 4-5 year old requirement?

X-Morgan · 30 Aug 2020 at 23:39

Dis86 said:
What's with the 4-5 year old requirement?

How'd you mean? It covers the time period in the listed cars that have had a mid life facelift.

Dis86 · 30 Aug 2020 at 23:42

X-Morgan said:
How'd you mean? It covers the time period in the listed cars that have had a mid life facelift.

Seems like a retarded requirement. There're better cars that are both older and newer.

X-Morgan · 30 Aug 2020 at 23:48

Dis86 said:
Seems like a retarded requirement. There're better cars that are both older and newer.

If you read my original post fully you would've seen that I said "2016-17 or newer".
That means I'm looking for cars from 2016, 17, 18, 19 and 20. Not just 2016-17.
Not so much a retarded requirement for someone who has a 6 year old car.

Dis86 · 30 Aug 2020 at 23:50

X-Morgan said:
If you read my original post fully you would've seen that I said "2016-17 or newer".
That means I'm looking for cars from 2016, 17, 18, 19 and 20. Not just 2016-17.
Not so much a retarded requirement for someone who has a 6 year old car.

And if you look at my post you quoted you'll see I mentioned older or newer.