Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute

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Mon 16 Jan 2017 20:42
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - Rooby

Starting a new job next month which will involve a daily motorway commute of 90 miles round trip. I currently have a 60 plate Fiat 500 twinair, and am looking at replacing this. I want something that will be reliable, comfortable on my commute, with decent mpg. Currently leaning towards a PCP deal with a budget of around £250 a month.

Currently I have 2 options in mind:

1. A newer version of my current fiat 500 twinair

2. The new Citroen C3

What other cars should I consider?

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Mon 16 Jan 2017 21:21
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - SLO76
Assuming you're working 5 days a week and say 45 weeks per year, that just over 20,000 miles a year not including personal driving so say we're talking around 25k per annum and upwards.

Neither of the two cars you've mentioned would be a wise purchase with this sort of mileage in mind, neither has a great reputation for longevity, the twin air engine in the 500 is developing a nasty reputation for problems even at low mileage and the diesel isn't well regarded either. Both cars are also very dependent on low mileage for resale.

A PCP wouldn't be cost effective either as the mileage will rocket your monthly payment and you'll be stung for every scratch and mark (beyond normal wear and tear) on the car if you choose to hand it back at the end of the term.

Best to borrow the money on a low rate personal loan which you can get from as low as 2.9% APR. This would allow you to borrow around £11,500 and meet that £250 a month budget over 4 years without having to worry about running over any agreed mileage allowance.

As far as car choices go. Do you want to stick with a supermini sized car like the C3?
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Mon 16 Jan 2017 21:43
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - Rooby

Point taken about longevity of these cars, though I am talking about the new C3 if that makes a difference. (Not sure it can have any reputation, good or bad, given how recently it's been released). Both of these cars are available on 3 year PCP deals at 30,000 miles a year for under £250 a month, which is why I felt PCP may be a cost effective option.

Size wise, I'm flexible buy certainly not looking for a huge car.

Another option I am considering is the i10 - thoughts welcome on that.

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Mon 16 Jan 2017 21:49
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - RichardW

Keep the one you've got and run it into the ground - put the £250 a month away to fund any repairs / accumulate for a replacement when the other finally dies. 450 miles a week is a pretty easy duty cycle, and it will probably last a long time. I wouldn't want to do 450 miles a week in a 500 though... mind you, I wouldn't want to do 450 miles in one full stop - but each to their own!!

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Mon 16 Jan 2017 22:06
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - SLO76
Citroen in general don't have a great reputation and this rubs off in the way the market treats higher than average mileage examples. As for paying £250 a month for one, well I'm paying just £9 a month more for a Honda CRV 1.6 Diesel SUV. It's on a much Lower mileage limit but you can see how badly mileage affects a PCP or lease.

Although as you say the latest C3 is new it's all based on the Peugeot 208 which has been around for a number of years. The 1.0/1.2 petrol engines seem to be largely vice free but the 1.6 diesel has a terrible reputation and despite being updated I'd steer clear. High mileage 208's and previous gen C3's tend to get tatty quickly, suffering from fragile trim and poor quality paint compared to rivals.

The i10 is a great little car with an outstanding 5yr unlimited mileage warranty but it's a city car and isn't at it's best ploughing along motorways and busy A roads. I'd be looking at the supermini class and above for a little more comfort at speed.

Considering the high mileage you'll be covering I'd be looking at nearly new diesels in the Golf class on a low rate personal loan Buying a year or two old will save thousands and help mitigate some of the loss you'll take because of your high usage. You'll get better value and higher levels of safety and performance for your money.

You can currently buy a low mileage Kia Cee'd 1.6 CRDi with less than 10,000 miles for around £10,000 which is fantastic value. It comes with the ballance of Kia's 7yr 100,000 miles warranty (if serviced at a Kia dealer) and will do over 60mpg, drives very nicely, has plenty of overtaking power, costs nothing to tax and has an excellent reputation for reliability. Auto Trader #DrivenByMe
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20160805651...5

Another good bet would be the Honda Civic 1.6 DTEC which will average 65mpg without much effort. These also have a great reputation for reliability and will always fetch decent money even with higher than average mileage when it comes time to sell. Auto Trader #DrivenByMe
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20170108112...3

Edited by SLO76 on 16/01/2017 at 22:09

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Mon 16 Jan 2017 22:28
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - sandy56

Stay well clear of the small French and Italian cars for this type of work. Go for a Korean or Japanese car. Try KIA, Hyundia, Honda, Toyota etc.

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Mon 16 Jan 2017 23:29
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - apdleam
Citroen Ds4 2.0l diesels are well insulated and quiet at motorway speeds. Very comfortable seats and a decent cabin also help make it a relaxing motorway cruiser, although callers say the Bluetooth can create an echo. As others say though, there could be reliability problems in the long term. Wife runs a Civic tourer (diesel) which never dips below 60mph. Car feels more solid and the ride (around bumpy town roads) is more composed, but it's not as refined or comfy and the interior is a little drab in comparison. Having previously run a Mk1 i30, I don't buy the 'reliable Korean' brand stereotype. All sorts went wrong (faulty instrument cluster, power steering failure etc). Only saving grace was it was all covered by the long warranty, although the dealer service was light years ahead of Citroen tbf.
Octavia/Leon diesels probably worth a look. Skoda Rapid/Spacebacks are also decent, economical options second hand, although the former's interior is rather gloomy.
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Mon 16 Jan 2017 23:38
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - SLO76
Toyota Yaris 1.4D-4D and Auris 1.4/1.6 D-4D are another two worthy of mention at £10-£11k on a 65 plate with less than 10,000 miles. Again they'll be far easier to sell with above average mileage and they come with the ballance of Toyota's 5yr 100k warranty.
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Sat 21 Jan 2017 21:50
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - Smileyman

I drive 400 miles a week - commute & personal motoring, more if I go anywhere at the weekend. Car has a 60 litre fuel tank, in summer my weekly commute is easily achieved one tankful of petrol, in winter it's "tighter".

Whatever you choose consider how often you want to be filling up with fuel, so many modern cars come with puny little fuel tanks, whilst they be more fuel efficient their range will not cover 450 miles a week.

Car is very comfortable, lots of nice toys, if you are happy with the Fiat I'd also suggest running it into the ground before replacing it, unless you expect to spend more than the cost of the replacement in maintenance costs.

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Sat 21 Jan 2017 22:22
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - Big John

As well as PCP , still worth investigating PCH - some amazing deals around even with your mileage

Try and make sure you remain within warranty limits and probably best to take out GAP insurance (not from dealer) of some sort.

I have done a longish commute for 20+ years and cover about 16k miles/annum (not as long as yours though) . Personally I prefer to buy V cheap (nearly new, end of model etc...) and simply throw away after 10 years. In this time despite my mileage my "capital" spend has always been less that £100 month (last car was a Skoda Superb, paid £8,200 at 18 months and ran for 10 years - aka £70 month - Then bought another for £10k at 14months old which hopefully will take me to retirement)

In addition, look at crash protection (that's why I buy big!) - I've been lucky but have witnessed some horrors during my commutes.

Also consider other costs, with that mileage such as insurnce , tyre life/cost (can be significant - I specifically pick tall profile tyre models, much cheaper and last many more miles)

Almost ignore car tax costs- with your situation it's the least of your worries.

Good luck

PS I agree with the above. A small fuel tank can be a pain (fill up about twice a month now, used a 1.0 Polo at the start that liked a drink and had a weeny tank that I filled up twice a week!). My last Superb did over 650miles between refils (50mpg). I've moved back to petrol and get 550 between refils (smaller tank and 46mpg)

Edited by Big John on 21/01/2017 at 22:36

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Mon 23 Jan 2017 19:10
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - RaineMan

I am also in favour of "run your existing car into the ground". I used to work with a number of people who because of housing costs commuted anywhere from 60 to 150 miles a day down the A1/A1M. When used like this cars can do incredible mileages as driven sensibly they are subjected to less acceleration/cornering/braking/etc. The engines also get fully warmed up. It is a far easier life for the car than a short school run driving throgh potnoles and over kerbs.

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Thu 10 Jan 2019 11:55
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - Harry159

For optimum comfort, great efficiency and on-board connectivity. Taking the hassle out of your commute we've chosen a best motorway car for a variety of different car classes xxxx

Edited by Avant on 10/01/2019 at 12:51

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Thu 10 Jan 2019 12:22
Comfortable hatchback for motorway commute - Engineer Andy

Spam. Something about New Years that we seem to be getting so much at the moment?

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