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Which small diesel? - ib33
Hi,
Can forum members give any advice to best small diesel car?
Like the look of the Citroen C3 and Skoda Fabia, need something that fits a 6'3 tall driver, nice to drive and comfortable.
Long term reliability is important as I will probably buy used 3 to 4 years old and keep to high mileage.
Any suggestions, owners comments will be much appreciated.
Which small diesel? - paulb {P}
Thought about a Seat Ibiza? Mechanically pretty much identical to the Fabia - just depends which model you prefer, really. I'm 6' 6 and drove one of the original Sport TDI 130s in perfect comfort for the year or so that I had it.
Which small diesel? - madf
For headroom , reliability and economy, not much beats a Yaris.
imo of course.
madf
Which small diesel? - colinh
Have a look at the VW Polo BlueMotion - 72 mpg/103 g/km
Which small diesel? - Wally Zebon
New Clio 1.5dCi (86BHP) - £50 tax!
Everything else fits
Which small diesel? - Xileno {P}
New Clio is a very nice car but have you seen the price list?
Which small diesel? - Aprilia
I'm about 6'3' and fit into a Suzuki Swift with plenty room to spare above my head. They do a Diesel (its the 1.5 out of the Clio) - about £9k I think. Nice little car to drive.
Which small diesel? - Xileno {P}
Renault diesels everywhere - Nissan, Mitsubishi, Volvo, Vauxhall and now Suzuki.
Which small diesel? - Citivanvin
Renault diesels everywhere - Nissan, Mitsubishi, Volvo, Vauxhall and now Suzuki.


Maybe wrong, but I thought that the GM diesels (Vauxhall, Saab etc) used Fiat/Alfa Multijet units??


Citivanvin
Which small diesel? - y2k+4
The Swift has the FIAT 1.3 multijet diesel (70) from the Panda, not the 1.5 dCi from Renault.

Personally my vote is nodded towards the Clio or the FIAT Grande Punto diesels.
Which small diesel? - carl_a
Go and test the C3 and Fabia and see how poor the leg room is, then go and test a Colt.
Which small diesel? - v0n
If image is not an issue you can pick 1-2 year old, low mileage Fusion sized Mitsubishi Spacestar DI-D (not Spacewagon or Spacerunner) or bigger but not Focus big Nissan Almera 2.2 dCi for about 6-7k. Both are very decent and lasting cars with respectable road manners and equipment levels, if a little bland and considered visually challenged and untrendy...
--------------------
[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
Which small diesel? - ib33
Thanks for all your comments.
Thinking of looking in the auctions after new registration comes out next month to see if there are any good buys to be had.
Cheers, Ian
Which small diesel? - roscoman
No one mentioned the Toyota Corolla 1.4 D4D - surely worth considering.
Which small diesel? - roscoman
Oops, sorry, too new for the OP.
Which small diesel? - alan kearn
I think its more than £50 unless its running on water (hydrogen ?)
Which small diesel? - Xileno {P}
No £50 is it. That's what I pay.
Which small diesel? - alan kearn
I stand corrected £50 it is
Which small diesel? - Waino
Any suggestions, owners comments will be much appreciated.

Can you let us know when you've made your choice and how you get on - particularly from the leg-room point of view? Many thanks, Waino.

Which small diesel? - barchettaman
If a Skoda Fabia VrS is available in your budget then have a close look. Easy big enough for me (6´1") and stupidly fast, uses no diesel, 6 speed for the motorway, well built.
Which small diesel? - Avant
"a Skoda Fabia VrS....uses no diesel"

That's certainly true of lots of cars, from the Mini One to the Rolls-Royce Phantom, but not perhaps the Fabia vRS!

Seriously, even if the budget doesn't run to a vRS, the 100 bhp 1.9 diesel Fabia is pretty fast, athough quite noisy. More solidly built than a C3 I would say, although someone one be along to disagree with that in a moment.
Which small diesel? - Galad
From experience, check out the servicing costs before you buy. Diesels can be more expensive to maintain than their petrol equivalents and often need more regular servicing. Also, take note of the many comments in the BR questioning the reliability and durability of modern common rail diesel engines (Renault in particular stand out) and, more worryingly, concerns that even main dealers in some cases aren't up to speed with the technology. I for one will think twice before buying diesel again - it's cost me £1,100 to service my Mazda 323 diesel over 4 years (including a timing belt change but nothing else outside normal service parts/labour) and 54k miles. In contrast, my 1.6 petrol Astra cost just £650 over the same period by main VX dealer (including a belt change).