Audi a3 or Hyundai i20

Indout96

OK I understand this is MSE but he is the driver and wants a car you admit you can aford, you are not driving yet but want to choose the car, seems a little odd to me. Or will it be your car when you pass your test ?

pinkneonmartini

I've got an i20 and have been pleasantly surprised over my 1st 12 months ownership.

I got the Active trim, so tonnes of kit, and yes I'll admit that the 1.2 isn't exactly a powerhouse but I've done plenty of uphill overtakes, and it belts around town under my heavy foot, so can't really complain. Especially when it gives back 50mpg without even attempting to drive sensibly.

I can see the allure of the audi but to be fair the a3 is actually more comparabale with an i30 as a family car. The i20 is more of a chubby supermini.

I don't know if it helps but if you opt for the hyundai (even an i30) you should get the balance of the 5 year warranty & breakdown cover too, which gives you a little piece of mind for a few years.

I'd seriously suggest you take a look at the BlueDrive 1.6D i30 as it's road tax free and thanks to stopstart could give you 80+mpg. (and it has slightly more of a cool factor than the i20)

EdGasket

How many starter motors and flywheel ring gears do you need to buy per year with BlueDrive?

daveyjp

EdGasket wrote: »

How many starter motors and flywheel ring gears do you need to buy per year with BlueDrive?

If it works like Mercedes blueefficiency system the answer is none as it doesn't use the starter motor or flywheel gear ring to restart the car.

zappahey

Indout96 wrote: »

OK I understand this is MSE but he is the driver and wants a car you admit you can aford, you are not driving yet but want to choose the car, seems a little odd to me. Or will it be your car when you pass your test ?

Generally, it's called a joint decision between partners.

Ultrasonic

daveyjp wrote: »

If it works like Mercedes blueefficiency system the answer is none as it doesn't use the starter motor or flywheel gear ring to restart the car.

How is the car restarted without using the starter motor? (Genuine question, not saying you are wrong.)

Ultrasonic

pinkneonmartini wrote: »

I'd seriously suggest you take a look at the BlueDrive 1.6D i30 as it's road tax free and thanks to stopstart could give you 80+mpg. (and it has slightly more of a cool factor than the i20)

For the OP's likely low mileage, mpg really isn't much of an issue, and a diesel car is a bad idea to be honest. I suspect the chances of getting 80 mpg+ are also very slim I'm afraid:

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/hyundai/i30-2012/16-crdi-blue-drive

My brother-in-law had an Audi A3, and as LondonTiger posted above I can't say it ever struck me as anything special (although I didn't ever drive it).

As a different suggestion of a possible middle ground, how about a Mini?

EdGasket

daveyjp wrote: »

If it works like Mercedes blueefficiency system the answer is none as it doesn't use the starter motor or flywheel gear ring to restart the car.

Well it stops and restarts the engine. Quote:
ISG (Intelligent Stop & Go)

When you're sitting in traffic or waiting at the lights, ISG automatically stops the engine, then instantly restarts it when you press the clutch. You'll hardly notice it. But you could notice fuel savings of up to 15%.

http://www.hyundai.co.uk/about-us/environment/blue-drive

So how do you suggest it does that, by magic? I rather think it uses the starter motor and ringgear hence my initial question "How many starter motors and flywheel ring gears do you need to buy per year with BlueDrive?" What you save in fuel you will probably spend in maintenance and more if you have to replace the ring gear..

photome

EdGasket wrote: »

Well it stops and restarts the engine. Quote:
ISG (Intelligent Stop & Go)

When you're sitting in traffic or waiting at the lights, ISG automatically stops the engine, then instantly restarts it when you press the clutch. You'll hardly notice it. But you could notice fuel savings of up to 15%.

http://www.hyundai.co.uk/about-us/environment/blue-drive

So how do you suggest it does that, by magic? I rather think it uses the starter motor and ringgear hence my initial question "How many starter motors and flywheel ring gears do you need to buy per year with BlueDrive?" What you save in fuel you will probably spend in maintenance and more if you have to replace the ring gear..

I don't know how stop and go works but I know many kia ceed drivers with it fitted that have done 60000 miles without needing any of those parts you are suggesting

photome

OP my wife has an i30 and she loves it, had it 3 years with no problems, a bit bigger than the i20 but may be more suitable