Small cars

WobblyDog

I used to own a 1998 1.3 petrol Fiesta, that was slow on paper, but it did produce most of it's torque at low engine speeds, making it quite nimble in urban traffic.

I now have a 2011 1.25 petrol Fiesta, which is faster and more powerful on paper, but has little torque at low engine speeds, making it sluggish in traffic.

On the other hand, the latest tiny turbo-charged petrol engines fitted to Fiestas and other cars are reportedly designed to produce lots of torque at low engine speeds. If you can afford one of those, then engine size might not be an issue. Having said all that, I guess the money-saving answer is that you shouldn't get rid of a reliable cheap-to-run car unless you really have to.

BillJones

busiscoming2 wrote: »

Do you have a small car with a small engine and do you regret your decision to buy it?

I've owned a 2001 Matiz, 800cc for the past ten years and I love it. I am thinking of changing it for a slightly more powerful car. I notice the lack of power on steep hills and when I have passengers.

What I don't want to do is buy a car with a 1L or 1.1L engine only to find it isn't really any better.

Personal opinions on your small car please?

Despite owning something with quite a big engine, I really like small cars with little engines, as long as they are "peppy" and fun. There is an awfully big range in output and characteristics in small engines, so I'd say try a lot before choosing.

nobbysn*ts

I had a 1990 Fiat 126bis, decades ago, with 25hp. 4 up was interesting. But still a driveable car.

gilbert_and_sullivan

WobblyDog wrote: »

I used to own a 1998 1.3 petrol Fiesta, that was slow on paper, but it did produce most of it's torque at low engine speeds, making it quite nimble in urban traffic.

I now have a 2011 1.25 petrol Fiesta, which is faster and more powerful on paper, but has little torque at low engine speeds, making it sluggish in traffic.

On the other hand, the latest tiny turbo-charged petrol engines fitted to Fiestas and other cars are reportedly designed to produce lots of torque at low engine speeds. If you can afford one of those, then engine size might not be an issue. Having said all that, I guess the money-saving answer is that you shouldn't get rid of a reliable cheap-to-run car unless you really have to.

At last someone who gets it, its not all about performance figures, its useable torque in a driveable engine.
Thats why not all 16v engines are the bees knees, sometimes the 8v version is a nicer driver with lower speed tractability, but on paper and in figures is the loser, some of these multi valve jobbies don't get going till you reach 4k rpm.

It won't win any races but Aygo/C1/107 despite only being a little 3 pot engine is surprisingly torquey and almost impossible to stall, would suggest trying one or two of those, but don't whatever you do consider the automated manual, its junk.

I'll be more impressed by these new small turbocharged engines when they're still running trouble free in 10 years time, the jury is out on these, VW's early efforts soon got binned, we'll see how they fare over time, but i won't be investing in one.

clayton16749

I own a 2008 1.2 petrol corsa, which I've had since it was 4 months old. It's slow and not great on fuel economy. I really want a new car that has bells and whistles, more space, better mpg and moves when you put your foot down - but I've got other things I need to put the money towards :-(


That said, the corsa has (so far) been extremely reliable over the last 6 years and 62k miles it's now covered. I wouldn't buy one again though. OH has a Yaris however, which is smaller but has more power and is much better on fuel.


If I was buying a small car now, I'd probably go for a Yaris.

jaydeeuk1

Yaris is quite nice. Funny how most of these 'small' cars get bigger each gen. Isn't your corsa the same length as a 1st gen Astra for example.

Paypeanuts

I have a Matiz that's older than yours and still going strong. I also own a 2010 i10.
The i10 is a similar size but doesn't struggle up hills.
On the other hand if your Matiz is like mine, cheapest motoring you'll ever have, still going strong and never spent any major money on it.

Skulls

I'm on my second Citroen C1, same as 107 and Aygo. I'm over 20 stone and love driving it. Under-powered? No just need to change gears a bit more. 60+ mpg, no tax, £150 fully comp

busiscoming2

Thanks guys.

I was initially looking at the C1 and it's 'twins' but when I looked into it and realised they didn't have much bigger engines it made me think again, hence my original question.

I don't really want to change my car but the body is getting quite rusty and I have been told it may be an MOT failure

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Kia Rio and picanto are pretty nimble little cars and well equipped 7 yr warranty.