Requesting suggestions for superminis to test drive

Idomeneus

bigjl wrote: »

Is the Mazda fitted with a CVT or Torque Convertor box? Or Powershift?

The styling of the Mazda is quite nice, not sure how successful the facelift of the Fiesta was.

If the Mazda is half as reliable as a Fiesta then it s a good shout.

I know a couple of people that have used a Fiesta for commuting duties for many years without problems. One does a 80mile daily commute in one and has done so for nearly 8 years since he bought it new. He does 12 hour shifts mostly so only 3 or 4 days a week. But still a significant number of miles. Knowing him it gets one service a year at the same time as the MOT, but being mostly high speed sections of the A13 with about 2/3 miles of stop start at each end I suppose its use isn't harsh.

Our test drive in the Fiesta was quite impressive. The gear changes in the Powershift (dual clutch) automatic gearbox were beautifully smooth. However, I did not like the "flashy" and seemingly over complex dashboard. And it looked rather dated compared to the modern approach using a touch sensitive screen. (I believe the current Fiesta is about 7 years old now.)

We have viewed the Mazda 2 but we didn't particularly like the look of the interior.

Idomeneus

bigjl wrote: »

...
You could consider the Kia Rio but don't know much about the Autobox that's in it.
...

The Kia Rio's mpg and CO2 emission figures for an automatic are not impressive!

neilmcl

bigjl wrote: »

Is the Mazda fitted with a CVT or Torque Convertor box? Or Powershift?

6 speed torque convertor, according to the Honest John site. Also, I may be wrong about the Ford underpinnings, I think this was on the previous version and I think Mazda have now ended their relationship with Ford.

Idomeneus

neilmcl wrote: »

Very well by all accounts. All the reviews I've seen have been positive.

Yes, all the press reviews are generally positive but most (if not all) recommend the manual version over the automatic without giving reasons.

One of my major gripes concerning the new Jazz is how sluggish and unresponsive the CVT automatic gearbox is compared to the CVT on our Mk1 Jazz. To move from stationary in the new Jazz, you have to put your foot down on the accelerator a lot more than in our Mk1 Jazz. The result is an inevitable audible revving of the engine.

=rizla=

What about a toyota Yaris?