Hi everyone,I am about to buy a new hatchback. Please help me decide between, Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3 or Hyundai i30. Looking at 2010 to 2012 models. Mostly do round town driving with the odd long trip.
clark20,
Jul 9, 6:23pm
Between the Focus and Mazda, take each for a drive and see what you like
joanne83,
Jul 9, 6:28pm
Definitely not diesel
brapbrap8,
Jul 9, 6:29pm
Yep, either the Focus or the Mazda 3.
sifty,
Jul 9, 6:31pm
I have driven most of those as rentals. All pretty much the same if I'm honest, my preference was the Focus, although I was pleasantly surprised with the i30. Seemed more 'solid' than the corolla, just little things like the way the rear doors shut etc.
Take them for a drive and pick the one you like best.
tamarillo,
Jul 9, 6:36pm
It comes down to what feels good, fits, and preferences. If you like a nice steering car, that is enjoyable to drive with some enthusiasm at times, the focus wins -best drivers car here. But if that's not important then decide between mazda and ford based on drive. IF reliability is the single most important thing then arguably the corolla has best reputation of these. But its simply boring if your an enthusiast at all. Nothing wrong with the Hyundai - if one comes up at good price try it. You've not included the Golf?
joanne83,
Jul 9, 7:29pm
Haven't considered the Golf because of small engine and rumors of expensive mechanical repairs if things go wrong.admittedly don't know much about them though.
mugenb20b,
Jul 9, 7:33pm
Now you've done it.
stevo2,
Jul 9, 7:37pm
All 4 of your choices are sound. Mazda3 or Focus if you enjoy driving enthusiastically or the Corolla and i30 will give years of trouble free running but with little excitement. Best resale out of the Mazda and Corolla.
tgray,
Jul 9, 8:00pm
I would go out and drive each one and see what you prefer. Once you get behind the wheel of each, you will have a far better idea which feels right for you. They are all fine cars.
franken1,
Jul 9, 8:34pm
A 1.4TSI engine in a golf is as quick as a 2.0l Mazda 3. Never be put off by perceived size.???? Went through a similar exercise with my better half recently and she settled on an Audi A1. Lovely car and certainly wasn't on the radar when we started looking.
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 9, 8:45pm
+1 CC rating is only a useful guide to power if you are comparing out of date technology. The Golf is miles ahead of most of it's competition.
Take one for a drive, compare features, power, spec and most of all economy. Then you decision should be really easy.
Also, the rumours are nonsense. VW parts and servicing are very affordable. As you would expect from the worlds most popular car/platform. Unfortunately NZ has this absurd social bias against anything not Japanese thanks to decades of our used car industry revolving around used Japanese imports and the tall stories told to sell them. Go to most other countries and the Golf is the industry standard in that segment.
jmma,
Jul 9, 8:53pm
Toyota wins in my book, reliable, cheap overall running costs.
franken1,
Jul 9, 8:55pm
P.S. I'm banned from driving the Audi now. It's officially not a rally car.
franken1,
Jul 9, 8:57pm
Women have very different ideas on vehicle selection. Number 1 criteria was white, then we went from there.
franken1,
Jul 9, 8:59pm
Agree but also considered to be boring, common, lacking style.
jmma,
Jul 9, 9:02pm
Sounds like me. (o:
Some people just want to get from A to B and not be to fussy about it.
Now what was the question OP asked again.
franken1,
Jul 9, 9:11pm
The answer for the OP is to test drive her selections and a few upmarket "smaller engine" classy vehicles. Don't settle for a colour that you don't want (cos that's important) and you'll know when you've got the right car for you because you'll feel like making love to the car salesman. Enjoy.
3tomany,
Jul 9, 9:13pm
yep focus , mazda, golf are all good drivers cars corolla if you need some boredom in your life
franc123,
Jul 9, 11:10pm
And after making love make sure you aren't driving out with an unwanted expensive to treat disease like a Golf.
joanne83,
Jul 10, 7:37pm
Hey guys, just spotted a Ford Focus ambiente 1600 cc , will I notice much difference between this and the 2.0 focus Zetec ?
3tomany,
Jul 10, 7:42pm
power! Ambiente ok but 2.0 ltr focus a much better drive, worth the extra.
joanie04,
Jul 10, 8:24pm
As a woman, colour is not one of the first things on my list when it comes to a car lol. Current vehicle is white but at the time of purchase my main criteria was a manual gearbox.
mopar63,
Jul 11, 2:49pm
I'm looking for a new car for my wifetoo and looking at the same cars as OP ,my preference is Mazda 3 ,then the i30,Focus seem to be well priced but heard the autos can give trouble?,(my mate works at Ford),might look at Golf's too now.Colour seems to means a lot too so will probably end up with an XR6 ,LOL
priscilla2,
Jul 11, 3:04pm
My last car was a 2010 mazda3 and preferred it over the focus .I have just bought a new car 3 weeks ago and chose a golf over the mazda 3 as the Golf was very spunky and just loved it straight away but unfortunately I didn't like the styling and size of the new Mazda 3 .I just felt happier driving the Golf and it was more exciting.Hopefully I haven't made a mistake.
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