Advice sought on best small hatchbacks/cars

[DavisH]

1 hour ago, Toolong said:

Thanks for your comments, DavisH.. 

 

Yes, I have noticed with new car buyers here that the brand wheels & tyres at purchase  often get changed for something more custom in amazingly quick time! Reckon they must have it all planned out before purchase & have it priced in, including the deal on selling the originals. Which of course is fine. ????

 

You point out the difference in gas consumption between the cx3 & the 2. It's actually hugely important and is one of the reasons for us to get a new vehicle, so despite the appeal of the cx3, it could be a mistake!

The test drive may be a deciding factor, so I'll make as much of it as I can.

 

And your point about Mazda bringing out a new 2 variant soon, I agree that they will most likely. So waiting a bit is not a bad idea.....and it gives me a chance to test drive the Yaris. ????????

 

Thanks....????

 

The thing about wheels is that for a new driver, its easy for them to ding them up pretty quickly hitting kerbs and what not. I found  graze on the city yesterday. The wife scraped the kerb, and shes been driving over 30 years. So  guess it can happen to anyone! I don't have that problem with the crv and the tires are quite thick and tall. So if you chage the wheels / tires, get good quality tires but the cheapest wheels in the market lol 15" and 16" are less likely to get scraped on the cx-3. wr-v is not likely to scrape either. 

[Toolong]

14 minutes ago, DavisH said:

The thing about wheels is that for a new driver, its easy for them to ding them up pretty quickly hitting kerbs and what not. I found  graze on the city yesterday. The wife scraped the kerb, and shes been driving over 30 years. So  guess it can happen to anyone! I don't have that problem with the crv and the tires are quite thick and tall. So if you chage the wheels / tires, get good quality tires but the cheapest wheels in the market lol 15" and 16" are less likely to get scraped on the cx-3. wr-v is not likely to scrape either. 

Yes....good point. Some of those wheels are just asking for a ding or two.

 

Guess that was an advantage of hub caps or clip on wheel facades that were widely used more often in the past. Easy & cheap to replace. ????????

 

[DavisH]

3 hours ago, Toolong said:

Yes....good point. Some of those wheels are just asking for a ding or two.

 

Guess that was an advantage of hub caps or clip on wheel facades that were widely used more often in the past. Easy & cheap to replace. ????????

 

The 16 inch wheels carry 60 series tires on the cx3. That should give some protection.

[Toolong]

11 hours ago, DavisH said:

The 16 inch wheels carry 60 series tires on the cx3. That should give some protection.

Right. ????

[Kwasaki]

18 hours ago, Toolong said:

Yes....good point. Some of those wheels are just asking for a ding or two.

 

Guess that was an advantage of hub caps or clip on wheel facades that were widely used more often in the past. Easy & cheap to replace. ????????

 

Most fit wider tyres, my tyres will scrape kerbs first not the rims.

[Yellowtail]

On 3/19/2023 at 9:20 AM, KhunLA said:

Y'all buying these as collector items, as where do you plan on driving, needing such power ?  Live next to a racetrack you have access to ?

 

I'm having a hard time, and rarely use the 177hp/280 nm torque our family car (ZS) has.  Really is more 'instant' power than I'll ever need or use. 

A man's got to know his limitations...

On 3/19/2023 at 9:20 AM, KhunLA said:

 

Scratch that one:

"In Thailand, Volkswagen has discontinued the Golf GTI and this Cars model is out of production"

Volkswagen Golf GTI 40th Anniversary Edition ฉลองรถแฮทช์แบ็กรุ่นแรงขายในแดนคาวบอย 40 ปี - Bangkok International Motor Show

[KhunLA]

@Yellowtail

Damn Google ... giving me false info ????

... Although I'd never trust or buy anything from VW:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_emissions_scandal#:~:text=In April 2017%2C a US,conspiracy on 3 May 2018.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_controversies

[Toolong]

2 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Most fit wider tyres, my tyres will scrape kerbs first not the rims.

Yes, indeed. With what was, not so long ago, the more conventional set up, that was/is the case. But I've noticed a trend towards more wheel, less tyre, with the wheel sometimes quite prominently exposed to a good mashing by an unforgiving kerb. Not keen on this style personally, but then I'm not a cool, hip dude! ????

[Kwasaki]

2 minutes ago, Toolong said:

Yes, indeed. With what was, not so long ago, the more conventional set up, that was/is the case. But I've noticed a trend towards more wheel, less tyre, with the wheel sometimes quite prominently exposed to a good mashing by an unforgiving kerb. Not keen on this style personally, but then I'm not a cool, hip dude! ????

The OEM rims on a lot of cars produced these days I find ugly.

 

Many like said can get messed up on kerbs if not careful.

 

Some cars have that auto parking system so I guess there OK. 

[Sigma6]

On 3/19/2023 at 2:58 AM, Yellowtail said:

The Motor Show website

Oh, so you saw a test drive article for the 40th anniversary GTI, on sale in America?

 

Good source ????

[Toolong]

6 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

The OEM rims on a lot of cars produced these days I find ugly.

 

Many like said can get messed up on kerbs if not careful.

 

Some cars have that auto parking system so I guess there OK. 

Yes, I agree with you about many of the oem rims these days, certainly regarding how they look (to my eyes, anyway). Sometimes they get it right, but very often the design just seems to me like a desperate attempt to be 'different', and maybe it does look different, but too often it looks weird & ugly too! 

 

????

 

[xylophone]

On 3/16/2023 at 10:56 PM, vinny41 said:

Nissan March (K13) the first EcoCar in Thailand, production has been discontinued on July 26, 2022.

https://www.headlightmag.com/2022-07-27-nissan-march-k13-first-ecocar-in-thailand-production-end/

 

Not sure what direction Nissan is going in they only have the almera and kicks for sale

I did test drive the Nissan Almera, but wasn't impressed with it and it is a larger car than I wanted, and I don't think I've ever had four people in my Swift since I bought it all those years ago!!

 

It would be great if they bought out an updated Nissan March or a similar vehicle, however as I said previously, I was quite taken with the Suzuki Celerio, so will give that a look when the time comes

[DavisH]

16 hours ago, xylophone said:

I did test drive the Nissan Almera, but wasn't impressed with it and it is a larger car than I wanted, and I don't think I've ever had four people in my Swift since I bought it all those years ago!!

 

It would be great if they bought out an updated Nissan March or a similar vehicle, however as I said previously, I was quite taken with the Suzuki Celerio, so will give that a look when the time comes

There ciuld be a swift hybrid coming sometime soon..so it may be worthwhile to see what that is like. Even the current swift is a good upgrsde over yours. My wife got the city turbo to replace her swift and shes very happy with it - more power and much more comfortable suspension compared to the swift. Fuel economy of your swift is close to the city turbo (about 18km/l in our case) 

[pookett]

Two years down the line, can I revive this thread.

I've started looking for a new car. Went into the process thinking of a Suzuki Swift but it's too small. Favourite at this point is the Yaris Cross Premium, I certainly do not want to spend more.

As most driving will be slow paced, local roads are mostly very busy, high performance is unimportant.

Loading space is a high priority which the Cross has plenty of.

 

Others looked at in showrooms;

Honda WRV (very possible alternative)

Honda City Hatchback ( I liked this too but was wowed by Cross height, ground clearance  for rough roads and my own house's road entrance that has a deep "bump" to negotiate and large space).

Mazda 2 (too small)

Mazda CX3 (lovely car with disappointing space and poor all round visibility).

MG ZS ( appealed in itself, bargain price but reliability history a major worry).

 

With two years past since the OP, I'd be most interested in hearing from those that have purchased since around that time.

[Yellowtail]

If you were "wowed" by the Yaris Cross, buy Yaris Cross. Pretty tough to go wrong, and the most important thing about a car is that you like it. 

 

That said, what does the Yaris Cross have that the Yaris does not have that that justifies the B230K up-charge? 

 

Going from the Corolla to the Corolla Cross, the up-charge is only B105K.

 

If you are out in the sticks, why not a pickup? Much better value. 

 

 

[bubblegum]

Lexus LBX

[Yellowtail]

4 minutes ago, bubblegum said:

Lexus LBX

My sister-in-law hates hers. 

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, pookett said:

Two years down the line, can I revive this thread.

I've started looking for a new car. Went into the process thinking of a Suzuki Swift but it's too small. Favourite at this point is the Yaris Cross Premium, I certainly do not want to spend more.

As most driving will be slow paced, local roads are mostly very busy, high performance is unimportant.

Loading space is a high priority which the Cross has plenty of.

 

Others looked at in showrooms;

Honda WRV (very possible alternative)

Honda City Hatchback ( I liked this too but was wowed by Cross height, ground clearance  for rough roads and my own house's road entrance that has a deep "bump" to negotiate and large space).

Mazda 2 (too small)

Mazda CX3 (lovely car with disappointing space and poor all round visibility).

MG ZS ( appealed in itself, bargain price but reliability history a major worry).

 

With two years past since the OP, I'd be most interested in hearing from those that have purchased since around that time.

If you liked the ZS, take a peek at the S5, unless anti EV.  Has lifetime warranty on the battery.   We had the 2022 ZS, for 2 years / 40 kms, and no issues. Loved it, so upgraded to the ZS EV, when they upgraded it in 2022.   Loving EV version even more, though getting discontinued, and S5 is it's replacement, I think.

[brewsterbudgen]

2 hours ago, pookett said:

Two years down the line, can I revive this thread.

I've started looking for a new car. Went into the process thinking of a Suzuki Swift but it's too small. Favourite at this point is the Yaris Cross Premium, I certainly do not want to spend more.

As most driving will be slow paced, local roads are mostly very busy, high performance is unimportant.

Loading space is a high priority which the Cross has plenty of.

 

Others looked at in showrooms;

Honda WRV (very possible alternative)

Honda City Hatchback ( I liked this too but was wowed by Cross height, ground clearance  for rough roads and my own house's road entrance that has a deep "bump" to negotiate and large space).

Mazda 2 (too small)

Mazda CX3 (lovely car with disappointing space and poor all round visibility).

MG ZS ( appealed in itself, bargain price but reliability history a major worry).

 

With two years past since the OP, I'd be most interested in hearing from those that have purchased since around that time.

 

I'm looking to replace my 11-year-old Nissan March with another small city 'run-around' car.  Thinking of a hybrid as not sure I want to go the whole EV route.

 

The MG3 (hybrid) looks great, but didn't know there were 'unreliability' issues.  I like the Nissan Kicks e-power, but it's pricey and although I've been very happy with Nissan's aftercare and servicing, they seem to be going through financial issues.

 

Thanks to this thread I'll take a look at the Toyota Yaris Cross.

[LosLobo]

I bought the Yaris Cross Premium a year ago— no complaints so far. The 210 mm ground clearance has been useful for occasional flooding near home.
 

I also looked at the WR-V, but went with Toyota for its better service and dealer network, and depreciation — aka resale value.

MG was tempting for the price, but long-term reliability and depreciation are concerns.

Toyota Yaris Cross has 42% of the market in its class for a very good reason.
 

The Yaris Cross Premium Luxury is a worthwhile investment — the extra options are genuinely useful, and for around 50k more, it’s good value.
 

Happy to answer any specifics about the car or the options.

FYI....

[pookett]

14 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

what does the Yaris Cross have that the Yaris does not have that that justifies the B230K up-charge? 

 

Going from the Corolla to the Corolla Cross, the up-charge is only B105K.

 

If you are out in the sticks, why not a pickup? Much better value. 

 

Thanks for the replies thus far;

 

The cross has larger loading space, greater ground clearance and taller road view.

 

Corolla cross is over budget.

 

We split our time currently, mostly Phuket and some oop-coontray.

 

14 hours ago, bubblegum said:

Lexus LBX

Yikes, same platform as Yaris Cross, Lexus-afied at 2 mil plus, no thanks.

 

12 hours ago, KhunLA said:

If you liked the ZS, take a peek at the S5, unless anti EV.

Yup, I have not got my head into the pure EV world as yet. Maybe next time around.

 

12 hours ago, LosLobo said:

1) The 210 mm ground clearance has been useful for occasional flooding near home.

 

Yup
 

2) I also looked at the WR-V, but went with Toyota for its better service and dealer network, and depreciation — aka resale value.

 

Yup 

 

 

12 hours ago, LosLobo said:

3) MG was tempting for the price, but long-term reliability and depreciation are concerns.

 

Absolutely 

4) The Yaris Cross Premium Luxury is a worthwhile investment — the extra options are genuinely useful, and for around 50k more, it’s good value.

 

 

  4)  Yes, it's a small upcharge but the extras didn't appeal to me. I suppose one could argue enhanced second hand price...

[LosLobo]

13 hours ago, pookett said:

 4)  Yes, it's a small upcharge but the extras didn't appeal to me. I suppose one could argue enhanced second hand price...

I didn’t want the panoramic sunroof (bald head) or low-profile tyres (rough ride), so I went for the Yaris Cross Premium.

But in retrospect, a few options on the Premium Luxury would’ve been useful:

• Power back door – the hatch is extremely heavy; retrofit costs 20k+ and may affect warranty

• Panoramic View Monitor – helpful for parking since the car sits quite high

• Tyre Pressure Warning System (TPWS) – practical unless you like checking tyres manually

• Wireless charger – integrates well with the multimedia system

The rest – Pioneer 6-speaker system, two-tone leather upholstery, acoustic glass windshield – just candy, but as you said, helps resale.

 

[pookett]

Sort of with you on that, my take is;

 

>Panoramic sunroof : For me is a negative point here.

>Low-profile tyres : Another negative

• Power back door – Yes, that's desirable 

• Panoramic View Monitor – Not on the wish list and I have driven taller cars before

• Tyre Pressure Warning System (TPWS) – Another negative, these go wrong for a past time and tyre fitters tend to damage them.

• Wireless charger – Not bothered

>Pioneer 6-speaker system : most factory systems are pretty meh at this level

>Two-tone leather upholstery: I do like that, eye candy that works

>Acoustic glass windshield: pretty pointless

 

 

That means I'm left with the power hatch and two tone interior as positives, with a gaggle of negatives. Hmmmmm.