Advice sought on best small hatchbacks/cars

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, Toolong said:

I will check out that link right now, DavisH.. ????

Meanwhile...preferences? I'd say Mazda first (Mazda 2 hatchback, or poss. CX3), Toyota second (Yaris hatchback), then Honda third (WR-V or City hatchback). Will check out the WR-V tomorrow. Who knows, it might blow me away! ????

 

Do not confuse the CX-3 with the CX-30. 

[DavisH]

1 hour ago, Rimmer said:

 

I believe the new city is higher than last year model and we looked carefully at that aspect as our road is a 1km long washed out dried up dirt and stone river bed or a raging torrent during the monsoon.

 

Nissan we found lacking all round, Mazda seems to be old styling and dated interior also pricey for what it is, the Mazda showroom was dusty and sleepy, I suspect they might sell one car a week.... Toyota we found to be over priced, MG is OK price wise but wife found lots of bad reports on servicing, Mitsubishi I forget why we discounted that one, maybe they don't have a hachback I forget. Their new electric hatchback is pretty good though, I think it was around 1.2m 

 

The paint is a little thin on the city. We got a stone chip on the front after only 2 weeks. If you like along a rough rocky road I recommend you get paint protection film for the front bumper and hood. Cost is about 20 to 30k. 

[DavisH]

2 hours ago, Eloquent pilgrim said:

The CX5, depending on country, comes with either a 2.5 naturally aspirated engine or the same engine turbocharged, or in some countries both.

 

The turbo version is good for 227 hp and 310 lb-ft if you stick with 87-octane fuel or 256 hp and 320 lb-ft on 93-octane fuel. 

 

The 0-60mph of 6.8 seconds is correct for the turbo using 93+ octane fuel. I haven’t viewed the Aussie review because I never open any links on this forum.

 

Cheers

The 2.5 I quoted is the turbo model. It doesn't matter how fast the vehicle is in the usa or UK. Thailand is what counts. The Aust car I quoted has the same output as out one. Probably the heat and fuel quality have an effect here. I once asked a mazda independent garage why there are a number of issues with the mazda dealer engine dpf. It came down to diesel quality. 

[Toolong]

2 hours ago, LosLobo said:

 

 

This Yaris GR is 261HP. Reviews puts this spec car  0-100km/h at 5.3 seconds.

They are available in Bangkok but only downside is the price ie 3.5 M baht.

Nice. ????

But 261hp, producing that speed on Thai roads? Not around my Isaan neck o' the woods! ????

 

[Toolong]

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

Do not confuse the CX-3 with the CX-30. 

No, that won't happen. I've spent so much time repeatedly referring to all the Mazda models brochures I've got littering the house that I'll be able to distinguish one model from another for life!????

[transam]

For me, a car you can get in and out of without banging your head is a plus. Seems with many modern designs it can be a problem ....

[Toolong]

2 hours ago, vinny41 said:

I would also do some research on which brands are likely to sue you if you find something wrong and complain

Once you have a shortlist of 3 or 4 vehicles I am sure your wife has facebook its worth joining the facebook groups for your shortlist as you find out if there are any issues you need to be aware of

There are some models where the rustproofing doesn't appear to perform as well as other models in the same brand

Good points to consider. And I must admit they are points I might have overlooked if you hadn't kindly mentioned them. ????

 

The Facebook group suggestion for my wife is great, as I know, using this forum, so much can be learned. I will prompt her to seek out such groups. I'm sure both the 'sue' & the 'rust-proofing' issues might be covered in such a group discussion.

 

Thanks! ????

 

 

[Toolong]

2 hours ago, Rimmer said:

 

I believe the new city is higher than last year model and we looked carefully at that aspect as our road is a 1km long washed out dried up dirt and stone river bed or a raging torrent during the monsoon.

 

Nissan we found lacking all round, Mazda seems to be old styling and dated interior also pricey for what it is, the Mazda showroom was dusty and sleepy, I suspect they might sell one car a week.... Toyota we found to be over priced, MG is OK price wise but wife found lots of bad reports on servicing, Mitsubishi I forget why we discounted that one, maybe they don't have a hachback I forget. Their new electric hatchback is pretty good though, I think it was around 1.2m 

 

The specs in the City hatchback brochure they gave me say 13.5 cms for all models. If for any reason I actually did choose to get a City (though I'm doubting I would, atm), I wonder if different profile tyres would provide a sufficient increase in height off-ground to make a crucial difference? ???? But then, it doesn't seem great that you buy a vehicle and immediately need, in those circumstances, to fork out for different tyres!

 

Read with interest your concise summary of your opinions on each brand you looked at. ????

Mitsubishi, btw, do (or did?) a small hatchback called the Mirage. I see loads of them around, so there must be something good about them....but for some reason my wife's not keen to get one.

 

????

[LosLobo]

46 minutes ago, Toolong said:

Nice. ????

But 261hp, producing that speed on Thai roads? Not around my Isaan neck o' the woods! ????

 

Only 230 km/h, it has a speed limiter on it for your safety. A Thai biker was able to do 264 km/h on an Issan road, the Phetchabun Bypass a few years. Though sadly he did lose control and hit an obstacle due to roadworks. But evidently the road is four lanes now.

 

[Eloquent pilgrim]

1 hour ago, DavisH said:

The 2.5 I quoted is the turbo model. It doesn't matter how fast the vehicle is in the usa or UK. Thailand is what counts. The Aust car I quoted has the same output as out one. Probably the heat and fuel quality have an effect here. I once asked a mazda independent garage why there are a number of issues with the mazda dealer engine dpf. It came down to diesel quality. 

Thanks, I didn’t realise, that’s good info.

 

I wonder why they tune it down for Thailand and Australia, because I’m sure it is the same unit.

 

And although it doesn’t represent a huge difference, the 2.5 Turbo is 1.85 Million Baht in Thailand, so it would be good to have the extra ponies

[Kwasaki]

Does the car OP wants have to go to a "world and peace book" thread. ????

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, Toolong said:

Read with interest your concise summary of your opinions on each brand you looked at. ????

Mitsubishi, btw, do (or did?) a small hatchback called the Mirage. I see loads of them around, so there must be something good about them....but for some reason my wife's not keen to get one.

Despite being on this forum and a couple of others for a few years, I never understood what the abbreviation "POS" stood for until I read a post from a friend, who is an American, who used that term to describe the Mitsubishi Mirage.

 

As it happens just a few days earlier I had test driven one as part of my process of small car testing and elimination, and it was, IMO, not worthy of my further investigation, and nothing on it seemed to appeal to me – – the roadholding was average to poor, the outside noise was very audible, and all in all it seemed like a car put together for pure cheapness.
 

[Eloquent pilgrim]

4 hours ago, LosLobo said:

 

 

This Yaris GR is 261HP. Reviews puts this spec car  0-100km/h at 5.3 seconds.

They are available in Bangkok but only downside is the price ie 3.5 M baht.

What a remarkably ugly “boy racer” car …. all clout and no class ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Kwasaki]

8 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Despite being on this forum and a couple of others for a few years, I never understood what the abbreviation "POS" stood for until I read a post from a friend, who is an American, who used that term to describe the Mitsubishi Mirage.

 

As it happens just a few days earlier I had test driven one as part of my process of small car testing and elimination, and it was, IMO, not worthy of my further investigation, and nothing on it seemed to appeal to me – – the roadholding was average to poor, the outside noise was very audible, and all in all it seemed like a car put together for pure cheapness.
 

Did you check the tyre pressures before driving it, surprisingly it makes a difference.

[Kwasaki]

2 minutes ago, Eloquent pilgrim said:

What a remarkably ugly “boy racer” car …. all clout and no class ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Maybe to you. 

[petermik]

2 hours ago, transam said:

For me, a car you can get in and out of without banging your head is a plus. Seems with many modern designs it can be a problem ....

I,m five feet two with eyes of blue....no ploblem for me trans ????????????

[LosLobo]

41 minutes ago, Eloquent pilgrim said:

What a remarkably ugly “boy racer” car …. all clout and no class ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yet, the OP said....

 

"Which is why the little-lad in me would just like to sign up for a new ........... sedan in candy-apple red and hope the wife just forgets about driving altogether!"

I thought this car would appeal to his "little-lad" specifications.

 

[Toolong]

1 hour ago, LosLobo said:

Only 230 km/h, it has a speed limiter on it for your safety. A Thai biker was able to do 264 km/h on an Issan road, the Phetchabun Bypass a few years. Though sadly he did lose control and hit an obstacle due to roadworks. But evidently the road is four lanes now.

 

I ain't against a bit of speed myself....????....but the risks on the road here preclude getting a healthy kick out of speeds like that, for me. Call me Grandad, but it's a safe, Bonneville Salt Flats type thing.....or a mug of cocoa and an early night. ????????

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, Eloquent pilgrim said:

Thanks, I didn’t realise, that’s good info.

 

I wonder why they tune it down for Thailand and Australia, because I’m sure it is the same unit.

 

And although it doesn’t represent a huge difference, the 2.5 Turbo is 1.85 Million Baht in Thailand, so it would be good to have the extra ponies

That seems suspect to me that it heat and fuel quality.  It's no hotter here than many places in the World, and the fuel id produced by the same players and has to meet the same standards. 

 

I would guess they can get a lower duty/excise tax by de-tuning the engine.

 

As with any de-tuned engine, you can likely have it "chipped",

[Toolong]

52 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Despite being on this forum and a couple of others for a few years, I never understood what the abbreviation "POS" stood for until I read a post from a friend, who is an American, who used that term to describe the Mitsubishi Mirage.

 

As it happens just a few days earlier I had test driven one as part of my process of small car testing and elimination, and it was, IMO, not worthy of my further investigation, and nothing on it seemed to appeal to me – – the roadholding was average to poor, the outside noise was very audible, and all in all it seemed like a car put together for pure cheapness.
 

So.....a bit of POS then?! ????

 

Your assessment doesn't surprise me, (and was also quite amusing! ????), but I will say this for them: They must be a nice little 'earner' for Mitsu, as there are, it seems to me, so many of them bombing about! ????

[Toolong]

52 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Did you check the tyre pressures before driving it, surprisingly it makes a difference.

True enough, I reckon. ????. 

[Toolong]

15 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

Yet, the OP said....

 

"Which is why the little-lad in me would just like to sign up for a new ........... sedan in candy-apple red and hope the wife just forgets about driving altogether!"

I thought this car would appeal to his "little-lad" specifications.

 

Tbh, LosLobo......me as a real 'little lad' always preferred Dinky or Corgi car models of American cars like Mustangs or Camaros....or Italian stuff, Dino Ferraris, etc. Cars that seemed to exude  sexiness, flair & class. I find a lot of cars these days seem designed to give off an aggressive, brutish kind of vibe. The Mazda 3 for example is one of the few that for me harks back to my old Dinky car ideal!

 

The Yaris special is nice, but gotta admit I was never really a speed or power kind of car lover. (Just as well, as I'm the owner of a 15 year old Isuzu Hi-Lander that gets overtaken by guys on bikes with sidecars selling Thai sausages! ????)

[vinny41]

4 hours ago, Toolong said:

Good points to consider. And I must admit they are points I might have overlooked if you hadn't kindly mentioned them. ????

 

The Facebook group suggestion for my wife is great, as I know, using this forum, so much can be learned. I will prompt her to seek out such groups. I'm sure both the 'sue' & the 'rust-proofing' issues might be covered in such a group discussion.

 

Thanks! ????

 

 

2022 Ford Ranger Active Park Assist tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBhmoOq4nPo

 

[Toolong]

17 minutes ago, vinny41 said:

2022 Ford Ranger Active Park Assist tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBhmoOq4nPo

 

Absolutely amazing! But I would have a few questions & doubts....

 

However, yes, it is amazing! Wow!! ????

[stereolab]

8 hours ago, Toolong said:

???????? Yeah, maybe you're right.....but actually the divergence (so to speak) is perfectly fine for me and is actually very instructive for me, because I'm genuinely open to rethinking whether or not she DOES absolutely require a small hatchback. I still think 'yes', overall, she does.....but if say, a CX3 has, for her, enough of the characterisitics & 'feel' of a  small, easily manouevreable vehicle, then it could be that it is a compromise that suits both her needs and mine. Just sayin' ????

 

Plus....hey, I'm enjoying talking about cars! ????????????

I bought the CX-3 last year, after having consecutive Mazda 2s’, I have been so pleased overall, my wife loves it. Do not, look at the diesel version.

[xylophone]

3 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Did you check the tyre pressures before driving it, surprisingly it makes a difference.

All checked but I think the description from my American friend was about right!!!

[xylophone]

2 hours ago, Toolong said:

So.....a bit of POS then?! ????

 

Your assessment doesn't surprise me, (and was also quite amusing! ????), but I will say this for them: They must be a nice little 'earner' for Mitsu, as there are, it seems to me, so many of them bombing about! ????

Many about cos they are small and cheap and I quote from a US motoring magazine; "The 2022 Mitsubishi Mirage gets great fuel economy, but it suffers from weak acceleration, lazy handling, and a so-so ride quality". 

 

Next time will look at the Swift, Celerio and Nissan March (if they are still around) as only need a small runabout.

[Toolong]

40 minutes ago, stereolab said:

I bought the CX-3 last year, after having consecutive Mazda 2s’, I have been so pleased overall, my wife loves it. Do not, look at the diesel version.

????'.....consecutive Mazda 2's'. ?

 

Interesting.  Very interesting, in fact. I like the CX3....very much......and my wife does too.....but I myself have a sense that a Mazda 2 might be a good starting point (she's not an experienced 4-wheeler) for her.......or do you think we could safely 'skip' (so to speak)  the Mazda 2 and just get a CX3 ? ????

 

[Toolong]

6 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Many about cos they are small and cheap and I quote from a US motoring magazine; "The 2022 Mitsubishi Mirage gets great fuel economy, but it suffers from weak acceleration, lazy handling, and a so-so ride quality". 

 

Next time will look at the Swift, Celerio and Nissan March (if they are still around) as only need a small runabout.

Personally....I love the March! Wife's opinion? Very 'Thai', let's put it that way. ????.

 

And I truly regret to say that. ????

[vinny41]

1 hour ago, Toolong said:

Absolutely amazing! But I would have a few questions & doubts....

 

However, yes, it is amazing! Wow!! ????

Also when you compare models from different brands make a list of must have

you will noticed with some brands items that aren't seen will be removed to save costs and replaced with items that are seen Some Brands marketing dept believe that people are more interested in a  15" entertainment screen than airbags or some other safety feature who knows maybe they are