Volkswagen Fox

Volkswagen Fox
The new peoples car? maybe not, but people are buying it for its cute looks and quality image, its a little hard on fuel for a car of this size, but don’t let that put you off an otherwise smart buy. The current list price for the entry level VW Fox 1.2 3 door is £6550 (excluding any discounts you negotiate), the most basic models fall into the lowest uk insurance category (group 1), this 1.2 litre petrol model will return an average of 47mpg.

I would like to remind readers of the car scrappage allowance currently in operation the uk, the scheme offers a £2000 discount when you trade in your old car. Certain vehicle age limitations apply, but some new car dealers are varying the restrictions in order to boost sales, so contact your local dealer to find out what they are currently offering.

More fuel economy related articles.

Smart Fortwo

Smart ForTwo
I heard a whisper recently, that four people can easily lift one of these little 2 seaters off the ground, the net result being owners finding their cars ‘re-arranged’ in various positions or just not where they left them!. Those that own them seem to love them, but the lack of a rear bench is just too much of a compromise for most people. The current list price for the entry level Smart Fortwo 1.0 is £6920 (excluding any discounts you negotiate), the most basic models fall into insurance group 2, this 1.0 litre petrol model will return an average of 66mpg.

I would like to remind readers of the car scrappage allowance currently in operation the uk, the scheme offers a £2000 discount when you trade in your old car. Certain vehicle age limitations apply, but some new car dealers are varying the restrictions in order to boost sales, so contact your local dealer to find out what they are currently offering.

More fuel economy related articles.

Suzuki Swift

Suzuki Swift
I like the swift, it seems to have everything I would want in a first car, its cheap to buy and run, its both stylish and nippy and should be near the top of your list as a great all-rounder, if I were looking for a small car it would most certainly be at the very top of my list and comes highly recommended. The current list price for the entry level Suzuki Swift 1.3GL is £8350 (excluding any discounts you negotiate), the most basic models fall into insurance group 4, this 1.3 litre petrol model will return an average of 46mpg.

I would like to remind readers of the car scrappage allowance currently in operation the uk, the scheme offers a £2000 discount when you trade in your old car. Certain vehicle age limitations apply, but some new car dealers are varying the restrictions in order to boost sales, so contact your local dealer to find out what they are currently offering.

More fuel economy related articles.

Mitsubishi Colt

Mitsubishi Colt
Another great little car which comes complete with Mitsubishi’s legendary reliability, these little cars will just run forever. The Colt promises a great drive combined with trouble free ownership, it has to be one of the best city cars on the market. The current list price for the entry level Mitsubishi Colt 1.1MPI is £7760 (excluding any discounts you negotiate), the most basic models fall into insurance group 4, this 1.1 litre petrol model will return an average of 52mpg.

I would like to remind readers of the car scrappage allowance currently in operation the uk, the scheme offers a £2000 discount when you trade in your old car. Certain vehicle age limitations apply, but some new car dealers are varying the restrictions in order to boost sales, so contact your local dealer to find out what they are currently offering.

More fuel economy related articles.

Nissan Micra

Nissan Micra
Nissan has long enjoyed a reputation for reliability, but many forget that it was earned in the days before their alliance with Renault. Those readers yet to be enlightened should take note, that although Renault build stylish and comfortable cars, a high proportion are rumoured to require major repairs very early on in their lifetime, and everything else will probably break just after the manufacturer’s warranty expires, and that’s barely worth the paper it’s written on.

Renault customer service is a disgrace for a major car manufacturer, not a good sign at all. Renault have a well deserved bad reputation in the motor trade for just about every aspect of their business in the UK, so when they merged a few years ago, I assumed that Renault would learn a few lessons from Nissan and maybe incorporate some Nissan parts into the cars they made, it would have solved most of their reliability issues, right?

They say the proof is in the pudding, well it turns out that Renault were only interested in the illusion of high build quality and the Nissan pudding is now crammed full of Renault’s chocolate raisins. Pre-merger Nissans were rusty but reliable, but things change and i’m not so confident about Nissan’s these days. The current list price for the entry level Nissan Micra 1.2 is £7490 (excluding any discounts you negotiate), the most basic models fall into insurance group 2, this 1.2 litre petrol model will return an average of 48mpg.

Final Thoughts
If you’re about to buy your first car, you must proceed with caution, it’s easy to get hypnotised with a £99 deposit deal or free insurance, so try to focus on the car itself and not the cheap finance, or the salesman’s speil. I have one final tip for you, if its French, it will be no stranger to a garage bench.

More fuel economy related articles.

Fiat Panda

Fiat Panda
Little family box on wheels, well almost, the Panda’s trumph card is its price and the fact that it’s a slightly better alternative to a Peugeot 107 or Citroen C1, its as cheap as nappies and just as disposable. Well i’m probably not being fair to this little cutie, so i’ll add this much, if I were offered a freebie, and had to choose between a new Renault Laguna and a new Fiat Panda, i’d take the Laguna, stick it on autotrader and buy a two year old diesel Jaguar.

The current list price for the entry level Fiat Panda 1.1 is £7100 (excluding any discounts you negotiate), the most basic models fall into insurance group 1, this 1.1 litre petrol model will return an average of 57mpg.

I would like to remind readers of the car scrappage allowance currently in operation the uk, the scheme offers a £2000 discount when you trade in your old car. Certain vehicle age limitations apply, but some new car dealers are varying the restrictions in order to boost sales, so contact your local dealer to find out what they are currently offering.

More fuel economy related articles.

Citroen C1

Citroen C1
Like a Peugeot 107 but with a even quirkier look! Big discounts, low cost finance deals and free insurance help them sell by the bucket load. The current list price for the entry level Citroen C1 1.0 is £7680 (excluding any discounts you negotiate), the most basic models fall into insurance group 1, this 1.0 litre petrol model will return an average of 63mpg.

Final Thoughts
If you’re about to buy your first car, you must proceed with caution, it’s easy to get hypnotised with a £99 deposit deal or free insurance, so try to focus on the car itself and not the cheap finance, or the salesman’s speil. I have one final tip for you, if its French, it will be no stranger to a garage bench.

More fuel economy related articles.

Toyota Aygo

Toyota Aygo
Quirky little city car with higher build quality and better reliability than similar offerings, better than a C1 or 107. The current list price for the entry level Toyota Aygo 1.0 is £7050 (excluding any discounts you negotiate), the most basic models fall into insurance group 1, this 1.0 litre petrol model will return an average of 62mpg.

I would like to remind readers of the car scrappage allowance currently in operation the uk, the scheme offers a £2000 discount when you trade in your old car. Certain vehicle age limitations apply, but some new car dealers are varying the restrictions in order to boost sales, so contact your local dealer to find out what they are currently offering.

More fuel economy related articles.

Ford Ka

Ford Ka
The previous generation Ford Ka was the most popular small car for learners by a country mile, it cost peanuts to buy and run, this new model is a little more expensive to buy right now, but should eventually prove to be a worthy successor. The current list price for the entry level Ford Ka 1.2 is £7950 (excluding any discounts you negotiate), the most basic models fall into insurance group 1 or 2, this 1.2 litre petrol model will return an average of 55mpg.

I would like to remind readers of the car scrappage allowance currently in operation the uk, the scheme offers a £2000 discount when you trade in your old car. Certain vehicle age limitations apply, but some new car dealers are varying the restrictions in order to boost sales, so contact your local dealer to find out what they are currently offering.

More fuel economy related articles.

As we reported, Tata has an Euro-spec Nano on the works. The changes from the Indian version include adding an all-aluminium I3 MPFI engine with a 5-speed automatic transmission and electric power steering. The engine should address all the concerns about Tata’s green credentials, as it will be Euro V compliant and have emissions under the 100 g/km of CO₂ mark. The Nano Europa will also include significant security equipment like ABS, ESP (Electronic Stability Program) and airbags. There’s also a change in size, as the Nano Europa has a slightly longer wheelbase of 2.28 meters. Tata’s all-electric Indica, which was also shown during the SIAM Expo, uses polymer lithium batteries that are expected to offer a range of 200 km (120 mi) and a 0-to-60 km/h (0 to 40 mph) time of less than 10 seconds. The model was adapted by Miljo Grenland/Innovasjon of Norway, where Tata UK’s owns 70 percent of the shares. Tata will also include a third model, called Prima, in its future European lineup.

[Source: Tata]

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Europe/EU, Tata

Geneva 2009: Euro-spec Tata Nano (it’s bigger!) and all-electric Indica originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Iosis Max is a four-seat hatchback with a high seating position. It eschews van-like sheet metal in favour of much more “emotional” styling. Chief designer Martin Smith told Autocar, “The Iosis Max is a store of design cues and signature elements that will be evident on the next generation of Focus-family models.”

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Bmw 330d

It’s hard to believe that this fairly ordinary looking diesel powered family saloon, is so fast it has to be electronically restricted to a top speed of 155mph. Think that’s cool?, so do I, but what’s even more astonishing is that it will also deliver an average of 50 mpg on the combined cycle! Wow! – I want one! This Bmw 330d develops close to 250 bhp, will hit 60 mph in 6.2 seconds and then go on to its 155 mph top speed, but if you drive it in a sensible manner it will also return 50+ mpg! This is a revamped version of the most recent 3 series, which is now 3 years old. Performance and economy from the 3 litre diesel engine through the 6 speed gearbox fitted to the Bmw 330d is impressive to say the least. The 330d engine utilises Bmw’s third-generation common-rail fuel-injection system. The unit produces 247bhp and returns 49.8mpg in the combined cycle. The 330d delivers the bulk of its shove from very low down the rev range and will continue to rev well past 5000rpm, when most diesels run out of puff around 4000rpm. BMW has also revamped its original iDrive setup with a more user friendly version. Not much else has changed in the revamp, the interior is still a little cramped in the rear, if you need more space the Bmw 530d would be a suitable alternative if a little more expensive. The revised Bmw 330d is on sale now and prices start from £30,950, its closest rival is the classy Mercedes-Benz C320CDI, which is another great performance diesel.