It's tough at the top and the news seventh generation gold has a lot to prove. And there
are three serious contenders vying for that number one slot. there's Briton's best selling
medium car the Ford Focus. budget alternative the Kia Ceed and our pick of the premium brands
the BMW 1 series all the diesels and all costs between 21 and 22 thousand pounds.
Of course, the safe money is on the Golf, but any one of these cars is a potential winner.
Sign up to Which? for just one pound to read full reviews with lab test data for all four
cars. Let's start with the Focus. It's the oldest car here and as familiar as the great
British friar but something rather special about this car.
It's got really direct steering, and it's great fun to throw into a corner The Focus
is the most powerful car in our group. Unfortunately, it's also the least efficient. Ford claims
56. 5 MPG, but click on the link below to see our tested figure. I really don't like
this interior. It looks plasticky, there are too many button on here and this whole systems
is too tricky to use.
screen is way to small especially if you want to use it as a sat-nav {sp]. but there is
one area where the Ford wins hands down and that's on boot space. It's got a [xx] in three
hundred forty-five liters. That put the Cee'd to shame. It's got the smallest boot. But
perhaps by way of compensation, Kia has packs with standard equipment.
For the same price mid-range Focus or Golf you can have a top spec seat with leather
trim, sat-nav, a reversing camera, an electric, well electric everything. Okay, so the Kia
looks good on paper but it's definitely the least impressive about four cars on the road.
This 1.6 liter diesel engine is the biggest you can get in the Cee'd but it's still the
slowest car to 60 miles an hour by about three seconds.
And it's the slowest to stop, too. In our tests the Cee'd needed thirty-nine meters
to stop. from sixty-two miles an hour, the Golf did much better but how much? Click the
link below to find out Saying all that this is an easy car to drive with light controls
and pothole friendly suspension. interior quality is very good and let's not forget
Kia's 7 year warranty.
That's a full 3 years more than any of the other cars here. I also think it's a bit of
a looker, well, certainly compared to this thing coming up in my rear view mirror now
Okay, so the BMW isn't the best looking car here but from the drivers seat it's something
rather special. The BMW is the only care here with rear wheel drive.
That means the front wheels are free to get on with the steering. The result is agile
handling great feedback from the steering wheel. The downside with this car is the stiff
suspension especially if you go for the M sport option. Also, remember that rear wheel
drive cars can be a bit of a handle in wet and icy conditions.
This two [xx] engine feels smooth and flexible. To find out how its fuel economy compares
with that of the Golf, click on the link below. We can't fault the BMW for its simple dash
layout and the intuitive eye drive multimedia system, but in the back there's not much leg
room. and this central transmission tunnel means the middle back seat is pretty much
useless.
So, not ideal for families then well, that leaves us with the Golf, a car that is almost
as desirable as the BMW and one that feels even better screwed together. Just look at
this interior. It feels built to last a lifetime. All the controls are within easy reach and
there's enough space in here to rival some small TV's.
The Golf isn't cheap being close to the 1 series on price but good fuel economy and
strong resale value should keep running costs in check. Click the link below to use our
car running cost calculator. So far, so sensible but what's it like to drive? Well, You can
relax, you're in good hands. The 1 series might be more fun admittedly but the Golf
is refined, stable and safe.
If but if I had to tackle a long motor journey this is the car I'd choose. Okay, so which
is going to be the winner overall? There's some pretty stiff competition here. There
is, but having driven all for cars, I do think the Golf is the best all rounder.
That's a fair point. The seat in the Focus are cheaper but they do feel outclassed by
the Golf. If I was buying a car with my heart, I'd pick BMW. But with a sensible hat on,
I'd pick a Golf.
Yeah, and let's face it a diesel hatchback is a car you choose with your head, rather
than your heart. So the winner is the Golf?
Yep, the Golf.
So there we have it. After nearly forty years on sale, the Volkwagen Golf is still a very
safe bet.