[bumpkin]

As you know Kim's dad has been unwell for some time, he has been admitted to hospital 4 times in 7 weeks with the latest happening last Friday.

We have been told that amputation of his leg is now a virtual certainty, not a minor procedure or recovery for a 78 year old man.  We are grateful however that it is something which can be treated and that Eilidh's grandad is going to be with us for the future albeit with a disability, which for a reasonably active man will be difficult for him to deal with emotionally if not physically.

That said, we are now going to be relied on much more heavily by Kim's parents now (and mine are not getting any younger either).

To the point then, we think that to make things easier for all we need to go to a bigger car, Kim's dad was OK with the i30 and ix20, but extremely difficult to get legs which don't bend easily in and out of either of them, it would be simpler with something bigger.  We also need something which is comfortable enough for longer haul with 4 adults and one child, the ix20 is not bad, but there is a lot of fiddling to get seatbelts etc sorted out in the rear!

My Hyundai dealer is multi-franchise and have both cars which I have shortlisted lying on the forecourts right now so I thought I would pass the information to you guys for your thoughts.

Option 1 - Mazda 6 1.8 TS - 2012 with delivery mileage.  Pre-registered by the dealer (would make me the second owner, not an issue).  Insurance, VED and running costs of this car are higher than option 2, but this is offset to a certain extent by the price being £2000 less than my second option.

http://www.arnoldclark.com/used-cars/mazda/6/1.8-ts-5dr/2012-%2812%29/ref/arndwm-75157/

Option 2 - (I will state now that on paper this is my preferred option, but I have not driven either yet which is obviously the real test)
Hyundai i40 1.6GDi Active Tourer.  2012 with delivery mileage also pre-reg.  This car has better fuel consumption than the Mazda, in fact the fuel costs would be very close to the ix20 which for the size of it impresses me, insurance cost is comparative with the ix20 as is the annual VED.  The Hyundai is also much better specification than the Mazda.

http://www.arnoldclark.com/vehicle-details.html?stock_reference=arndwh-74761

The Mazda then would cost me the same monthly payment to buy as I am currently paying for the ix20, but the running costs would be higher by about £60 per month.

The i40 will cost me £50 per month more to buy, but running costs will be about £5-10 per month more.

This looks like a draw, perhaps with a slight majority leaning towards the Mazda.

As stated though, the i40 is better specification and more ecologically slanted given that it is a BD.

Both are good looking cars in my opinion, residual values I suspect will be similar, given that 08-10 Mazda 6 are available for £7-10K.

Still a draw then.

Warranty on the Mazda is 3 years/60K miles.
i40 gets 5 year Triple Care.

In my head the i40 wins on the basis of the warranty, the rest of it is pretty much neck and neck.

All comments gratefully received...............

[Shambles]

Don't have much time right now Brian, but from the link you posted I don't think that i40 will stay on sale for long, at that [tempting] price

[bumpkin]

Cheers Steve

They actually have a range of pre-reg i40's available all over Scotland and would be willing to take any of them to Aberdeen for me

http://www.arnoldclark.com/used-cars/hyundai/i40/options/min_price/0/max_price/60000/postcode/ab16%206ye/latitude/57.1528/longitude/-2.1522/per_page/25/orderby/distance/

The fifth one down is the one which my head says to go for, given that the covers are still on the seats, stalks etc but my heart is with the grey one for looks   (I also like the Blue one in Inverness)

[Doggie 1]

Hi Brian, I hope that all works out as well as possible for Kim's dad. Like you say there are positives there for sure and my thoughts are with you. I know what it's like to go through.
As far as the cars go, I don't know enough about the specifications of the cars you get over there and how the 1.6 Bluedrive compares.
You know my thoughts on the two car makes - Megan recently bought a Mazda 3 and Mazda certainly build a quality product and that is evidenced by their popularity over here (Australia's top-selling car).
Personally I prefer the Hyundai product and the i40 is a lovely car and that one looks terrific in that colour.
I'll be interested to know which one you go for.
Dave

[Surferdude]

I'm biased of course but the i40 looks the goods.
I agree with Dave re tha Mazda build quality but over here at least, thay are too expensive compared to their opposition.
Hope all goes as well as possible with Kim's Dad.

[eye30]

I test drove the i40 when it was released earlier this year and really liked it.

It was roomy and the kit was just brill but was too big for me..

Never driven a Mazda but they do have a franchised dealer around here so lots of Mazda's about.

It seems this is going to be hard decision.

Would they "loan" you each car for say a day/half a day so you could try them out?

[Doggie 1]

If there was a potential sale at the end of it they would, yes, I reckon.
You'd have to make it known though that you were comparing two cars and one of them was going to be unlucky, to prepare one of them for the inevitable.

[Dazzler]

Very interesting Brian.. Sorry to hear about the F.I.L.

The Mazda looks quite dated now (I remember not that long ago when I lusted over one..)

Will be interested to hear your driving feedback 

[AlanHo]

Sorry to read about your F.I.L. and sympathise with your dilemma.

If easy access to a car is a serious factor for a disabled man I am surprised you are not considering a more upright car like an SUV where the seat height from the ground is much greater making it easier to get in and out of.

Did you look at the ix35 and similar models from other manufacturers?

[bumpkin]

Thanks Alan

Have to admit that yes I had, the ix35 is actually too high as is the Sportage etc.  I have to consider balance as well as mobility and so decided that something in the Mondeo, Passat, Mazda 6 etc is the easier option, it's more about getting two people at the door to give him the support and mobility he requires.

Having thought long and hard today I am actually considering going for one of the pre-reg 61 plate i40 Style variants, they are only £1000 more expensive and whilst not BlueDrive only loose a few mpg, with £50 per annum higher VED but with excellent specification for the price.  They have one in black and one in silver and so I think they deserve a serious look while I am at it

[AlanHo]

I am under the impression that the main feature of blue drive is ISG. In the laboratory this may well make a difference - but in real life I doubt that it makes hardly any difference to economy.

I have ISG on my i30 and although I drive in town regularly - the ISG only cuts in for a few seconds each time before the traffic moves.

[bumpkin]

Well folks, was across at the dealers last night and this morning, bit of a necessity given that the problem with the ix20 brakes is a sticky handbrake piston (not the main piston) which is sticking on rather than off.  Rather hot wheel when I took it over this morning

Tried the Mazda last night, a good competent vehicle but as Dazz says beginning to look rather dated and the TS is a fairly basic model being the second one up in the range.  Overall the higher models look better, things like big black grilles where I like to see fog lights just make the TS a bit bland.  The car however was very nice to drive, quite a sporty feel for the size of the vehicle, smooth feeling on the dual carriageways but nice and pointy in the country lanes.  Overall feeling was the car is competent, would do the job but a bit lacking in the style department, nothing major, perhaps I have been spoilt by driving Hyundai for the last 5 years or so!!

On to this morning then and a shot of the i40 Tourer.  What a simply spectacular vehicle!  It is not actually much bigger than the new i30 I have to admit, the extra cabin space and boot room is wrapped up very nicely in a tight body, very clever.  The Style variant has 17 inch wheels, privacy glass, auto lights and wipers.  Keyless entry with a Stop/Start button, electronic handbrake with AutoHold, cruise control / speed limiter, auto dimming rear view mirror, GPS and reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors (4 at each end), parking guidance system, dual zone climate control, heated door mirrors, heated front and rear screens with a clever anti-fog system at the front which senses fogging and deals with it automatically, all easily accessible from the electronically adjusted drivers seat.  The 1.6 GDi is not going to win any traffic light grand prix, but like the ix20 pulls the car quite satisfactorily through the 6 speed manual gearbox.  The Mazda is quicker, but it also sounds and feels it!
Very very smooth and quiet on the main roads and extremely smooth on the country lanes, whilst overall more squishy than the Mazda.  It soaks up the bumps better and gives a more luxury feel rather than sporty.

Sold!  Managed to wind my dealer down on the price and got her for only a couple of hundred more than the Active version.
Here is the dealers link to the one I have bought

http://www.arnoldclark.com/used-cars/hyundai/i40/options/postcode/ab166ye/latitude/57.1528/longitude/-2.1522/per_page/25/orderby/distance/

3rd one down in black should be marked RESERVED.

Picking it up on Monday morning prior to heading off to County Durham in the North East of England for a week, so I will have plenty of opportunity to enjoy her straightaway and find any quirks or foibles!

As an aside I thought my conversation with my insurance company was a hoot!  Called them up to notify change of vehicle for the remainder of my policy to mid-October.  Went through the details and waited with baited breath for the additional premium which they always add on in the UK ( don't know of they do that in Oz?).  Back comes the nice girl with "that will be and additional premium of £35.89 sir.............which includes the £35.00 administration fee". So to insure the car from now until October is actually £0.89 more expensive!

[Doggie 1]

That is fantastic.
 
It looks great - good decision 
(Cheap insurance too).

[Shambles]

Fan black tastic

[eye30]

On to this morning then and a shot of the i40 Tourer.  What a simply spectacular vehicle! 

Thought you would love the car.  I did.

When I tested one I really enjoyed the car and would have been tempted but for the size which I don't need. 

  Back comes the nice girl with "that will be and additional premium of £35.89 sir.............which includes the £35.00 administration fee". So to insure the car from now until October is actually £0.89 more expensive!

It is such a rip off the admin fee.

£35 for pressing a few buttons and a new certificate plus postage................

My company don't charge if you have been with them for more than 12 months


ps Re sat nav - Isn't there an issue as is won't take post codes or something to do with the updates service not available in UK?

[bumpkin]

Yeah, the inbuilt UK sat navy's don't take postcodes, so you have to do it via town, street, more long winded but I will get plenty of opportunity to test it!

Don't know about updates

[eye30]

Brian,

 Check this out. 
may have to log in if you can remember your pw

http://www.hyundaiownersclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4410

[bumpkin]

As Alan said before, I will probably end up using my Nuvi!

[Dazzler]

Well Brian ... I am not normally a fan of black cars (but that is partly climate related) however, your i40 looks sensational  plus you are a lot better with keeping your cars clean (so it should stay looking great)

  Really excited for you and look forward to some decent photos and some more feedback 

[Surferdude]

Good news Brian. The car looks nice and does indeed have a "Reserved" banner on it.
When I traded my Impreza on the i30, the insurance went down, even though the Impreza was 6 years old. They sent  me a cheque for the difference.

[bumpkin]

I was reading the i40 thread on here tonight and found the discussion of the electronic handbrake interesting.

Many of us appear to have tried the car but nobody seems to have actually used it properly 

When you start the car up it is automatically on, to switch it off you can either press the brake pedal and the button together (long winded) or simply drive away, it switches itself off.

This though means when you next need it you need to press the button again, not as intuitive as feeling the lever and pulling it up.

Not to worry, by pressing the AutoHold button behind the handbrake button a white light appears in the dash display which handily says AutoHold.  When you pull up to a junction, the vehicle comes to a stop and the light turns green as the handbrake applies itself.  Drive away and it goes back to white.  Nice.

Finally when you switch the engine off it applies itself automatically again in either mode.

[Dazzler]

Hey that is pretty nifty Brian  I guess it is something that needs to be explained to any new drivers of that model

[Shambles]

Why complicate such a simple mechanism? It's just something else to go wrong

[Surferdude]

 

[Doggie 1]

But people said that about ABS, airbags, independent rear suspension etc ad nauseum, but now we wouldn't do without them.

[Surferdude]

But people said that about ABS, airbags, independent rear suspension etc ad nauseum, but now we wouldn't do without them.

True, but they all improved handling and/or safety.
The handbrake thing is just a gimmick. (IMHO).
A bit like that old foot operated parking brake idea. Didn't catch on because sometimes the basic idea is as good as it gets. The last big improvement in handbrake (Parking brake) design was the relocation from under the dash to between the seats.

[Dazzler]

The new 2012 Camry has gone to a foot brake and I forgot t until the car wouldn't move 

[bumpkin]

But going by my experience with the simple mechanism, it can go wrong whilst remaining simple, so it can't go any more wrong by complicating it!!

[eye30]

And don't forget - clutch in to start.

When I test drove it I stopped and turned the engine off so I could get out and check the car over

Pressed button to start and it wouldn't.

As I was a few miles away from the dealers I started to panic then all of a sudden I had this thought of pressing the clutch in and yes it fired up.

You won't be disappointed with although you might have a problem due to its length of parking on your drive.........

[bumpkin]

It fits onto the drive, but I can't close the gates, not really a problem as the gates are getting on a bit and are requiring some major re-attachment work.  I will just take them off

I always push in the clutch to start a car anyway, in fact the ix20 also won't start without the clutch....