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URGENT question for the car buffs, please!


mint

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I am buying a new car in the next couple of days (250 euros off if I make up my mind quickly!) and I shall explain what I need to know.

Both are small cars of well-known makes.

Car 1 has a puissance fiscale of 5 and there is no eco taxe as the CO2 emissions are only 114.0g/km.

I am guessing that the engine can only be 1.4 cc but I can, of course, check with the garage.

Car 2 has a puissance fiscale of 7 and the eco taxe is 1373 euros, the emissions being 150.0g/km.  The engine of this one is 1.6 cc and nearer to what I am used to.

So, the question is, would Car 2 be really that much nicer to drive for having that extra capacity?

I expect the cost of Car 2 to be 1500 euros dearer.  In other respects, in terms of size, looks, equipment etc, there is nothing to choose between the two cars.

Can you please explain to me why there is such a relatively big difference in emissions levels between 2 small, petrol-driven cars?

Sorry if the questions are a bit basic but I am completely ignorant about such things!

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We bought our car a year ago, it was two years old and has a smaller engine than the last one...... truthfully, I cannot tell the difference, it is nippy, got up french mountains just fine and went as fast as it should have on french autoroutes. And it is automatic too.[:D]

You need to plough through the reviews mint.

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Is car #1 a VW !

It's an impossible question though as 'nicer to drive' is completely subjective and within class comparing by engine size and/or CV is virtually meaningless therefore it comes down to your personal definition of 'nice', presumably you have test driven them ?

If not, and if the price differential really is of no consequence, then you might just as well choose by something as banal as colour or which has got the most convenient place for your handbag !

One thing to think about, smaller engines do not always equate to better fuel economy and that's never truer than in the small car class you're looking at, that's where real world reviews come into it, NEVER go by the manufacturers claims.

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An automatic will generally be less fuel efficient than it's equivalent manual which transposes into more c02 per km and since that's a major factor in working out the CV it's not too surprising that there is a differential.

A bit outdated but this should give you an overview of just what nachronistic nonsense CV ratings are.

The current formula can be found here but frankly is equally bizarre.

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Bizarre indeed.

My car's CV is 10 compared with 8 for a manual g/box

version, which seems a huge penalty for a possible slight increase in

pollution.

Also, I have a 5-speed automatic, which isn't catered for in the formula, maybe there is a more recent version.

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Hi GG, the Yaris was one of the 2 cars I had in mind![:D]

Have now decided on the Hyundai i x20, the idea being that I will have a smaller car.  I don't think OH is ready yet to compromise on size so he will keep his Mazda Premacy and I will have to look around for someone to buy my old Hyundai.

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Good choice, Nimty, Hyanddry's have a good reputation, though I remember many many many many years ago when they used to provide a second car when you bought the first one on the grounds that one was always being repaired so it was cheaper to let you have a second one free than it was to provide taxis etc when it broke down.
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Well, Wools, I still drive my 17-year old Hyundai Lantra estate automatic and it's still running sweet as a nut.

Besides tyres and so on, I haven't even had to change the original battery.  I drove it here to France in 2007 when it was already 7 years old.  Had to drive myself as OH was driving himself and dog in his Volvo.

I'd never driven in France before but my only panic was when I got to the piège and didn't know I could pay by credit card.  Fortunately, a nice couple came along behind me and explained how I could pay.  Otherwise I might still be blocking the traffic at that piège in Nantes (I think)!

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[quote user="nomoss"]You were really lucky to get out of that piège.

I hate to think what happens to those less fortunate[:)]

[/quote]

uh huh, I meant péage[:$][:-))]

Where the heck is the edit button on the new state-of-the-art forum???

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