IT used to be that my peers asked me which wedding I was going to
go to.
Soon after it was baby showers. Fast-forward 15 years and the
question became which automatic car to buy that won’t make them look old before
their time.
The asker is as often male as is female, divorced or still cuddling
up to the spouse, and those babies now have to be carted about between showers.
When I asked why the new car has to be automatic, they answer they
are tired of having to change gears on the dreaded, slow-moving school
run.
TWO FEET FOR TWO PEDALS
So which wheels will save the trembling joints
without causing the bank manager to have the tremors?
First off, it has to be a hatch, this being the one vehicle shape
that offers the lowest fuel consumption with the most versatility for family
use, up to providing the offspring with a first car for varsity.
When it comes to hatches with automatic transmission, the South
Africans’ default choice was a Honda Jazz.
An excellent all-rounder, the Jazz enjoys a deserved reputation for
reliability, but these days, this reputation comes at a price — R232 700 for the
bare-bones Comfort and R277 400 for the better specced Dynamic.
At the other end of the scale, select VW dealers are offering SA’s
best-selling (if rather bland) Polo with six automatic gears at a current
special of R179 300.
Priced in the middle of these two extremes is the Fiesta, which has
been turning heads with snappy design and features like voice command for the
Sync software inside.
The rest of the industry are agog at Ford’s ability to hold prices
in check despite a weakening rand. The top spec Fiesta Trend Powershift, for
example, retails for a very reasonable R215 900, including a four-year or
60 000 km service plan.
JUST EXTEND A FINGER
Compared to this, the new Clio Dynamique looks
dear at R234 900 with a three-year, 45 000 km service plan — until you add the
aspiring student’s demand for a dash of exclusivity.
VW last month moved 3 170 Polos and Ford sold 1 005 Fiestas, but
only 575 people took ownership of a Clio.
Then there are the ergonomics. I have in my time owned both Renault
and Ford models, and while they were both effective, I found the little touches
are executed just a little better in the French car, like the toggle-control for
the radio that is mounted behind the steering wheel.
To turn up the volume or change a track, there is no need to
release your thumb’s grip on the wheel to press a button on the front of the
steering wheel. Just extend the index finger to turn up the sound, which is
excellent across the range, thanks to a Bass Reflex system.
A seven-inch touch screen connects a phone and stream audio via
Bluetooth. Hill Start Assist is standard, there is an ECO mode to save fuel in
city traffic, and when the city gets too big, there is Satnav with 2D or 3D
display to find your way.
Renault’s little three-cylinder turbo has not won Engine of the
Year like that in the Fiesta, but while not as feisty as the Ford, its 66 kW and
135 Nm gives it adequate performance. Around town, 121 of these Newtons are
available from 1 650 revs, meaning the autobox can just cruise at fuel-sipping
revolutions.
Equipped with Stop and Start, this results in Clio reporting
excellent fuel consumption.
TRADE-IN IS WHERE IT’S AT
To give a final answer to my peers then, it is a
really a tough call opting for an auto between the Fiesta and Clio.
My final answer is to check what the dealers
will give on trade-in. In the battle for a sale, the staff at McCarthy Renault
Pietermaritzburg assured me they give the best assessment possible on your old
jalopy and with Clios currently recording just over half the sales of the
Fiestas, the French car of course comes with exclusivity built-in.
