Ask an expert
I'm looking to purchase a car to be used largely for urban but also longer journeys. It needs to be economical, reliable, comfortable & user-friendly. Some interesting 'match-ups' have emerged. Your comments would be welcome.
Three models interest me: Nissan Tiida (07), Honda V-TX 1.7 (05), VW Golf 2.0 (03). All are hatches. Mileages range from 35-70k.
1) Fuel: Should the VW be disregarded because it uses 95 Octane?
2) What is the difference between CVT (in the Tiida), V-TEC in the Honda, & 4-speed auto in the VW?
3) NZ new (Honda/Tiida) versus imported VW?
Overall, how would you rate and/or rank these 3 cars?
Liz
From the "Ask Jack" archives - 14 December 2009
All are very good cars, but for different reasons. The Nissan Tiida is more popular with fleet buyers because of its affordability. All-round it offers a pretty attractive value for money package, it's not such an exciting vehicle which has seen it suffer in the private market, which might explain a possible lower price given the (newer) age of the vehicle. It may not fare so well come resale time for you however.
The Civic is a good all-rounder, has Japanese reliability, excellent practicality, is relatively economical and retains good resale values.
The Golf would be the driver's choice as it's by far the best vehicle in terms of ride and handling. That said I would be a little nervous about an import example and be very careful with anything that has been sourced from Singapore (may suffer from wiring problems due to humidity issues in Singapore). It's a premium vehicle with good economy, safety and is fairly reliable but, as with most European vehicles, service/repair costs could be higher than the others.
The CVT (Constant Velocity Transmission) improves economy by doing away with the automated gearshifts in conventional transmissions. The gear ratios are always changing by way of two adjustable cones joined by a belt and by alternating their size, they create an ever changing drive ratio according to the engine rpm and load. Nothing wrong with the later versions of these transmissions as used in the Tiida, but the use of the genuine Nissan CVT transmission fluid is essential. The more conventional transmissions in the Honda and VW maybe less economical but only slightly.
The V-TEC in the Honda refers to the engine configuration and the way the engine valves open and close to achieve good all-round performance. Nothing to get too excited about in this model Honda.
I think you need to decide what car will best suit your needs. Being comfortable and happy in the car is just as important as economy etc.