Passat Estate TDI vs Focus Estate TDCi?

[joshwa]

I'm seriously considering selling my Passat and buying a Focus...

Which would you buy / keep? Details below:


Passat 2001 Estate, Sport (16" alloys), 6spd, 1.9TDI tuned to 163bhp, cruise control, ISOFIX, 142,000

(this isn't the actual car, just an example)
Focus 2005 Estate, Zetec (16" alloys), 5spd, 1.6TDCi 109bhp, no cruise, ISOFIX optional, probably 90,000m

Boot space is nearly the same, Passat has slightly more, and rear passenger space in the Focus is slightly smaller.

Passat: Insurance group 13, Tax £145, MPG 47.9 (combined)
Focus: Insurance group 6, Tax £120, MPG 58.9 (combined)

My Passat is ultra reliable, never had any problems, just the usual suspension problems at MOT, which is generally cheap to fix. It goes very well, but is a bit boring? a bit heavy? and the Focus is apparently "best in class" and has excellent handling. It's lighter and the lower insurance, tax, and better mpg would be nice... and apparently they don't have suspension problems, whereas Passats are big cars and are known to have suspension problems... I live near LOTS of speed bumps, do mostly town driving, and do about 10,000 miles a year.

Any thoughts?

The Focus would probably cost me £500 to upgrade...

Josh

ps - obviously this is the wrong time to ask as you're all watching Top Gear I'll watch it later on iplayer

[rickworden]

For my money keep the Passat - unless Fords have improved since I owned a string of them back in the nineties (Several versions of Cortinas, Capris and Escorts!!)

[MadduckUK]

do we have the comparative weights? 160 odd to 110 will be a massive drop no?

[joshwa]

Passat Estate: 1641 kg
Focus Estate: 1391 kg

The Passat's very nice inside - all the latest cars 54/55 + seem to use a new kind of hard plastic... it definitely doesn't seem as nice a place to sit in the Focus.

[kalniel]

The focus will do better around corners.. but then how often are you on the limit around a corner in an estate? On the otherhand the passat will probably be much nicer for cruising, overtaking, motorway stuff etc, as well as just a nicer environment to be in generally (sound system etc.).

I know you said you do mostly town driving, but if you ever do any trips >100 miles that involve motorway driving then I'd go for the passat. In fact I'd still probably go for the passat even if I didn't, though it'd be a closer call.

[badass]

It depends if the extra 11 MPG matters to you. If not, keep the passat.

[joshwa]

I know you said you do mostly town driving, but if you ever do any trips >100 miles that involve motorway driving then I'd go for the passat. In fact I'd still probably go for the passat even if I didn't, though it'd be a closer call.

Yeah we do a few - maybe once a month - managed 53mpg average the other week with cruise control set to 70mph on a trip from sheffield to liverpool the sound system is good in the Passat - the Focus less so (no tweeters in the back on most models).

[hitman67]

Focus all the way IMO (although I am a little biased!)

I do around 70 miles a aday in mine and I love it. It'll happily sit at 30mph in a town, and yet will cruise at 90 on an M-Way with equal ease. It feels good, handles really well and never feels unsafe. I was TRYING to make mine slide on greasy roundabouts the other day and it wouldn't, and the front tyres are ditchfinders.

Gives me 55mpg combined, and that includes ocasionally racing a 16v fezza to show them who's boss, and feels better to drive than a lot of my old Audi's did. That dervs a cracking quiet engine to.

The focus is the one to go for!

[cubiter]

Passat every time for me. Cheap to fix as long as you don't use dealer parts, and mine never had suspension problems apart from rear shocks at 90k miles

[schmunk]

IMO, keep the Passat until it gets expensive, then give it a thorough going over inside and out and get rid.

[joshwa]

I've added a poll to the top so you can vote

[Zak33]

I voted...but I know you wont like it
Passat

[Howard]

Keep the Passat. Change for the sake of it IMO.

[99Flake]

I voted to get the Focus, mainly because I find Passats possibly the most dull car ever conceived by man and Foci are great fun to drive.

[eshrules]

I voted to get the Focus, mainly because I find Passats possibly the most dull car ever conceived by man and Foci are great fun to drive.

define 'dull' and how you can say the focus is any better than the passat for that...

IMHO, Howard's on the money, change for the sake of it and even then, I'd opt for the passat anyway.

bear in mind, depreciation is another major factor you should consider when purchasing a car, I'd bet a few quid that the 'sat will be worth more than the (comparatively) same focus in the long run.

[mycarsavw]

Passat - duh.

Think of the great bunch of lads you'd leave behind if you left UKP