SKODA KODIAQ
Our man reports on how seven-seat SUV fits in perfectly with family life.
Budget SUV joins the fleet promising a big step up. Does it deliver?
THE Ford Fiesta is Britain’s bestselling car, and for good reason. It’s great to drive and practical, and if you buy on Ford’s PCP scheme with the terms we’ve selected, you can get the keys for just £7.26 per day.
Our £2,385 deposit means you’ll put ut around 15 per cent down, which is still an affordable amount. While Ford won’t match that with its own contribution, there’s still plenty on offer. Zetec trim doesn’t get sat-nav, but Apple Carplay and Android Auto are part of the car’s slick 6.5-inch infotainment touchscreen.
Ford pushed the focus on practicality in this eighth-generation Fiesta, so with more cabin room and a 292-litre boot, this supermini can now even be used as a small family car. Refinement is a match for some models from the class above, but it’s the way the Fiesta rides and handles that gives it an edge.
The steering has all the feel you could want from a supermini, while its damping reinforces the car’s sportier character with lovely body control. However, it doesn’t sacrifice comfort. In town the Ford is composed and controlled, and this is where its agility comes from once you leave the busy urban streets behind.
Our £7.26-per-day price is really just a guide here. Although Ford doesn’t offer an official deposit contribution on its finance calculator, we’d try negotiating with your dealer for an even bigger discount to lower your daily outlay.
YES, you really can get a Porsche on finance for less than £10 per day – and there’s no wild deposit here. We’ve selected a 20 per cent up-front payment ent (£8,579, but still not that steep, given the car’s £42,897 list price), while Porsche e will add £1,000, too. Crunch the numbers bers and the magic daily figure equals £9.43. .43
That’s not a lot of money for the best sports coupé in the business. While the 718 Cayman’s move to turbocharged flat-four engines has come in for criticism because it sacrifices some of the older six-cylinder car’s character, you can’t argue with the performance.
The manual model we’ve selected will sprint from 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds – this is the version to go for, thanks to the level of involvement and the quality of the shift. It’s mechanically just right and is matched by the steering, which delivers a clear message of how much grip the front tyres are generating.
Chassis balance is beautiful, but the 718 does the everyday things so well, too. With a total of 425 litres of boot space split between a compartment in the nose and an area behind the rear seats, it’s surprisingly practical.
The infotainment touchscreen has sat-nav and Carplay. It’s simple to use and is well integrated into the dash. There’s not much other standard kit, but concentrate on what you’re getting here: a pure-bred sports car for the same daily price as a diesel exec saloon.