THE annual test day organised by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders at the car industry’s proving ground in Befordshire provided the ideal opportunity to take three family cars out back-to-back.
All three cars have similar leg room in the back, similar boot space and if you take like-for-like engines there’s not a lot in it for fuel economy or performance.
So the test came down to value and drivability, for the money.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
The Giulietta is more distinctive than most of the other cars in the class, but you really do need to only look at it from certain angles, in certain specifications and colours, if you want call it pretty.
Assuming you have walked up to the Giulietta at precisely the right angle and bend your knees a bit to keep your eye line low, then you could quite conceivably be excited about driving a modern Italian car. Something with a bit of spirit and style.
What you will find is 360 degree cheapness. Seats that offer little or no support combined with uninspiring and again, cheap, dashboard controls that feel more Kia than Ferrari.
The drive is anodyne and I wasn’t allowed to take it on the hill course, so I assume it struggles with corners.
Used Car Expert guide price: A 2010 registered 1.6-litre diesel with under 5,000 miles is around £18,250.
Citroen C4
Bravely, Citroen was quite happy for the C4 to go round the hill course.
A lovely soft-touch leather steering wheel in the car felt comforting as I threaded the car through the tight twists and turns. And I needed comfort because there was this appalling buzz from the dashboard. It appeared when I went over one of the hill routes test bumps and never left us.
Had it not been for that ominous lack of build quality I may have taken the C4 more seriously. It is refined, as quick and frugal as anything else and Citroen styling, while not wild on the C4, certainly has a little Frenchness about it.
Just like the build quality.
Used Car Expert guide price: A 2010 registered1.6-litre diesel with under 5,000 miles is around £17,250.
Ford Focus
Ford of course, used to stand for Fixed Or Repaired Daily.
But from the moment the current Focus turns a wheel you know those days are long gone. Every press of a switch, every steering input, and every glance of a dial confirmed that Ford are making premium cars.
The handling and steering input was a particular joy. And despite being thrown round the hill course and over the Millbrook bumps, I felt supported in my seat and the dash managed to stay in place throughout.
Ford’s new prices do reflect this quality – they are £3,000 more than the Citroen or Alfa. But don’t worry too much about that. Used prices are softening nicely and in another 6-12 months we will have plenty of nearly new examples of this premium Ford at economy prices.
Used Car Expert guide price: Latest shape 2011-registed 1.6 diesels are already available 'nearly new' for £17,500, once they are a year old, they will be around £13,000.