Car Choice: A Cee'd could be a success, but a Fiesta might be finer

Susan Schiller is looking for a brand new automatic car. She is quite rightly proud to be a fit and very active 70-year-old, and likes the look of the Toyota Auris 1.6 auto and the Suzuki SX4 auto. She wonders which would be better value for money. Susan also wants to know if there is an alternative to these vehicle, as she thinks a medium sized car will do. Her budget is £14,000.

A car for the head

I know that Susan has mentioned the word medium, but actually what used to be thought of as small cars are now on the large size. Certainly small family cars and even superminis have plenty of room for someone of Susan's stature. If she is after good value then the Kia Cee'd is probably worth a closer look. Here is a roomy and well-built good-sized hatchback that comes with a comprehensive seven-year warranty. Certainly when Susan wants to take some friends along there is plenty of space in the rear. Compared to a Ford Focus, or Volkswagen Golf it may not as be so nice to drive, but it is still agile and responsive. This is also a very safe car with a good compliment of front, side, and curtain airbags and even active front headrests that help prevent whiplash. Susan would need to buy the 1.6 version, which has an automatic gearbox as an option from the GS model upwards. This model will have air conditioning a CD, steering wheel controls, front electric windows and remote locking, plus alloy wheels and electric door mirrors. The cost for this package is £12,340 plus an extra £1,000 for an automatic gearbox.

A car for the heart

As an alternative to the Cee'd there is the Honda Jazz which is slightly more compact, but it is probably just as spacious inside. However, some find the semi-automatic gearbox can be slower than they are used to, but Susan should probably judge for herself. A 1.4 ES model comes at £11,248 plus £783 for the automatic gearbox. Otherwise the latest Ford Fiesta (pictured) is worth a shot as it is good to drive, very refined and smooth, and it feels like a much larger and more comfortable car to drive. I think that Susan will find the driver's seat very comfortable as there is plenty of rearward travel, plus the steering adjusts two ways. The five-door makes more sense when it comes to practicality and a 1.4i Style+ is the cheapest automatic that she could buy. This model would cost £11,395 plus £1,000 for the automatic gearbox. The Fiesta is clearly one of the best models in this class and it was voted as the What Car? Car of the Year. It is certainly a very distinctive car – both inside and out – that is hard to miss.