Also i agree there is a problem with water spraying onto the passenger side window, and can even splash into the car when the windows are open. Upon closer inspection, i’ve found that it’s due to the window and the top of the door frame being flush, so there’s no channel to guide the water from the front wind screen to the back window. My current model civic has a channel that runs across the roof and this allows water on the wind screen to be blown across the roof to the back window, instead of dripping down along the side windows. I hope this makes sense, as it is difficult to explain without a diagram. Either way, i agree it’s a design fault (or perhaps a better term would be ‘lack of detailed consideration’) with the corolla.

I was considering Focus, Mazda 3, Lancer, Civic and Corolla. I ruled out anything from Korea, because although all reviews points to i30 being a vast improvement, i still can’t accept the brand. Tiida was ruled out because the it looked too tall. Thought about Golf, but it’s due for replacement soon. Ruled out anything French, because most survey indicate them to be less reliable than German and Japanese cars.

Anyways, of my final 5, i tested them all. The Focus is nice car with European feel and quite roomy inside, but i didn’t like the oval themed dash design like the air vents, plus i read that it’s less reliable. Mazda 3 handled well, didn’t mind the noise so much, but it’s too old now and my friend said his 3’s fuel efficency ain’t very good. Lancer is very good value for money, but the back looks too tall and square with no style to it, whilst the interior is bland and dull. Same applies to the Corolla’s interior, but i actually like Corolla sedan’s exterior in dark colour. In the end, i chose the Civic because it has the best interior, and at the end of the day, if you are stuck in traffic most days of the week, a nice place to sit in during traffic jam is far more important than good handling or pretty exterior.

Frugal One, have you ever thought………….”Does Hyundai make sedan versions of the i30?” No, they don’t, so that’s why they did not add it to the test!

Oh yeah, the Mazda3! They knew if they put the 3 into this comparison it would win, so they needed to put it up against cars they knew wouldn’t win.. so how much did Mitsubishi pay you for this? :)

I’m not entirely sure if it did include both the Focus and the Civic, it was one of them, but it definitely included the 3, Impreza and the new Lancer.

secondly…toyota as far as corolla goes is just awful…i’ve had toyotas for many years,..and they are just cheap cars(excluding the sport imports and the 4wds)…they are boring, they do break down heaps (cause in many departments the cheapest soloution has been chosen eg: the cheapest glue for the door cushions, cheapest wiring for the internal electronics with the minimal protection)
and ofcourse absoloutely lazy when it comes to performance…and the looks dont help what so ever ..since they do LOOK SLOW as well..so even if ur breakin the speed limit at 120 kms in hiway..cars will flash their lights for u to get out of the “fast lane”

and now that i ve got the new lancer….driving from A to B is actually a pleasure.

This december will be 5 years we’ve had it and it is truly an amazing small car. It’s big on space (exterior is very deceiving!), pretty frugal, good in tight parking spots, the list goes on! hehe! i would fully recommend it to anyone thinking about purchasing a small car. I’m eyeing the new jazz out this year as well, which seems to build on the 1st gen.

This december will be 5 years we\’ve had it and it is truly an amazing small car. It\’s big on space (exterior is very deceiving!), pretty frugal, good in tight parking spots, the list goes on! hehe! i would fully recommend it to anyone thinking about purchasing a small car. I\’m eyeing the new jazz as well, which seems to build on the 1st gen.