I'm really torn between these cars. I've already booked Ford Fiesta on impulse last month and I saw a roadshow the other day at OU, saw the Pug and Forte. Test drove both, I fell in love with the 308T low end torque but the Forte's really cheap and affordable. Come on people, help me to decide.
I won't list down the specs here cos I'm sure all my fellow enthusiasts here will know more or less what are the specs.

Kia forte 2.0 - RM93k
154 hp at 6200 rpm with max torque of 194.2 Nm at 4300 rpm
cheap for its specs
spacious



Courtesy of autoweek.com

Peugoet 308T (1.6 Turbo) - RM114k
Athermic panoramic glass roof
140hp/6000rpm 240Nm/1400rpm
great acceleration
and all the great features BUT 4 speed gear.



Courtesy of paultan.org

Ford Fiesta - RM85k +-
120 PS (88 kW; 120 hp), 152 N·m (112 lb·ft)
6-speed dual-clutch



Courtesy of loqu.com

I know the fiesta is a different segment altogether, but since I've booked it Ill put it in the list as well.
Thanks people!

Edited : Pictures up!

This post has been edited by Folio: Jun 23 2010, 10:21 PM

I would prefer Toyota Altis as my 1st choice while Kia Forte is the second choice... The disadvantage of this both car dont have moonroof...

This post has been edited by MonfereBlogspot: Jun 23 2010, 10:09 PM

If you travel long distance very frequent, the 5/6 speed is good, but if u r in Klang Valley the 4 speed 308THP is good enuff.................

Driving one now interchangeably with Vios so trying to look for non-Jap cars.

Ford for the latest dual clutch, altho its a wet type and not dry. (correct me if im wrong, since thats what i rmb-ed)

Pug 308T for attitude, and hot hatchness hotness. (then again, Fiesta is also a hot hotty hatchback)

Forte for, its brainless, effortless, and no mistakeness due to the great price, feature and size.

what the hell, i'd buy all 3 if i have the money and drive 1 each day...hahaha. i love them all. all.

My vote goes to Fiesta hot hatch..

Haha! Who wouldn't want to have a garage with 30 over rides?

308T>Fiesta>forte

Power, 6speeder dual clutch, Best bang for buck

err... all 3 are kinda different cars..

Forte is a sedan. I think the most affordable one between the 3.

308THP. Features, features and features. It's not a small car though and not without a few problems here and there.

Ford is a small hatch. I think the size should be similar to a Mazda 2 which is gonna be much smaller than the Forte and the 308.

All 3 are nice cars though I have my eye on the Fiesta.. I like hot hatches.. hehe

The question is what kinda car do you want?
A Sedan? A Mid-Size Hatch? A Hot Hatch?

Forte if you need space and good cruising. Fiesta is you need respond and fun drive. 308T if you need fast pickup. BMW M3 if you need all.

Choose the one your heart fell in love with. Because you'll see your car everyday. If it's UGLY or not to your heart content, you won't feel good.

Yeah, it's a screwed advice, but an advice nonetheless

go for Kia Forte.

1. design looks macho.
2. sedan type, practical in whatsoever situation

out-of-topic. why dont consider mazda 3? im using it now and i love every moments with it

Fixed.

The very reason why the Mazda 3 was the first one out of my list when deciding to get a car at the beginning of the year.
Plus it's underspec-ed at the price where I can get a top range Forte.

Don't be fooled by the 308T. Seriously it's not fun to drive at all when you're constantly stuck in heavy city traffic.

The 308T is a huge and bulky car with pretty heavy steering, but the main letdown is the unresponsive box. Sure, 4 speed is relatively adequate for city driving, however it's tuned towards high-revvings and it simply refuses to upshift to 4th gear, even with shift-tronic, unless your speed is above 70kmh. Which means most of the time you'll be stuck at urban speeds (50-60kmh) while revving beyond 2000rpm. As a comparison, the Forte cruises at a relaxing and silent 1.4K rpm in the final 4th gear.

Moonroof is a fancy gimmick which is impractical in Malaysian weather. You'll end up pulling the interior cover all the way to block the scorching sun.

Anyway this is not a 308T bashing post as it is still a fun car to drive under certain circumstances, but for practical reasons the Forte would be a better choice.

Can't comment on the Fiesta since I've never driven nor sat in one before, but most reviews give thumbs up for its driving experience but not so much for kit and equipment.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Jun 24 2010, 08:14 PM

Wow I didnt know Forte's engine can produce 154hp at best. Quite powerful isnt it ? But 308 has turbo

This post has been edited by xMika: Jun 24 2010, 07:59 PM

Actually I find your some of your facts are quite misleading. For an example, I could change into the 4th gear when the speed is below 70KM/h. Of course you have to use the tiptronic.

Yes, during noon or early evening, the moonroof is pretty useless because of the scorching sun, but I do love to open the moonroof in the morning when driving to work or in the late evening when coming home. It makes the cabin feel more spacious than it already is.

The 308T is might not suitable to drive in traffic jam road, but on a smooth road, you'll love the power of the car. Not to sound too exaggerate but the cabin is very quiet. You will hear the growling sound of the engine softly and the air conditioner blower. Others (outside) sound is kept to minimum. The grip is plenty. Body roll is minimum unless you take a corner @140KM/h.

But of course, 308T is not a perfect car. For an example, the air conditioner is not as cold as Proton's. It is hard car to mod, body kit is almost non-existent, unless you buy from NZGalaxy or thru the Internet.

No, I'm not a salesman for Peugeot. I'm just stating my opinions and my little experiences as a 308T owner

This post has been edited by Pogostik: Jun 24 2010, 09:12 PM

+1

heavy steering = better feel for the car. u cn feel the grip..

not too fond of to light power steering.feels nt 'attached' to the car..

duwan add chevy cruze??

Ahahaha omg you listed the exact same three cars that I'm considering.

At first the Pug was at the top of my list, because it's got Turbo, some excellent features, and let's face it, that styling begs to be raced furiously. French flair at it's finest. However, among the three, this was the one that got the worst reviews for reliability, and if you look at Lowyat's own Pug forum, you'll see several issues being highlighted. Never driven it before, but my friend has, and he mentioned that yes, the car has power, but you can't really feel it. The driving experience is very detached from the road, which I have to say is unusual for a hatch. Also, this is not the first time I've seen people mention that the turbo power cannot make up for the weight of the car, resulting in a rather lumbering heavy ride. As a final tip-off, among the three brands listed here, Peugeot has the lowest reliability value. Yes, even lower than Kia.

Then there's the Kia Forte. This baby truly is a stunner. Even if you look at it from the outside you feel that it should cost more. Going inside, you find a ton of features, and it's even more impressive. If it wasn't for Kia's horrible reputation in Malaysia, I bet you we'd be swarmed with them now. As it is, I see a Forte almost every day now. The Forte certainly has had much more launch success compared to a lot of other launches in the recent times. You only need to see Lowyat's own Fortezens to see .

Personally I can't find anything wrong with this car. Of course, it's not going to beat a Lambo at the traffic light, but for this price tag, it's a fantastic car. The only reason why I'm looking elsewhere is that I prefer hatchbacks. (And also coz I'm secretly hoping they'll bring the Koup to Malaysia. That ass is SEXY.)

And finally, the Ford Fiesta. I haven't found a review of this car that's anything less than stellar. Everyone overseas is going gaga over this car. From it's handling to it's power to it's looks to it's features, the car wins all over. Frankly, I'm very suspicious that SDAC can keep the Fiesta's price at RM85k. I keep waiting for them to suddenly say "Eh, we said 85k was only estimated. Actual price is RM103k.". I'm very much waiting to take this baby for a test drive. Let's face it: 6-speed clutch on a small hatch like that has us drooling. It's like a SuperMyvi that actually looks good.

Of course, all three brands have had history of poor reliability, and all three brands have gone through some major improvements in the past few years, and all three brands are getting excellent reviews. I'd highly recommend you to test the Fiesta out (I think they're having some sort of display in Midvalley until this Sunday, so you go sit inside the car to get a feel of it first?) first, but until then, my choice is the Forte. The 308 wins for style, but if style was all we were bothered about, we wouldn't even be discussing price.

I know this is out of topic, but were u informed about the actual price of all 3 variants when booking your ford fiesta? mind sharing

I don't own the 308T but my mum does. And I've driven it long enough to be able to compare it to my own Forte. My experience is that it is very reluctant to upshift into the final gear even at 60kmh; using tiptronic might "force" it to do so (most of the time it doesn't) but the moment the car slows down it drops straight back to 3rd gear to keep the revs and torque high. It is after all, tuned to be sporty and hence don't expect it to provide a relaxing ride.

As for other aspects such as cabin noise insulation, I totally agree. Turbo charger whirl alone adds more exhilaration to the overall driving experience.

The one thing I don't understand is the air con comparisons. I certainly don't think that the air con is not cold enough; drop the climate control settings to "Lo" and it'll become a fridge... cold enough for me.

Indeed, most reviews of the Fiesta have praised its ride, yet one can't help but feel that the reviewers focused too much on the ride aspect and overlooked the cons of the car such as its lack of equipment. Not sure what goodies the Malaysian Fiesta provides, but according to the readers' comments in this Australian review it seems that it's very, very basic.