Have you considered the Fiesta sedan? The looks is... not so nice, but you get much better safety features (since that may decide whether you'll be alive or not a few years down the road I'd consider it important ). Price is a bit lower than the Fiesta Sport.

30k? Honda already said 4k for the battery, and the Prius won't be so much more expensive. Also, the Prius 1 and 3 were very reliable, perhaps the C is too. Toyota has invested a lot into these cars, unlike cars like the Vios which were probably very cheap to develop. The Yaris (Vios hatchback) isn't very reliable, the Prius is extremely reliable.

But yes, mechanics may not be able to handle them...

As for airbags: They work very well, and especially side airbags are crucial IMHO. Of course you do need to wear your seatbelt at all times, while that is important for all cars it is even more so with airbags, as they can kill you if you don't wear your seatbelt (though you'll probably die anyway). Yes, even at slow speeds, like 30 km/h not wearing your seatbelt can be deadly.

As for feeling fast: A Kancil will make you feel like a racing driver at 80. A Mercedes S class will feel slower than that at 250.

This post has been edited by kadajawi: Jul 7 2013, 12:32 AM

But the Proton is a much bigger car, different segment, and it probably also will handle quite good, right?

I don't think it is so easy to decide which one to go for.