I am getting close to the time when I begin properly considering my next car and am doing my research. For context, I have a 2005 Jazz 1.4 SE which my son and his partner use, and a 2016 Toyota Rav4 AWD Hybrid which is for my own exclusive use. I am replacing the Toyota as I no longer have a need for such a large car and at 40-45 mpg on a good day it is overkill for my journey profile these days, as I approach retirement. Prior to the RAV4 I had an HR-V and before that a 2013 Jazz, which was bloody marvellous. I should never have swapped it for the false promise of the HR-V.
I am not ready to commit to full electric due to range anxiety and decent plug in hybrids all start at £30,000 or so. I want to be able to do day trips of up to 250 miles without needing to recharge. I think that means a hybrid is my best bet.
I want a heated seat as it is absolutely the best thing ever for my bad back and I have mine on 90% of the time. I want the capability to deal with steep windy roads because of where I live, but don't necessarily need 4WD if I can put appropriate tyres on the car. I want a small car with a reasonably sensible ride height as I can't be 'getting down' into a car all the time - sorry, no Civic for me! I need four doors and a decent load space with the seats down for the occasional staycation or trip to the tip.
I looked at the new Jazz price and it looks quite steep. Upwards of £22,000 for the EX grades. But then I looked at a whole heap of other cars, from a couple of Suzukis, the Polo, the Fiesta (perhaps the best of the rest) and they all look cheaper. Until you start to load on all the things that the Jazz comes with as standard. From the Hybrid system, 'automatic' gears (I know), heated seats (hooray), gadgets, LED lights, the space, I could go on.
There are three things I am pondering on for before I commit...
1. The atrocious choice of colours available right now - that's not going to change anytime soon!
2. The availability of ex demos, early trade ins and whatnot.
3. The chance to have a good look at the new Toyota Yaris Hybrid. This car I think could be the only real contender for the Jazz for me. And there is also the distant thought of the 'jacked up' Crosstar equivalent Yaris they are launching early in 2021.
First world problems I know. And this is the part of choosing the next car that I really start to enjoy.