Having ruled out the Lexus, I have tried to be somewhat more open minded about what I wanted or could live with as I haven't been entirely happy with any of the options, being unable to convince myself any one of them is for me.
The Kia ticks almost all boxes on paper, but I don't really want a diesel and having heard of some issues creeping in with DCT boxes in the US, I am distinctly uneasy about the tech, so have ruled it out, despite the warranty.
Today I wandered into a Hyundai dealer to look at an Ioniq and I must say, I did absolutely love it in many ways, even if the spec was a bit lower than the Kia ( no leather seats or heated steering wheel etc ). I asked myself whether I though it was worth £22k and in short, yes, I think so, although the boot is smaller than I would like, so I have resolved to find a more inventive way to pack my work gear which I am sure is possible.
All that said, I have ruled out the Ioniq for a similar reason to the Optima - a lack of faith in the DCT tech, especially in this hybrid which was only launched a month ago, so there could be some teething problems to iron out before they perfect it.
So what was left? Well, I have had the Auris Tourer in the back of my mind for a while and it on paper meets all my needs, although it leaves me somewhat cold as a design. I intend to have a close look at one though because Toyota have gone the CVT box route which I am very comfortable with, they seem to run to big mileages in the old Prius so by this point it has been much refined. They are also relatively cheap used with low miles.
I have however realised that if I wince a bit I can stretch to a current model Prius demo of which there are several around with £4k off list not too far from me - it is still expensive but as a design I find it most compelling, in a space age kind of way, so I will be pitting two Toyota hybrids against each other in the final reckoning. The biggest question will be whether the Prius is worth the extra money and indeed will it seem as attractive in the flesh.
Will report back when I have had a look.
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