You can buy these premium hatchbacks for €12,000

Can it be comfortable? Then the DS 4, Infiniti Q30 and especially the Lancia Delta and Mercedes-Benz A-class would be options. Sports enthusiasts go for an Alfa Romeo Giulietta or a BMW 1 series. In between we encounter the Audi A3, the Lexus CT and the Volvo V40. With 12 mille we choose a five-door hatchback. What can we beautify our driveway with?

Audi A3 Sportback 1.4 TFSI Attraction Pro Line – 2013 – 151,787 kilometers – €10,900

This A3 has a manual gearbox

This occasion is from 2013 when the worst excesses were over, has a manual gearbox, leaves with Bovag warranty, has had one owner and its asking price is a bit below our budget, so we have something in reserve for unexpected costs . The odometer reading is illogical according to the RDW. The blown 1.4 combines neat performance with low consumption and is nice and quiet at speed, thanks to the six-speed gearbox that shifts fairly accurately. The layout of the cabin is also soothing, as is the use of color: large and fairly sturdy furniture, sufficient space in the front and rear (but don’t expect a ballroom there) and a luggage volume in line with the market. The dashboard is made of beautiful and also sturdy materials and looks like it can never break. Even if Audis are a bit older, such as this ten-year-old used car, they literally do not budge, even if you drive over sharp manhole covers or other inconveniences. The 6-KFS-90 is a so-called Attraction Pro Line: the entry-level model with some extras. Yet you will not be short of much: navigation system, electronic differential lock, alloy wheels, roof rails, parking sensors, air conditioning (but no climate control), cruise control and alarm are present. Neat, right?

Signaling

Brand Audi

Type A3 Sportback 1.4 TFSI Attraction Pro Line
Construction year April 2013
Mileage 151,787
Asking price €10,900
Where to buy? Willems Automobielen, Dronten

Technical data
engine 4-cyl. in-line, 1,395 cc, turbo
max. assets 90 kW/122 hp at 5,000 rpm
max. couple 200 Nm at 1,400 rpm
Luggage room 380 l / 1,220 l
max. trailer braked 1,400 kilograms
Avg. consumption 1:18.9
0-100km/h 9.5s
Top speed 203 km/h
All data according to factory specifications

Lexus CT 200h – 2011 – 160,713 kilometers – 11,900 euros

The days when luxury German cars held their value seem a bit over when we see this Lexus CT. It is two years older than the A3, has driven more and is still €1,000 more expensive. Garage plates suggest a brand dealer, but the 09-PZT-9 is waiting for its third owner at an independent garage. It is understandable that such a CT is relatively more expensive. The technology of the Lexus is known as much more reliable.

The hybrid technology of the Toyota Prius, which has now been applied millions of times, is almost there bulletproof. And the A3 may have an interior that seems like it can never break, but the materials used in the passenger compartment of the CT give the impression of eternal life. People who now think they are going blindly for the Lexus should read on. Because, in addition to particularly low fuel consumption, hybrid technology also has some downsides. The calming character that prevails on board is somewhat negated when you give it a good gas, during overtaking maneuvers for example. Then the CVT machine goes on a roar and that detracts from the whole. A tow bar is not possible – so no caravan or bicycle carrier for this occasion, while with the rear seats folded down the luggage space is noticeably smaller than that of the A3. So less versatile.

Apart from these points, such a CT is a relaxed car: comfort and interior space are in order, as are the confidence-inspiring driving characteristics and the equipment. For example, this slip-on offers climate control (but no navigation) and a reversing camera instead of parking sensors. For the rest the equipment similar to the above Audi. But above all, there is the strong image of Lexus: the feeling that it will not let you down quickly, especially the pragmatic premium searcher likes to take a deeper grip in the wallet.

Signaling
Brand Lexus
Type CT200h
Construction year April 2011
Mileage 160,713
Asking price €11,900
Where to buy? Vakgarage BSC Wageningen, Wageningen

Technical data
Engine 4-cyl. in-line, 1,798 cc, hybrid
max. system power 100 kW/136 hp
max. system torque 207 Nm
Luggage room 375L/985L
max. trailer braked n/a
Avg. consumption 1:26.3
0-100km/h 10.3s
Top speed 180km/h
All data according to factory specifications

Volvo V40 T3 Momentum – 2013 – 172,653 kilometers – €10,940

At a brand dealer (not Volvo) whose history goes back to 1896, we find our last candidate; this Volvo V40. Slightly the youngest, but with its mileage the most experienced and an asking price that, if you opt for the optional 12-month Bovag warranty at €595, is in the middle. However, this Momentum with, for example, electrically folding exterior mirrors, navigation system, cruise and climate control, reversing camera, pedestrian airbag and an autonomous emergency braking assistant is more luxuriously equipped than its opponents this week, while the T3 is also the most powerful motorized: a blown 1.6, coupled to a manual transmission. six-speed gearbox, good for 150 hp. It makes the Swede a nice and smooth hatchback – both in terms of directness of the steering wheel and box and the driving characteristics – but it is not a Giulietta or a 1-series where every pore breathes sportiness.

Volvo’s old core values ​​of ‘family’ and safety’ are still present in this model, although we have to make a reservation with ‘family’. Unfortunately, it is best to make do in the back. If you have growing children and you set your sights on a V40, take them for a test drive. Because little is as annoying as complaining teenagers in the back and you really don’t want to experience that on the first holiday trip. Also, don’t make the mistake of considering the ‘V’ in ‘V40’ to regard this dynamically contoured four-wheeler as a station wagon, because the trunk is even smaller than that of the CT if possible. People in the front have nothing to complain about: enough living space, the seats are typically Volvo very good and here too, the build quality and the materials used are convincing. The floating center console feels familiar, the fairly small, digital and self-arrangable instruments require a little more getting used to. And like a Lexus, a Volvo doesn’t get tacky as the years go by. That also counts for some.

Signaling
Brand Volvo
Type V40 T3 Momentum
Construction year June 2013
Mileage 172,653
Asking price €10,940
Where to buy? Henri & Herman Amersfoort, Amersfoort

Technical data
Engine 4-cyl. in-line, 1,596 cc, turbo
max. assets 110 kW/150 hp at 5,700 rpm
max. couple 240 Nm at 1,600 rpm
Luggage room 335 l / 1,032 l
max. trailer braked 1,300 kilograms
Avg. consumption 1:18.9
0-100km/h 8.8s
Top speed 210km/h
All data according to factory specifications

Which of these premium C-segmenters suits you?

In summary: the Volvo V40 looks the most dynamic, but it does not make it a 1-series or Giulietta. The Audi A3 is much more what you see is what you get, with all its advantages and disadvantages. The Lexus CT offers reliable Toyota hybrid technology in a premium jacket, but the latter makes it less variable. What would your choice be? Are you going for sportiness (1 series, Giulietta) or comfort (4, Q30, Delta, A-class)? Let us know!