A little more than a year has passed since we peered at cars in the range of 650-800 thousand rubles. Given the trend of recent years, no one would be surprised at the massive arrival of budget sedans and the crowding out of the European "golf" class beyond the upper border of the price window. But the reality turned out to be much more interesting: the situation in Europe forced the auto giants to fasten the “greed” knob, and as a result we observe an unusual class struggle for this segment: large sedans compete with well-packed hatchbacks. In this chaos, choosing the ten most worthy versions was not easy. But we still tried to master this task.
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Volkswagen Golf-1, 2TSi-DSG-Trendline
DB2012AU00889 L
About how good the new Golf is, we wrote last fall. True, the Germans “hung up” the question of the profitability of such a purchase for almost six months: prices were announced just a few days before this issue was published. So the Golf, we can say, managed to jump into the outgoing train - and immediately into the driver’s chair! The basic three-door in the Comfortline version turned out to be not very basic either: 7 airbags, a stabilization system, an electronic cross-axle differential lock … The interior is also not modest: Golf has improved significantly since the last generation. Under our budget, you can buy a five-door - it is 31, 900 rubles more expensive. But you can also swipe at a more dynamic version: for example, instead of a 105-horsepower engine, choose a 122 horsepower unit with the same "seven-speed" - this version is estimated at 787 thousand rubles.
Peugeot 408-1.6THP-AT-Asset
408 001
If Volkswagen had not announced the opening of an attraction of unprecedented generosity, the Frenchman could have been the winner. Roomy sedan with a huge trunk, and even in a solid configuration "Active" - this is a really good offer! The argument in favor of the turbo engine version is by no means the dynamics of acceleration, but the presence of a dynamic stabilization system - it is installed either on cars in the top version of the Allure, or on a slightly simpler Active with a powerful power unit. Otherwise, the Pyzh is packed with everything you need for life, and it’s also very spacious - albeit a bit rustic.
Chevrolet Cruze 1.8AT-LT
Chevrolet Cruze HB5
After restyling, Cruz was not only ennobled internally, but also cheaper - this is one of the few models on the market, the price tag of which only gets softer over the years. In the case of the “crusader”, we consider it necessary to add to the tempting price list of 735 thousand another twenty - for the stabilization system and alloy wheels. But even these options make it possible to buy a more high-status sedan instead of a practical hatchback - four-doors are 10 thousand more expensive. As for the motor, the top 140-horsepower unit is far from the driver’s dream. However, this can be said about all the participants in our top ten.
Ford Focus 2.0AT-Titanium
focus
Ford discounts and special offers work without days off, holidays and holidays. True, all this tempting generosity is accompanied by a steady increase in prices, which still threw the popular model from the top of our chart. Now, for 800 thousand, you can’t buy a 2-liter Titanium car anymore - however, Trend Sport is also packed well, and the starting price of 778, 500 rubles leaves some room for imagination. You can, for example, buy a sedan or even a station wagon instead of a hatchback, but with a more modest engine. Or exchange horsepower for an option - the Focus buyer also has such an opportunity.
Peugeot-308-1.6AT-Allure
308
A slight increase in price did not turn us away from the fine French hatchback. The Allure package with a 120-horsepower Prince series engine (like the German-British Mini) and an older, but very diligent 4-speed “automatic” is still one of the most generous offers on the market. And in fact: where else can you find a car with all conceivable options, including a panoramic roof - and just for 769 thousand? In fairness, we note that this option, which is not typical for the mass segment, even suits this machine very much - in any case, I don’t want to go back from under the glass.
Intermodel
octavia
In our top, there would certainly be a place for the new Octavia - the golf-class Skoda in quality came as close as possible to a more eminent relative, and the car looks very solid in the new body. It is only a pity that we are not able to evaluate the rationality of such a purchase: prices are not yet known. But as soon as the price is published, it would be logical to expect the appearance of special offers on the car of the outgoing generation. By the way, now you can get a discount on almost any member of our top: dealers are still selling last year’s cars.
2012 sales
1. Ford Focus 92, 219
2. Chevrolet Cruze 63, 181 pcs.
3. "Opel Astra" 52, 330 pcs.
4. Ford Mondeo 15, 003 pcs.
5. Volkswagen Golf 13, 891
6. "Peugeot-308" 13 252 pcs.
7. Citroen-C4 13, 218 pcs.
8. "Kia-Sid" 11 861 pcs.
