We had a 57 plate Fiesta 1.4 TDCi thingy at work and a Zafira with the 1.9 "JTD" engine, among others and they spent about 85% of their time in an urban environment and both stood up to the abuse of multiple drivers quite well.
The Fiesta had a dull engine and 'box and inside was pretty drab but handled well enough and apart from the steering wheel losing its finish and the driver's seat wearing through the bolster, occupational hazard with our lot, would have been worth a punt at auction with 120,000 miles on the clock.
The Zafira too did pretty well apart from the bottom pulley shearing off one day, thankfully while idling.
The Fiesta was replaced with a previous model Hyundai i30 which although reliable with 52,000 miles under its belt and largely reliable is showing prematures signs of wear compared with the Fiesta with the steering wheel and driver's seat both going the way of the Fiesta but at considerably lower mileage. The gearchange also feels as if any bushing in the linkage has worn away and it feels generally tired.
The new Zafira is still good at only 9,500 miles apart from a really annoying buzz from the dashboard at about 1,800 rpm which on a diesel really is annoying as it's the start of peak torque. Signs of corner cutting are in evidence there though as there is no Traction Control which is a bit of a disaster when pulling off in even slightly damp conditions, some of the switchgear fells cheaper than on the old one and the design hasn't really moved on in over 10 years.
I use the above examples of how a dull car can be successful and one that has hardly changed in over a decade can also sell well. To me that perhaps says more about the UK car buyer than it does about the cars.
I quite like the newer Fiestas but I've got to be honest, I really liked the Grande Punto when it first appeared and the dashboard was elegantly simple and, to my eyes, didn't need changing, nor did the exterior styling.
If I could find one I'd have a Grande with the original styling and dashboard but with the multiair under the bonnet. Somehow I don't think that's going to happen