I had my test drive this morning, and was impressed.
The sales guy let me follow my own route, and was prepared to go out for 50 minutes, which is the longest such drive I've ever been offered.
The car was blue , which I thought looked rather dull, but it was a grey day.
Anyway, imo the pros were;-
- very comfortable and efficient driving position;great seats, and v good visibility (but didn't try reversing).
- excellent controls; steering, gear change, clutch and braking all had a really good feel to them.
- the pick-up from low revs was better than I'd expected and would certainly be adequate for my own driving style.
- the car is beautifully balanced and corners with tremendous poise:
also, the suspension offers a better ride over poor surfaces than I'd expected, and road noise is not excessive.
And the cons ;-
- the engine/exhaust sounds are not fantastic (but didn't annoy me).
- yes, some of the cabin trim is a bit naff, particularly that centre console.
So, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the drive and found that the driving satisfaction factor outweighed any concerns re. power, or trim quality. It is the kind of car which will reward any effort made to drive it well, and I've decided that it will be my next car.
But when, I don't know, as my current is less than a year old.....