Faults:

I had the car in at the local Ford Dealer for a major service, just before Christmas, the car came back with a clean bill of health and it's first MOT, but I noticed that they're left me a gift of a punctured rear wheel.

With no redress with the dealer, I decided to replace both rear tyres.

A little over two weeks later and the car then developed a starting problem. I'm not mechanically challenged, so tried to trace the fault, concluding that it must be with the engine management and would need to go back to the dealer.

The car was returned, and I was charged for a diagnostic, but no fault was found.

The same problem then happened intermittently for nearly another three months, with the car back and forth for further diagnostic checks and investigative work.

Eventually I lost patience and involved Ford Customer Relations, demanding that the car be examined (under warranty I might add).

The car went back in again and the 'senior' technician found that the engine management flash update had not be performed. 15 minutes of work and all was sorted.

I was happy in one respect, then furious, as I was handed another bill for the work. Thankfully, Ford Customer Relations stepped in and covered the bill with the dealer.

Since then, no other faults (fingers crossed) other than a 'gremlin' with the speedometer (electronic), which I fixed myself with WD40 (I'd rather fix it myself).

General Comments:

My overall experience is still impressed; certainly in terms of the ride quality and driving enjoyment from what is thought by most to be a 'budget' option for motoring.

The leather seats are comfortable, but do pose a small problem with trying to fold and open up the load space of the hatch. Perhaps a better solution for the rear headrests is needed?

Fit and finish is excellent, certainly when thinking back to older Ford models. Nicely trimmed and with a quality of finish that hasn't scratched or faded.

Performance is modest, with the 1.4 Ford "Duratec" trying hard, but never really seeming to come to the boil. There's a lack of any real urgency, just a change in engine note, to a harsher pitch, but certainly a lack of 'fizz'.

The chassis is superb, and I have to say very forgiving and progressive. I've thrown many cars along country roads, and I love the response from, what feels like a very 'square' and direct wheelbase.

Initial turn-in is a little light, but then the power steering is going to be 'budget', so I can't complain.

Faults:

Leather on the steering wheel wore away after 2 years.

Silver part of the gear knob fell off.

Air con packed up (wiring fault).

Exhaust snapped at the back box.

Front offside coil spring snapped.

General Comments:

I found the car to be very economic with its 1.4 TDCi engine returning approx 60 MPG.

Road fund license was cheap at £35 per annum, due to being in band B (120 G/KM)

I had the car for nearly two years, covering over 40,000 miles, but found the comfort spoilt due to no footrest to the left of the clutch pedal, causing me to gain a bad knee over a period of time.

The seats are not very comfortable with the driving position being very high.

Performance was very good for a 1.4, only revving at 2500RPM at 70MPH.

If you are after a very cheap to run car with Alloys, A/C and good performance, and can live with the leg room, then this could be ideal.

Faults:

Slight blow on exhaust.

That's it!

General Comments:

Seems to be a seriously reliable little car. Only had it for 4 months, but in that time no problems whatsoever with the exception of wear and tear.

It's only a 1300 8-valve petrol so it doesn't exactly set the road on fire when you floor the accelerator, but it's adequate enough for me. The car is reasonably nippy around town, but struggles to accelerate at speeds over 60mph, especially with more than one passenger. This isn't really a detrimental comment however - it will still be perfectly acceptable to most and the remuneration can be seen in the excellent fuel economy. It's reluctance to rev can frustrate a little, however.

The car's handling is excellent considering it is so diminutive. The car is glued to the road around corners and has magnificent front-end grip. The steering is light yet perfectly weighted with the right amount of feedback. Ride quality is also good, thought a bit firm around town.

It's quite a comfortable car even on long journeys, though there is a lot of wind and road noise at higher speeds. The Duratec engine can get coarse at about 4000 revs and never really sounds or feels smooth enough to be classed as refined.

Space-wise I can't really fault it that much. I am 6 feet and 1 inch tall and I can still fit in the back without any problems. Not the most spacious in the class, but certainly roomy for it's size. The boot is a little small, but the ergonomics are superb. Build quality is similarly impressive, especially if you've been driving a Fiat! One qualm - nowhere to rest your left foot whilst driving!

Insurance is very cheap for a 22-year old like me and this would make an excellent first car. More expensive to buy than equivalent Corsa, but who wants one of those?