Faults:

Nothing under the bonnet.

Body work around the rear arches is bubbling and starting to rust. Windscreen offside pillar is starting to rust.

General Comments:

Quite fast for a 1.3.

The most reliable car I have owned.

Seats are adequately comfortable on long distance journeys. Did a return trip from Edinburgh to London no problems.

Fuel consumption a bit high for a 1.3.

Steering seems very light.

Faults:

Needed a new exhaust and cat, but would have needed that regardless.

New lambda sensor fitted about 100,000 miles; cured all the flat spots and hesitancy.

New discs and pads fitted due to warping, but again nothing unusual in that.

General Comments:

Very lethargic for a 1.5 engine, very reluctant to rev. The 1.4 K series in the Rover was far more pleasant to use, and more economical. The Mazda engine is a bit more refined though.

I find the steering to be a little too sharp, they could have put a steering damper on it. Very short gearing too, 60mph is above 3000rpm, so between that and the flighty steering, it's a horrible car on the motorway.

Seats are reasonably good, but the suspension is a bit hard and the ride is choppy about town.

Very poor rust protection underneath. Front and rear subframes nearly eaten alive with rust, had to Hammerite them and all the chassis members, then sprayed underseal on top. That made the car quieter to sit in, and has kept the rust back a bit, but it should have been better protected in the factory.

Door bottoms and rear arches are bubbling too. That's my only major gripe with the car to be honest.

Faults:

ABS light comes on sporadically for no apparent reason, but usually goes off again after a few minutes.

Front tyres wear quickly.

General Comments:

This is not a high performance car, but it's not meant to be. That's not to say it isn't powerful enough though.

It is completely reliable & very economical. It drives as well today as it did when I bought it 5 years ago.

The interior is a little boring, but adequate & comfortable enough for long journeys to mainland Europe from the UK.

Service items are a little more expensive than mainstream brands, but not extortionate.

Would I buy another one? Yes!

Faults:

Intermittent knocking noise when changing up through the gears. Despite 3 visits to the dealer the problem still exists.

Excessive wear on the front tyres. I was advised by the dealer that this is common with low profile tyres.

General Comments:

The new shape is not as sporty looking as its predecessor, but it still looks good on the road.

Surprisingly nippy for 1.3.