Faults:

Early in ownership the clutch started to play up. Now on third clutch.

Since 14 thousand miles have continuously complained about poor paint finish and chipping, especially on the bonnet. Dealer still hasn't rectified or recognised this problem.

Drive shaft on near side has been replaced at 45 thousand miles.

Early leaking door seals into rear passenger compartment.

Snatching drive train at low speeds in second gear. (backlash)

Exhaust has just gone completely. This is a single pipe with one baffle box, and cost £192 from a fast fit garage.

The ECU caused my only breakdown, and was replaced under warranty, but I saw the cost at £470!

Brake slider pin rubbers are prone to perish. This makes the car pull to the side that is damaged.

General Comments:

Although the car is aesthetically pleasing, and in general performs well, I would hate to own one out of warranty.

The paint is my biggest gripe, it's very poor.

Running costs are very good, the car is easy to drive and park, and pretty nippy for the engine size.

Drivers seat height adjustment, is going to be sorely missed.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This was a hire car which we had in Spain for 6 days. It proved to be a good car it could take 3 peoples luggage.

Sluggish off the mark with or without 3 People and luggage. Struggled past 150 KM/H when fully loaded.

Comfy car seats not too bad a little cramped, but they were OK for 6 days worth.

The performance figures are 15.5 seconds to 62 MPH and max speed of 95 MPH.

Overall a good car.

Faults:

Car has generally been fine so far, however drivers door lock occasionally refuses to turn, passenger side woofer had a loose connection (seems to have resolved itself!) and a piece of foam bonnet insulation keeps falling off.

These are all little things that will get sorted in its next service.

General Comments:

I purchased my car from a neighbour a few weeks ago when it was about 18 months old. So far very impressed.

A very neat little package. My car came specified with metallic black paint, alloys and an uprated sony CD stereo. One strange thing is that it did not come with a boot light, this cost me an extra £8 from the dealers!

The car seems very solid and is well equipped. Looks very purposeful from the outside.

The interior is very smart with very nice sports seats. Even has a lumbar support on the drivers-side. Only some harsh shiny plastics on top of the dash let it down.

Has some very neat features like follow me home headlights and 1 minute delay on the electric windows, all very useful. The 6 speaker sound system also sounds very good.

Car drives very well, the engine is extremely perky for 60bhp, not fast, but enjoyably responsive. Is rare to get a car this size that will do 60mph in second gear! It also stop and steers well too. The dualdrive power steering is a brilliant idea, so much so I use it all the time.

Having owned two Fiat-based cars in previous years (Lancia Y10, Fiat Uno) and vowing never to own another, this car has totally changed my opinion of the Fiat brand. A very refreshing alternative to a new Corsa/Clio.

Faults:

Noisy "harmonic" clutch operation on gradients.

Headlamps out of alignment.

Ignition would turn, but engine would not fire – accompanied by ‘CANCHECK’ message displayed on radio display.

Heavy clutch judder.

Juddering wipers.

Power steering failed on one occasion. Restarting engine fixed the problem.

Passenger airbag or low fuel light would occasionally light up under braking.

Interior rattles.

Noisy brakes – had to be rebuilt twice.

Vibration through steering wheel when braking from high speeds.

Squeaking from rear suspension over poorly surfaced roads.

Creaking from rear suspension on gradients.

A complete lock set had to be purchased to replace a damaged door lock because individual locks are not available.

General Comments:

The spacious cabin has some of the best seats I have ever sat in.

The engine is quiet at motorway speeds and offers a decent performance/economy mix.

The optional radio/CD + 100W sub-woofer audio unit is the best in-car system I have experienced.

The steering is well-weighted and the city mode (extra light setting for parking) is very handy, but the handling looses grip easily and the ride is too firm.

The general fit and finish is appalling and long term durability is questionable.