Faults:

Nothing aside from a front left brake pad which had worn down - replacing it was a very cheap job and the brakes are back to normal again!

General Comments:

Coming from a 4 cylinder 1.1, I must say I am pretty impressed. The interior space is excellent for its class and it offers plenty of room for 4 adult passengers (5 could be possible?)!

It goes without saying that a 74hp car will hardly move like a mini-Evo, however the 1.1 3cyl is actually rather pleasant to drive! Much more character compared to other alternatives, sounds decent at high-ish revs and loves to explore the upper range of the rev gauge. Motorway trips are fine in this car, albeit slightly noisy, however keeping up with fast moving traffic in urban areas can be a challenge without glueing your right foot to the floor. Pre service I was getting just under 40mpg (which I find pretty good), however post service (the mechanic has used 5w-40 oil -- thicker, probably better suited to the colder months we are now facing) which has lead to a massive drop in average consumption (21-22mpg). For a 1.1, fuel economy wise, I am pretty unimpressed. If I had one complaint about the car, it would be the economy. Having said that, economy does appear to be improving the more I drive it with the new oil. Let's hope I can push it back into the 40s. Overall, decent fun and very practical!

Faults:

Suspension ball joint required replacement

CVT whining leading to power loss and heading toward transmission failure according to the qualified mechanic who eventually took it off our hands.

General Comments:

It was a nice small vehicle in many respects. Allowed for use of the back via folding seats, almost a station wagon. Good performance generally for a small car.

The CVT is not recommended. Even while the fluid remains pink and looks healthy, based on our experience, if you have any weight in the vehicle and drive it hard, it is likely to overheat the gearbox and bearings will begin to fail. This causes the whining to begin. It was an unfortunate vehicle for us, losing us a significant amount of money in the resale.

While I can't evidence this, my personal opinion is that the CVT gearbox is not really mated well to the turbo engine and can't really handle being pushed. They don't like heat. It is possible if you do regular fluid changes and don't put it under strain, that it will be OK. However it makes less sense to give a car aggressive styling, a performance engine, and then mate it to a gearbox that isn't really up to task.

Gearbox fluid was changed during ownership several times.

Shame because I really wanted to like this car. Get the manual version because the engine is strong.

Faults:

Nothing, just wear and tear - tyres and wiper blades!

General Comments:

Positives:

+ Fantastic economy. We average approx 60 mpg, 50% town/50% motorway. When I drive carefully, I get 70 mpg.

+ Build quality - interior and exterior feel solid and very well put together.

+ High seating position very comfortable, even for a 6 footer like me.

+ Very pleasant, roomy driving environment with well layed out instrumentation.

+ Plenty of legroom in the back for adults.

+ Nice features like steering wheel stereo controls.

+ Engine actually has some grunt if you work it and keep within the power bands. Overtaking on an A-road is perfectly do-able, but that's not really what this car is about.

Negatives:

- Handling is nothing special (compared to say a Focus), but completely acceptable for a small family car.

- Very small boot, but I think the rear seats fold flat (not tried it yet).