Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I went and bought this car after my Peugeot 306 D Turbo finally decided to finally pack up.

I couldn't believe the torque the car had on the test drive and ordered on that day.

The interior is very comfy and rather quite "swish". The dials light up red which I feel is a nice touch. There have been reviews of the interior build quality, but I have not heard a rattle in 18k miles and 14 months of ownership.

The performance is where this car does the talking. I bought the 100bhp version mainly because of cost and have found it to be quite quick. But I soon got a little bored and took it for a remapped ecu, the new power is unbelievable and is now pushing about 140bhp with a lot more torque which gives my cousins BMW 530i a run for it's money. 0 -60 in just over 7 seconds. Not bad for £200.

Basically if you want a car that is reliable, quick, fun to drive and a lot cheaper than it's VW cousin then this is the car for you. It is affordable in both running costs (average 48mpg) and tunablilty.

Faults:

There are a few squeaks and rattles in the cabin.

The paintwork appears to scratch quite easily.

Also, the cabin/dashboard plastics mark quite easily.

First to second gear change is not always that smooth.

General Comments:

The car offers lively acceleration, cruises well on the motorway, and appears to handle well with little body-roll.

I have achieved an average of 50 mpg over about 7,000 miles in 9 months of motoring. The furthest I have travelled between fill-ups is 502 miles (driving like Gordon McIver).

Its looks are quite appealing, with the face-lifted front-end bumper and surround.

The cabin is quite comfortable and I find the seat and steering wheel controls adjust to my requirements well.

I waited for about a year to get my hands on this exact model, and I'm quite pleased, but I do have some criticisms...

- The ride is harsh and 'crashy' due I suppose to the 17" 40% low-profile tyres, although I've read that the entry-level Ibizas ride the bumps none too well either.

- The car appears to enjoy steering itself along depressions in the road/motorway caused by HGVs, poor road repairs, and apparently whenever there is a heavy camber in the road. Tyres to blame again I think.

- Road noise can be intrusive on certain surfaces.

- First gear is too low - maximum revs in first gear reached at about 20 mph! Second gear is too low as well.

- The engine appears to operate in two modes: 'SDI' mode at low revs (lethargic) and 'TDI' mode above say 1800/2000 revs. This can be a problem for standing starts.

- This model has the 'BLT' engine, and suffers from a certain stuttering of performance when lifting the throttle and then reapplying it.

- The trip computer often records fuel consumption at around 70+ mpg, but I contend this is inaccurate.