I've now covered about 500 miles and don't like the Cactus at all.

1. The auto gearchange is of the 'Nodding dog' type, just as when a learner changes gear, with dead spells between jerky changes, not at all like my previous three automatics (Vauxhall, VW and BMW) which had a smooth and continuous progression from ratio from ratio.

2. It changes gear and dies most disconcertingly at inappropriate points e.g. when accelerating out of a roundabout or coming out of a bend. It feels just like a flat spot on a carburettor engine. I know it doesn't have a carburettor.

3. When pulling away quickly onto a busy road the 'clutch' judders annoyingly.

4. The floor seatbelt attachment is too far back and under the moveable armrest making it an irritating fiddle to insert the belt clip.

5. When the driver's window is opened any water on the roof runs straight into the car and onto the armrest and my arm and knee.

6. There is a constant fairly loud whirring/rumbling noise in the cabin at anything above 35mph which sounds like a noisy wheel bearing or cooling fans, which it probably isn't, neither is it road/tyre noise as it doesn't vary with the road surface or speed. I wonder if it has had some serious accident damage. It was very tedious on my recent 120 mile motorway journey and may be engine/transmission noise due to poor sound insulation since when hitting standing water I can clearly hear it spraying the underfloor pan as if it was bare steel and there was no interior carpet at all. I have never had this on any other vehicle.

7. Because the washer water on the nearside doesn't reach the end of the nearside wiper blade the wiper only clears the lower half of it's sweep.

8. The steering wheel is not adjustable for reach which makes the driving position uncomfortable and unrelaxing.

9. Having the trendy touchscreen instead of knobs and switches is merely bling for poseurs, a distraction, and a backward step. For example, when needing to change a setting or function it can take a couple of tries to get the desired screen since when about to press the screen it only takes a small bump in the road and one's finger misses the intended touch point.

10. The steering is bland and with little feel.

11. Bizarrely the driver's sunshield has a mirror but the passenger's doesn't. Maybe a vain Frenchman would get away with that with his wife but his mistress wouldn't be happy with no mirror when trying to lipstick her pout.

I've had very many cars from new Fords, Renaults, and Jaguars to classic 1960's MGB's to Rallycross and Hillclimb Minis to old bangers but none as unpleasant or unrelaxing to drive as the Cactus, which is clearly focused on styling and trendy technology rather than functionality.