I'm feeling a bit more bold as a result of a couple of less harsh comments the other day so I thought I'd poke my head out from the relative safety of obscurity and give my thoughts on my 120d now that I've done nearly 10k miles in it.

I know that many people hate the look and I confess at certain angles I'm still not sure but overall it is ok - its certainly is a bit different.

However as a driving experience the car just gets better and better as the engine loosens up giving better performance along with better economy. I'm now averaging just under 40MPG (28/29 in my old 1.8T Golf) in mixed driving conditions from the trip computer and this rises into the 40's if I do significant motorway mileage. Others will probably do better than this as I consider myself pretty heavy footed.

The engine is an absolute stonker and is starting pull strongly from even lower down now in 3,4 and 5 . I'm finding that I am block changing on a regular basis now from 4th to 6th when entering the motorway and coming up to speed. Even in 6th the engine is incredibly powerful and responsive - it can be quite dangerous because it exceeds motorway limits at such low revs and with the quietness of the engine and lack of wind noise I sometimes find myself cruising faster than I should.
Having only driven petrol before I sometimes find the power of the diesel on tick-over almost too much as it will push along in 1st too fast without any need for the right foot when in queues.
On start up there is a bit of clatter but after that it is very good, although I confess to sometimes missing the revving of a petrol engine and an exhaust note because it is so quiet.

Handling (I'm starting to smile) now the warmer weather is here has been absolutely fantastic, empty roundabouts are a particular joy when driven properly and you feel the rear squat down when the torque of the engine comes in when accelerating away. I mention the warmer weather because I was not sure about the run-flats during the colder months, but that may have also been because they were slightly under pressure and a few extra pounds seems to have made a big difference to both the grip and feel. These tyres run at much higher pressures than any of my previous cars .(If I'm honest I think the car would be EVEN better on standard rubber). I wish HJ had done his review before I ordered the car as I fully endorse going for the SE spec rather than the Sport as in retrospect the Sport is too hard and will get thrown if it hits a bump mid-corner.

Inside it has been fine with no squeaks or rattles at all, the seating postion is spot on and incredibly comfortable, the seats adjust in almost every conceivable direction and for some reason have electric bolster adjustment. I'm not sure if the Climate Control is a little weak or if it needs a gas top up/check. One touch I like is the Aux socket in the Armrest into the audio unit meaning I can use my pocket pcphone either to play MP3s or as a handsfree for the phone.

Before anyone says it I know there is not as much room as a Golf or a Focus, but that was not as important to me, although the rear seats fold down very easily and create a very useful load space and my two kids climb in quite happily - worryingly SWMBO seems to be running low on petrol in her car a bit too often ! When I ordered the car the Golf GTI was not available and for some reason I took a dislike to the A3 FSI and TDi - it reminded me of my Golf even if it handled better.

I know that the car has come in for a fair amount of abuse on here in the past, but bearing in mind this was a company car, not a private purchase I am very pleased with it especially as it is Euro 4 and in a low Benefit in Kind Tax Group.

Sorry if I have gone on a bit.

P
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Since there are not enough buses to use them, some bus lanes in Sunderland have been converted to the new-fangled no car lanes.
My question is, what is not a car?
I might add at this stage that in our wonderful, new labour, anti-car city, the buses, which are massive smoke-belching planet destroyers are consistently empty, whilst our highly fuel-efficient city cars probably cleanse the air that passes briefly through their high tech engines as they slip silently through the city. Read more

I am looking at fitting a detachable towbar to my Fiesta 1.25. Does anyone know of a manufacturer that can supply one? I got a quote from Ford of around £400 unfitted and another make (Brink) had over a 6 week wait for one.
Also does anyone know where I can find the maximum tow weight for the car? I have looked in the handbook which directs you to the VIN plate but gives no explanation of the codes used on it.

Any help would be much appreciated

Colin
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I'm posting this really in my role as BR member rather than moderator.

I enjoy reading about some of the issues raised here, and am keen to find out how the OP resolved them.

Many members come back and post updates to their issues about how they solved problems. However, for various reasons, some have not. I don't see it as compulsary for everyone to do this, indeed there are many reasons why people may not feel comfortable in updating the rest of us. I for one wouldn't want to pry.

However, if the outcome is of interest to the BR (whether successful or not), and you have no reluctance to do this, please could you consider taking a few minutes to let us know how you did. Not only is it of interest to see how the BR has helped people, but others here may have similar issues, where the outcomes may be read across.

Hugo Read more

I've my Citroen C3 1.4SX for just over a month, and thought that i would post some feedback on it.

It's 54 reg.

I love:

The high seating position
The nice big buttons
The intuitive controls
The looks

I like:

The boot, which is fairly big given the size of the car
The fuel economy, which at 37mpg around town is OK. A diesel C3 would have been at least £1,000 more expensive.

I'm less pleased with:

The gearstick, which is too low
The fact that you select settings e.g. black panel with lights on and it resets itself.

All in all, it's a competant car with a bit of character and does the job i want to.

The only real negative is the dealer, they really did make the deal unnecessarily traumatic. No names and all that, but next time i shall seriously be thinking about buying through a broker or some other means rather than letting those people anywhere near my money.

That's all. Thanks Read more