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Thought I would come back with an update, as folk here were kind enough to provide advice... which in the great male tradition I prevaricated over for months, and then completely ignored.
Having re-considered my needs and budget, I viewed and drove the following, in petrol form:
1. Ford Focus
2. Volvo V40
3. Skoda Octavia
4. Honda Civic
5. Volkswagen Golf
The Ford was a nice drive, but I wasn't a fan of the cabin design and both the rear quarters and boot seemed disappointingly small relative to the external dimensions. There was very little legroom behind the drivers seat when set for my 6'4" height.
The Volvo had a beautiful cockpit - the best of the bunch - and probably the most comfortable front seats, long term. Unfortunately the rear quarters were not only cramped but claustrophobic thanks to the swooping window line, and access to the rear seats would have been cumbersome for my ageing parents.
The Skoda won on space and accessibility. I looked at it before the Golf, and whilst I knew Skoda had come along in leaps and bounds in terms of perceived quality, it exceeded my expectations nonetheless. Basically, 90% of Golf quality (real or perceived) for 85% of the cost: and bigger, too.
On the debit side, my local Skoda dealer seemed to be suffering from their success. They have outgrown their premises, and particularly their customer car parking facilities. I was advised to visit on a Saturday afternoon when the local estate roads would be free of employee parking. The intending customer experience generally wasn't great.
The Honda dealer I was familiar with through servicing my Accord: a very relaxed, professional, personal service. I was given the keys to a Civic 1.8 Tourer and told 'see you later' with no time pressure.
I enjoyed the Civic, although I thought both the adjustable dampers and 'Econ' button had no discernable impact on the driving experience. The digital dashboard is very 'Marmite', but I could live with it.
The thing is, I neither needed nor really wanted an estate. But the Civic hatch - familiar theme - has cramped and claustrophobic rear quarters, although this time allied to a large boot. The Tourer has a vast capacity - wardrobe-sized - but I carry people more frequently than wardbrobes, and overall I was left with the feeling a higher proportion of the internal dimensions could have been applied to the rear bench and legroom.
Whilst I felt some brand loyalty to Honda, the non-turbo 1.8 VTEC engine is now quite old-tech with all the pros and cons that implies: ie well-proven and extremely reliable, but relatively dirty (149g CO2) and not very efficient in the real world, due to the need to rev it quite hard to make progress on A-roads.
More generally, when I look at Honda's shrunken range of slightly strange-shaped vehicles, I wonder who they think they are marketing to. Their older clientele (the majority, in my part of the world) must be rather bemused by the showroom full of Type R's, ordinary Civics with Star Trek dashboards and that Nissan Juke look-alike. I suppose they still have the Jazz for people who want a 'normal' car.
After all that... I ended up buying a Golf 1.4 TSI GT (manual). Five months and 2000 miles later, the special-ness of the interior and smoothness of the drive still bring a smile to my face, which the solid but dull Accord never did.
My local dealer was quite impressive, with none of the arrogance sometimes reported of VW franchises. The handover, in particular, was thorough and unhurried. They matched the best quote I obtained from Car Wow, and gave me a decent PX figure on the 2004 Accord which - frankly - was looking rather sad due to flaking alloys x4.
Mum and Dad like the relative ease of access ('better than your old car') and also the quality of the ride ('less crashy than your Honda'). The shape of the Golf really suits my needs: quite compact externally, but with a boxy and practical interior. The driving position is great, and the seat really comfy: it's a personal preference, but I love the Alcantara trim in GT spec, too.
I'm getting 40 mpg on mixed driving, and nudging 50 mpg on 6th gear motorway cruises. It spends a lot of time running on two cylinders, as my driving style is relaxed. I've never looked at the official figures as fuel economy was never my primary concern, but in the historical context of motoring, 40-50 mpg sounds good for a 150 bhp petrol motor.
Overall it's very polished, and whilst it's early days, if I won the lottery I might consider trading-up to a GTi or R.
However, I've hedged my bets with an extended warranty....
Negatives? I have a plastic squeak from the front passenger seat area, which is intermittent and I've not been able to pinpoint so far. The dealer can have a look in due course. Also, the digital radio doesn't like the countryside or tall buildings: it's pretty hopeless. The adjustable dampers and xenon headlights were good options to tick, but the big screen sat nav is difficult to justify, for the price.
And finally, the Electronic Parking Brake....
Hmm...
It works well, but I still get nervous on hill starts. Will it release too early and cause roll-back, or fail to release at all, at a tricky spot in traffic? I am one of lifes worriers, but put it this way: if I lived in Lynton, I would have bought the Skoda or Honda instead.
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