I only know of one person who had one for a few days as a rent-a-car and hated the 1.6 petrol.

They used it around the countryside and said it was gutless trying to get up any sort of incline.

Is it the same 1.6 they are putting in the Dacia Duster for £8995?

Their other complaint about the joke was the lack of interior space, despite giving the impression of a big car on the outside.

Personally-speaking a rather inaccurate subject: the Juke is not exactly "nice" looking both inside and out, and (has been said) not exactly "little" - it appears to make poor use of the space (likely due to all the weird angled lines of the car). I think it'll be a short-lived fashion item for young women who can't afford Mini Coopers or Audi A1s, which will end abruptly shen they find out in 2 or 3 years' time that residuals will start to rapidly fall once most people see that they're ugly little beasts.

You either love or loathe the looks of the Juke, rather like the Range Rover Evoque. If a car is going to look controversial, it should at least make up for it by being roomy and practical, and it sounds as if the Juke falls a little short. It's a pity that the new A-class isn't a direct replacement for the old one.

Others you could look at for Happy Pink -

Old-shape A-class, if she's happy with hers (there must be plenty of nearly-new ones around)

Ford B-Max (you'd have to buy new but if she likes the S-Max she'll like this)

Honda Jazz (practical although she may not fancy the image)

Skoda Fabia estate

Renault Clio ST

SEAT Ibiza ST

"With few exceptions, nothing this small outside has the same high driving position (you slide your bottom onto the driver's seat, not drop down onto it)."

That's the gap in the market that the A-class has vacated - I agree entirely that Mercedes has missed a trick, as the B-class is considerably bigger and less nippy (correction, not nippy at all). The Juke (use of space not nearly as good as the A-class) and the B-Max (needs a 6th gear) try to fill the gap but could do better. Did I hear a rumour of a FWD BMW based on the 1-series aiming for this market? And there's a Peugeot 2008 on the way which may be worth a look if they can build it properly.

As one gets older the driving position becomes more of an issue. We need a few more players in the slide-your-bottom-in market.