22000 miles down the road with my basic 1.6 manual petrol Comfort model with 15” wheels.

What’s bad: Bland design (although many cars of this type, such as Focus, Golf and even most BMWs suffer in the same way), dull cabin, noisy over 3000 revs, poor hill climbing (change down early), firm ride (avoid large wheels), blue display details hard to read in bright sunlight, Battery failed after 21000 miles/2 years & 8 months – replacement £113!

What’s good: Excellent touches such as double-lidded armrest between the front seats with a small picnic table under the top lid and, below that, a capacious locker for camera, mobile phones etc. with a connection for i-Pods (USB cable supplied). The ashtray is illuminated (there’s posh!). Another nice touch is a parking or credit card holder just inside the lockable glove box. The latter can be cooled but there is a thoughtful warning that condensation might “spoil your pieces of paper”. More touches include toggle switches in place of knobs or levers for the air controls and a very useful overhead sunglasses holder.

The seats are comfortable for four but, although there are belts for 3 in the back, the centre seat is more like a soft-padded triple-width armrest or picnic table. 6 airbags are supplied. There are storage nets in the backs of the front seats. The steering wheel is adjustable both ways but with not quite enough reach for me. The ignition key is on the column and may rub against the right knee. The original radio was replaced under guarantee and the sound quality is now very good, although there is no special CD storage.

The boot (“luggage room”) is illuminated, a bit small for the size of the car but well fitted, with a removable net strung between four anchor points and two shopping bag hooks. There is an internal release on the lid, should one get shut in there by mistake (these Koreans think of everything…) The spare wheel is of the emergency type and the tools are housed in a moulding designed to stop them rattling. Wheels are alloy, with the nuisance of locking nuts but spare ordinary nuts are supplied.

One consequence of the firm suspension is that the car can be cornered with enthusiasm, tighter, faster and flatter than several sports cars I have owned. This is supplemented by ESP. Acceleration is fair though not sparkling. Top speed is 120, for those wishing to chance their arm and licence. The gear change is still a bit notchy. The four-wheel disc brakes seem powerful to me but I had never driven a car with four to date. I do mostly medium and long journeys, keep mostly to speed limits, use block changes wherever feasible, have the aircon more on than off (otherwise the front windows mist up) and mpg to date, according to the computer, is 43 (although I make it 39 )giving, if true, a useful range of nearly 500 miles. The exterior lights, which include front and rear fogs, are good. The warranty is for 5 years, unlimited mileage. 3 years RAC cover was included.

The only disappointment is a cheap-looking, after-market rear sensor set (it seems they can’t be factory-fitted with this model) and its feeble speaker, which quickly fell off its mounting.

There is otherwise an impression of quality. The car is
Surprising fun to drive and amazingly well equipped, although one mean touch is the standard provision of only one remote key. The cars were in short supply at the time and online discounters were offering little to nothing off. I was please to get an effective discount of about 8%, with the best price I expected on trade-in and the balance at 0% over three years. I paid another £130 for GAP insurance for 5 years and £10,000 of cover.

This is my 26th vehicle to date - so hard to find a car one really likes - but I may well keep it for a while longer.