2 1.9 TDI PD People Carrier

Bought it initially with reservations - now I wouldn't give it up.

I was a bit unsure of the car initially... I had planned on an Octavia but couldn't find a decent low mileage one in my budget. After reading overwhelmingly positive reviews from owners and test drives, I went ahead and purchased one with 55k on the clock. The window styling did take some adjusting, however it does grow on you and now I actually like the styling. With a £30 set of Heko wind deflectors, looks more classy.

The kids love sitting in it, with the rear seats set higher with the massive windows to allow them to see forward and out the side. Leg space is excellent both for front and rear seats, aside of course for the middle one which is more for infrequent use. Handling is excellent for its shape, though there was a marked improvement in road holding when i changed the Hero Milanza tires it had on at the time of purchase. Replaced with Uniroyal Rainexperts, which are great value for money and grip well.

I expected to average an mpg of 15% less than the claimed 53mpg, but so far I've gotten between 55 and 63mpg, in a mix of motorway and city driving. Last week in an hour-long drive each way I reached 68mpg, driving close to 80mph. the fuel economy from the 1900cc engine is stunning, although it takes a few miles to reach this, so it's not a car for short hops around town. Sound system is premium quality, and it has never failed to start immediately.

Took it to a VW garage for a full service, where the mechanics had nothing but praise for the car's combination of mechanical quality and internal space, especially at its low price point.

If I had to nitpick, I would say faults I have experienced with it are a rather large blind spot due to the rear pillars, underpowered headlights (unless you have the xenon ones) and a crunching in the gearbox if I don't give it half a second when shifting from 1st to 2nd. - this is apparently a regular occurrence on this car, which I have not attempted to solve yet as it only happens when trying to get a jump off the lights. Others have fixed it by simply replacing the gear oil, or failing that, the synchromesh on the second gear.

It's not going to compete with a Doblo, but then again it's not meant to. This is for a family with two children, who want car dynamics with the versatility of a van. I have carried a 190cm sofa in it, with the rear door closed properly.

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