• Summary

    5 out of 5 5.0

    What does this car say about you?

    That was not an option on the SE model.

    What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

    It looks good and is comfortable to ride in.

    Would you buy this car again and why?

    If it proves reliable and performs to expectations, yes.

    What are you likely to buy next?

    Ask me again in 5 years time.

  • Buying experience

    5 out of 5 5.0

    Type of dealer you bought from?

    Franchised

    Did you buy this car new?

    Yes

    What price did you pay?

    £10,350

    When did you buy the car?

    January 2016

    Did you get a good deal and why?

    I think so. The deal included mats; the spec was upgraded last year to include a spacesaver and I mistakenly thought I had negotiated that into the deal. Overall a 7% discount on the new price of this model in Sleek Silver; a £550 list price extra. Go for blue and this model could be bought for under £10000. I sold my old car to WBAC for £600 more than a trade in and then got Carwow to get me bids from Franchise dealers.

    Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

    I liked the positive reviews online from motoring journalists and especially owners. The lack of real complaints, especially about reliability. It seemed to fit our current motoring needs perfectly.

    What was the dealer like?

    I had a test drive then gave the salesman a printout of my 6 bids and 5 minutes later we shook hands on a deal. The car arrived 6 days later and I picked it up the following day. It was immaculately prepared and presented to me from under a dust cover in the show room. Half a tank of fuel was supplied without me asking and there was no pressure to buy extras although I chose to opt for the 3 year service plan which was several hundred pounds cheaper than the first three services bought individually. I was shown all of the controls without being hurried and a phone call followed three days later to check all was well. Excellent customer care so far.

  • Driving it

    5 out of 5 5.0

    What's it like to drive?

    The seats are comfortable and supportive and the car feels very secure and stable in it's road manners. The brakes; all discs, are surprisingly powerful for a small family car. It feels to be potentially as quick and free revving as our Mazda was as this car has identical power but lighter weight. The handling is not as good as the Mazda but is still safe and fun but the ride is much more comfortable. I Picked it up with only 5 miles on the odometer but a surprising 42 mpg average on the trip computer considering it must have been started from cold several times. As we reached 50 miles of semi urban driving, including 3 more cold starts the average consumption showed as 47mpg.

    What's it like to park?

    Very easy. Light steering, good visibility, tight turning circle, small external size.

  • Living with it

    5 out of 5 5.0

    Have you had any problems with the car?

    I have only owned it for a few days but all is well at the moment.

    What's most practical about your car?

    The use of space. It is the same size as our Citroen C2 but will sit 4 average sized adults comfortably and has the same boot capacity as our larger Mazda 2.

    Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

    The trip computer. My previous car an early model Mazda 2 TS2 did not have one.