Hi All, apologies for the delay in this as some will know i was moving home yesterday, and getting the car the same day! so my review is only for the first day!
- More will follow!
Well, we went to the new house at 07:00 and were doing an inventory when at 07:45 i got a random mobile phone call, and a guy with an incredibly thick Newcastle accent said "I've got your car here"!! Wow, that was early!.... So off I go in the punto, a nice 3 miles to my work place! No traffic and rahhhhh there she is!!
Ok... here's where the detailers and general new car lovers cringe, the lovely but really dirty deliver driver was using an old rag to give her a last clean up, as well... The guy left up near Newcastle at 01:15am to get to me that early! kudos to him for the effort!
I got a good look around the car, and apart from dust it was in good condition. I have however noticed that the under door sill (on both sides) has mottled feeling paintwork, is that normal? (Will upload proper pictures when i unpack my camera!)
The rest of the car was perfect. A quick tour, and I seemed to know about it then him, so no issues
So, I spent 5 minutes acquainting myself, and putting the SD card with music in it. Set up the radio and music in minutes. So so easy!
And off I went.
Firstly, I've not had a car this powerful for a while, i am amazed. So powerful, the torque is immense! It pulls effortlessly. I gave it a little throttle (ok a lot) and a little buzzing noise appeared up by the mirror. Not heard that noise since, so bearing in mind it had only done 20 miles.... I'll let it off
The first 2 gears are a little notchy, but I'm sure they will loosen.
I did manage to stall it a couple of times, due to getting used to it, however the auto-start stop really does help make me feel less of a pratt! As it just kicks back to life and off i go.
The Car did about 15 800m car trips fully loaded with house stuff! - Squeal you might, but the boot is huge!, the flat loading and high roof meant i could fit a huge amount in. I have a pretty bad back, but no issues with the car.
The seats are perfect in every way. Just enough support, and my initial feeling is i would have no problems on a 5+ hour drive in this car.
For me, the steering wheel initially felt really tiny!! But in a good way!, once i got used to it, the benefit of it being smaller and lighter makes it much better. (Than my previous cars).
The steering is spot on, very reactive, light at slow speeds, and comfortable at higher speeds. I have continentals fitted, and they really seem to stick like glue.
Those alloys! wow! The first thing you notice, especially against the pure white, is those alloys! They look so beautiful.
I need to read the manual to learn up on the ACC (Cruise Control), as I've not figured that out yet! Going to do that shortly before i head to Chichester for a nice 40m round trip!
As I've done such short trips the MPG is at 25... but will update later on a longer trip!
So, last night, we got in the car and notice the lights!! (The car resembles a space ship!) - not too overbearing, and just right. From the lower door sill strips, the upper door strip, handle light, puddle lights etc. It looks and feels classy.
I love the tartan! The pictures do not do it justice.
I got what looks like an iPhone cable in the box in front of the gear stick, but I don't own anything apple, so need to figure out what to get for androids... (SGS3 in my case).
Also the spare key did not come with a GTD metal bit, so I'll chase on that one.
The parking sensors look great when turning the wheel, as the on board screen bends the view lines! funky party tricks! of which this car has many!.
Anyway, will do the trip today and go and get some car wash gear and my Karcher, and give it a good clean later / tomorrow.
I'm overwhelmed, impressed and have a huge smile on my face. What a car. beaten my expectations by a long way. And they where damn high expectations!
Please bear in mind that i cam from a 1.2 punto and a 14 year old rover 250 the missus has. So, not hard to beat, but i have owned new cars, and the thought gone into this is incredible.
I promise to upload many more pictures once I have my DSLR unpacked, or will use the phone later if I get time.
If there is anything specific you would like to know, or see a picture / video off, please let me know
I have a work trip to the Amex on Monday/Tuesday, so might get some stadium pictures if I have time
