First Impressions:
- It is very well equipt (I guess due to being an American sourced car) even for a base model.
- The ride seems fine to me, but keep in mind I'm used to driving SUV and 4wd.
- It's surprisingly nippy for such a small engine in an SUV. It doesn't seem quick, but gets up to speed surprisingly fast. The ride is surprisingly quiet, with little road or engine noise.
- The headlight controls are confusing and in a weird location, low on the dash, basically hidden by the steering wheel. I guess you're expected to just leave it on auto, because you wouldn't want to be fumbling for it whilst driving.
- I guess another NA thing, it comes with remote start.
- It has satnav built in, but no info on how to update the maps.
- This would be classed as a small/medium SUV, so its quite narrow. Not sure you'd get 3 Americans across the rear bench. The rear centre position is uncomfortable. However there is good legroom front and back, and the cargo area is very spacious.
- The front seats have a rounded squab, which means for a big adult there is a lack of support under the outside of your thighs, and t rest the outside leg tends to flop outwards. (A person with a smaller bum would presumably sit further back in the chair.)
- The Baser models are only FWD. This is very much a city car, and not even a soft-roader IMO.
- We went for a diesel. It requires Ad-Blue, the first I have seen in a car. Supposedly even the petrol versions are very economical.
- One thing I'm finding disappointing at the moment is the confusing terminology and apparent lack of adaptive cruise. It has "Forward Collision Alert with Head-Up Warning", "Autonomous Emergency Braking (low-speed)", and "Following Distance Indicator", but none of that seems to stop you running into the back of somebody. I really can't see the point of the "indicator". If your eyes can't tell you that you're too damn close, then a little colour-changing icon isn't going to help.
- Similarly the "Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist" just doesn't seem to work.
As with any car, there is a huge disparity in the attitude and approach of dealers. Some predictably try the same old BS "oh the cars are very rare now so the price is going up"
. I found Metro Motors had priced theirs' keenly and were very good to deal with.
This seems to be a good car, without being great, and there are currently some decent prices around.