I had the chance today to give this a proper run out.
Journey, Doncaster-Hemel
First thing I noticed is that its amazingly quiet. Even if you spin it around to 5000RPM the engine sounds dull and muted unlike the old PD engines which sound like the dentures of a hundred shivering pensioners. The car managed to get 40MPG by the time I got on the M18, which in my edition 30 would have read about 15-18MPG.
By no means is it an exiting car to drive but I had a bit of fun getting it around the roundabout and onto the motorway, had the tyres squeeeeling
As you can expect, the 90bhp 1.6tdi isn't exactly fast, but it pulls smoothly and easily up to 8-9 leptons. It feels solid on the motorway, which is where it will spend 90% of its life
Gear change is smooth, the ride is smooth and steering has good weight (fractionally light). The brakes don't feel that powerful but then again, they don't really need to be.
The car did 60.2MPG and that was hovering between 70-80 on the motorway, so basically double what you'll get from a 2.0T
It also made a change to make a journey and not as some point drive like a complete buffoon
So far i like it, but it could so with a few more ponies under the bonnet and a few more toys inside.
Rich
