The R is a really fantastic car, very fast, very safe and economical for a car with so much power.
I get up to 44mpg on a long run when stuck behind traffic.............that's not very often!!
I have a 5dr in blue as my daily, had it just over a year on a 2yr lease, £31.5K to buy, lease worked out 4.5K cheaper over the 2 years, so no brainer!!
Things I hate
1) It has a really silly sound generator behind the dash to make it sound sporty, but it sounds more like an Imprezza! can be disconnected, but the car is so well insulated, you can't hear the engine!
2) Because it has radar on the front, sometimes you will get a warning by means of a big red exclamation mark coming up on the display coupled with a warning bell, if you get too close to another car, then the brakes will automatically apply themselves too!!
3) The doors & cills have illuminated blue strips that stay on all the time and look a bit boy racer, these can be turned down really low, so not too bad then!
4) Because there are so many safety features and controls etc, you feel a little like the car is driving you as opposed to the other way round, it misses that driver involvement!
5) Has lost some of its looks along the way.
Good points
1) Build quality is of a very high standard
2) Safe
3) Economical
4) Fast!!!!!!
5) Too new to have any faults yet.
6) Great stereo and speakers as standard.
7) Great looking and functioning lights that turn as you go round corners!!!
Not to knock you, but would I buy a new R for myself? in a word No! but that is partly because it will lose 45% of its value after just 3 years, that equates to 14K, just over 4.5K per year
Part of the reason for getting my Pirelli is that it is more raw, fun to drive, with more driver involvement and it won't lose a fraction of the money over the next 3 years.
But, you pays your money and you makes your choices
I'm also lucky enough to have a Porsche 993 in the garage as a weekend car, so don't need the extra power of the R
Enjoy the experience, after all, it has been voted best hot hatch for a reason
