Faults:

Panels do not line up in several places, rear tailgate, bonnet, rear door, all these have a larger gap on one side which should be equal. The upholstery is starting to go fuzzy, especially in the back area where you brush past the fabric panelling to obtain access to the third row of seats. Trim around the rear door has come away and the black trim around the window where the sunblind clips to was bent out of place on delivery.

The rubber "feet" on the middle row of seats keep falling of.

The car has had may visits to the dealer to get problems corrected which are, stereo facia developed an annoying rattle, rattle on engine which to correct this has had to have the timing belt and pre-tensioner replaced, and now has developed a squeal.

Another problem which the dealer cannot rectify is as you release the accelerator and press the clutch to change gear, on occasions the engine revs actually rise, as if your foot is still on the accelerator!!!

General Comments:

Overall the car is not that bad, but the 1.6 petrol engine model seems to be under powered (we had a 1.5 DCI as a courtesy car and it was faster) leg room is quite spacious if the third row of seats are not used, but is a bit cramped when they are in use.

Glove box is really difficult to access if there is a front passenger. Have also banged my head a few times on the tailgate as the style curves around and has "pointy" edges.

Gear stick is in a good place, but if you have the "cool box" option between the front seats it makes it harder to fasten the seat belts, I have grazed my knuckles a few times.

The Dynamique model looks good with the satin chrome trim which finishes the look really well, along with the leather steering wheel (better than the plastic one.)

Well equipped with auto lighting/windscreen wipers and easy to read LCD display. there are plenty of audible warning systems which are great, warns you if a door is not shut, if you leave the key card in the slot etc.

Faults:

New car, but delivered with:

Stains to interior;

Rubber stop fell off under folding rear seat;

Small dent on rear door;

Some broken trim;

Uneven panel fit and bump strips don't line up accurately;

Some rattles;

Brakes have long travel before any bite;

Brake squeal;

Automatic handbrake sometimes doesn't release at the first attempt.

Driver's seat already showing some wear (frizzing of cloth).

General Comments:

Overall car is pretty good though build quality lets it down. In retrospect I would have chosen the 1.9 dCi with 6-speed gearbox. Dynamique trim offers better value than Expression (adds alarm, alloys, leather wheel and gear lever for £500 on list price). The 5-star NCAP (crash safety) rating is reassuring. Be careful which options you chose as in some cases you will not be able to have a spare wheel fitted (£100 option). Taken altogether the design is a compromise and does not really do the job of a full-sized people carrier. If this is what you need look elsewhere.

Engine: smooth and quiet for a diesel; pulls well between 1,800 and 3,500 rpm. Lacks initial punch though and higher rpm achieves little except more noise. Averaged 51.9 mpg on a return journey from UK to Spain via Channel Ports despite 2 adults and 4 children plus holiday luggage on board.

Gearbox: well-placed lever; light if long-ish movements. Well-placed ratios though 6-speed would be better on motorways.

Steering: light and reasonably good feel. A touch low-geared and plastic wheel is uncomfortable on long journeys.

Handling: Safe if uninvolving. A trace of top-heaviness when pushing harder. Grips well.

Brakes: Though light, powerful and well-balanced the initial travel is long leading to jerkiness when they finally bite. The automatic handbrake is a slight pain as it doesn't always release the first time you try to pull away.

Comfort: Well padded generously sized seats with good legroom. However, folding seats in boot proved cramped and uncomfortable over long distances, even for a 7-year old. Generally quiet unless engine worked hard. Some wind noise at speed. Optional sun-roof makes tremendous wind noise except at low speeds.

Storage: Excellent provision with large air-conditioned glove-box, 4 capacious door pockets, 4 under-floor compartments, drawers under the front seats and side pockets in the boot. I couldn't find anywhere to store a warning triangle though. Boot is large 5-up, reasonable 6-up, and better than the competition (Zafira, Touran, etc) 7-up.

Electronics: There are lots of these (on-board computer, hands-free card - no keys needed -, automatic lights and wipers) and so far they all work perfectly. Although the wipers do need a fairly well spotted screen before they operate.

Warranty: Note 3rd year of cover is from UK dealer network (no good if you are in Europe) and breakdown cover excludes "non-warranty" incidents such as punctures, running out of fuel or losing the keys. You may need to upgrade or take out additional cover for peace of mind.