Faults:

From the documentation from the previous owner, there was an issue with the screen washer which was fixed.

First first to go wrong was the turbo, which was replaced under warranty.

Then the car cut out completely with faulty wiring connected to the starter motor, not covered under warranty and about £80 to fix :(

General Comments:

I do like this car. It reminds me a lot of my old Mk2 Golf GTI.

It looks good designed by the man who did the Lamborghini. It also drives well and the performance is great for such a small engine. It's also comfortable, although the ride might be a little rough for some people and the driving position took me a while to get used to. My right leg feels like it's too high in the air; I do miss my big 406, which was so comfortable it was like lying down.

I am disappointed by the lack of reliability, I had never bought a car this new before and did so because I hopped there would be no trips to the garage. Still, fingers crossed for the future.

£30 road tax for the year is great, and on the way to work I can get 45 to 50 MPG, however on the way home though, with heavy city traffic I get around 35. What is worse is the motorway fuel economy, it might be the way I drive, but this car needs a 6th gear. If I set the cruise control at 60mph I might get 55 MPG, but usually I will get around 40, if I'm putting my foot down then around 35 MPG, which is pretty terrible compared to my little Peugeot, which I would drive a lot faster on the motorway and get much better fuel economy. Bigger engine cars do much better on the motorway, I drive through the city everyday, so I'm not too worried about this.

What this car does have though, is equipment, at least in this spec. I love the auto lights, you don't even have to think about turning them on again... ever, the parking sensor is also really useful when your rear glass is fogged up, and the visibility in this car is not the best.

It also has folding mirrors, another time saver, and the trip commuter is pretty useful as well. I find myself not really using the cruise control as so many motorway journeys are too congested, but it's nice to be able to relax your right foot should you feel the need. It also has auto night mirror mode; everything in this car is just so easy. The Sportrider also has a nicer instrument cluster.

I've driven this car to Paris, so it can easily do long mileages; it's great for city traffic and easy to park.

The variable power steering is also great, as it firms up when you pick up speed, the feel is nothing like an old school BMW, but is good against other modern cars.

My only trouble really is I don't get much of a chance to really drive this car, as the turbo engine is quite willing and it has a lot of grip.

I bought this car really as a compromise as the cheapest, most economical car, stylish, newest car I could get with the perceived reliability. I hope it will give me many more miles, before I have saved up and go and get the car I really wanted... an Alfa Romeo.

Faults:

The car needed a new rear wiper motor, which was replaced under warranty. There was a bad batch of these, and all VAG group cars were affected.

Rough idle and increased fuel usage diagnosed as being faulty injectors. Replaced under warranty, but still had issues. Finally solved by replacing the EGR valve. I believe that the valve and injectors would have cost over 2000 pounds to replace if not under the manufacturer's warranty.

General Comments:

OK, so I actually blame myself for this one. The actual car is great, well built and reasonably comfortable. The engine though is a real dog. Please take my advice and don't buy a SEAT (or any VAG group brand) with either the 1.2 TDI, or the 4 cylinder 1.6 TDI. They are very economical, but that is negated by the fact they are prone to injector and EGR problems. Add to this that the DPF is so easily blocked, and the fact it goes into regeneration mode at the drop of a hat. I do all A road work as I live in rural Scotland, but even so the DPF struggles to clean itself.

Also the engine sounds horrible (3 cylinder) and is terribly slow. I am not a fast driver at all, but need to constantly change gear just to keep it on the boil, then driven like that it does 55 MPG. A petrol would do high 40s, and cost much less to buy and service.

Free road tax though...

Will try a Hyundai next.