Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This is a great family car. It is quick yet economical, and comfortable on short or long journeys.

The car interior feels plush. My MX5 was plasticky, and even my wife's 2008 Jetta doesn't feel so nice. The ride is good, only getting caught out by the big pot holes on the awful A12.

The standard equipment on the SE is excellent. Bluetooth connection to my phone for hands free calls or music, all controlled from the steering wheel. The car has an electronic handbrake, which is very useful; when you stop it comes on, and when you drive away it comes off, so simple.

The best feature is ADAPTIVE CRUISE - it has spoiled me forever as not many other cars have it and I can't now live without it. Through a simple setup of buttons on the steering wheel, you choose the speed you want to go to an exact MPH. The car will then brake and accelerate to keep you at that speed whether a lorry pulls out in front of you, you meet a traffic jam or you go up/down a steep hill. You can choose the gap to the car in front, and it will use its radar to control your speed in the traffic around you. With the engine's start/stop feature, it will slow you to a stop and cut the engine, then re-start and wait for you to say it can pull away.

My car has the DSG auto gearbox which is great, better than my wife's 2008 Jetta. Very smooth changes and is always in the right gear. With this and the adaptive cruise, long journeys are very relaxing.

The engine is smooth and quiet, with a nice noise when you do press on. Cruising at 80mph is quiet and comfortable. Not GTI performance, but fast enough for real world travel. Economically it has done very well. With small trips into town to the supermarket (maybe 7 miles of which 3 miles is A roads and the rest 30mph town traffic and traffic lights) I get about 49 MPG. On a regular work trip into London I get 51 MPG in the coldest winter months, but it has picked up to 55 to 60 depending on the traffic, and whether I set the cruise to 80 or 60, respectively.

Overall I am delighted with the car. Quick, great to drive, brilliant adaptive cruise, comfortable and economical. It is so good it has created a problem in how I replace my wife's Jetta.