Faults:

Engine pollution sensor.

Driver's door cranks when open.

General Comments:

Having this car on loan from a friend as a replacement for my defunct A4, all I can say is wow! This car is a heavyweight in more ways than one, and none of it has to do with its actual weight. Pop up the hood, and half of space is taken up by a humongous air intake and an equally humongous engine. This is the average person's Porsche 911, save for the rear engine and of course the six speed transmission. If I had to put up with all the french car hassles for all that, so be it.

TBH, I never saw it coming; I just took the car home thinking "just another boring weekend". Boy, was I ever surprised. On my way home I served up an X5 which confused my car for a snack, and instead was left in the dust. Next up was a Q3 which could not find enough space alongside on the road. I truly feel sorry for the hapless chaps driving overpriced cars. Does it ooze luxury? Does it dazzle with a plethora of lights and sounds? Does it turn heads in the parking lot or otherwise? The answer is all no, and possibly all the more reason to buy it. But if you want to just chug along in the traffic and embarrass the occasional German Uber-alles, this is one of the very few cars to do it.

The styling is sober, un-infatuated; the driving is engaging even without using its secret weapon. Steering is pleasant, with a solid feel, ride is surprisingly forgiving, yet handling is competent. Brakes are confident. Cockpit position is on par with Mercedes (and I had a few).

The only issue I could find is the torsional strength, which does not bring it up to the level of solidity of a German car. This car has put the issues such as sophistication, expensiveness into a totally different perspective for me. Next summer I will change the wheels on the car, which I have already, complete with summer tires, and perhaps have a chip tuning done on the car. Worth it.

Faults:

Got the car with a few issues, I replaced the aerial and the clock/temperature display myself with eBay and dealer parts.

The car had a strange gremlin where all the warning lights would go off unexpectedly. After two garage visits to a specialist, this was fixed with a new battery.

Next big issue was a new head gasket. I've also had a coolant leak fixed, and at the last MoT fitted a whole new rear wheel axle, as there was a wheel bearing issue. Peugeot don't make them to be serviceable.

General Comments:

I am fan of Peugeots; they have the best compromise of styling, performance and running costs.

The car looks great, is cheap to insure and cheap to tax at £140 a year. It will do 30 to 40 MPG, and parts and servicing are average with an independent.

The handling is so much better than my last car (the 306), and the 1.6 engine pulls well across the range and sounds pretty meaty out of the exhaust. I've owned BMWs and Golf GTIs, and this car is fun to drive around town, a perfect city car, very easy to park.

The disappointment is the reliability. I may have been unlucky, but my last two Peugeots have needed head gaskets. I had full service history with this car, and it had been looked after, so I guess they just don't make them like they use to.

But you get what you pay for, and this was a very cheap initial purchase. I may go Japanese next, now that I am getting old.