Faults:

External temperature gauge is occasionally unreliable.

Trim on underneath of rear seat bench started to come away the first time the seat was folded flat.

General Comments:

This is without doubt the best car I have ever owned. I have covered 14000 in the first four months of ownership and it has been mechanically faultless.

It is considerably more comfortable and rewarding to drive than either the Vauxhall Vectra or Ford Focus that I owned previously.

I have no idea why the Sport Tourer model is so rare in the UK, as it is very practical, has a huge luggage space and can seat four adults in relative comfort.

I initially had reservations about a 1.5 litre diesel engine, but it is quite powerful enough, except when the car is really loaded up and returns, on average, around 54-59 miles per gallon. I can easily keep up with the other traffic on my 50 mile motorway drive to work each day.

The equipment levels are very generous for a £15,000 car and I am sure that it would offer very good protection in an accident.

My only reservation is that build quality appears a bit shoddy. Although very stylish, I am not sure that the seat fabrics are going to wear very well and the underneath of the rear seat bench is particularly poorly constructed. The rear seat backs don't fold completely flat and foul the underneath of the bench when folded. If you look very closely the exterior paint finish is also somewhat patchy. I guess only time will tell!

Faults:

Nothing yet.

General Comments:

I have been pleasantly surprised by this car. It is the Grand Tourer edition (Estate). I previously have only ever had German cars, but due to company policy was forced to choose French. The performance (120hp) is very good for a diesel, and acceleration is also good. The cars are trimmed in half leather and the general layout is well thought out, with some nice touches (integrated rear blinds, cooled glove box etc.) The factory navigation works very well and not in the least bit irritating. My only niggle is the amount of technology this car relies on - Key less system, door sensors etc. I will see how reliable it turns out to be. I have only had it 6 weeks.

Faults:

General poor quality control at both Renault and dealer as car was received with minor paint defects, scuff marks on interior trim.

The front offside wheel trim was extensively damage and showed evidence of having been driven off a ramp with the retaining clasp attached.

The diagnostic light came on when the car was just 7 weeks old and the car had to be returned to the garage on 4 separate ocassions before if was finally repaired. It spent a total of 3 weeks off the road.

General Comments:

Now the car is running as it should it is astonishingly quick although the handling is a bit twitchy. The engine's power delivery is throughout the rev range and just doesn't let up. There are faster cars, but why?

The car is very smooth and quiet on the motorway; more a GT than a hot hatch. It is exactly the sort of car I thought it was when decided to buy it.

The interior is fantastic and a very enjoyable place to spend time.