Faults:

Power steering broke - £269.28.

Driver's window faulty (sticks going up/down) - afraid to ask the repair cost.

Air intake fell off - £23.83.

Seat trim and adjusters fell off - £80.47.

Petrol flap actuator broke - £74.57.

Rear console bushes split - £194.83.

Remote locking key wouldn't work.

Well, what can I say, these are the current faults on a car not yet 5 years old with less than 40000 mikes on the clock. Concerning? Just a little when it's your daughter driving it!

My sister purchased this car for my daughter, 3 weeks before she died in Sept 2010. She wanted to make sure that her favourite niece was driving, in her words, "a safe, reliable, sturdy car", in her absence. This has turned out to be NONE of these.

What's more concerning, however, is the support or customer care received from Volkswagen customer care services. Who appear to feel these defects are a retailers problem, and not a manufacturing problem. And appear to 'pass the buck'.

Be warned, if your car is out of its measly 3 year warranty, be prepared to pay through the nose, or sell a kidney to pay for the cost of repair.

General Comments:

Would I recommend this car? Not in a million years, for the price you pay, both at the time of purchase and the extortionate cost of servicing, parts and labour.

Measly 3 year warranty!

Why don't Volkswagen put their money where their mouth is, and guarantee their cars for longer, if they're so safe and reliable?

Faults:

Nothing much really!

The fuse that works the front wipers and washer pump blew unexpectedly! Had some fuses handy so sorted it out at home.

The VW badge on the tailgate wasn't on straight! Not the cars fault though. Sorted quickly by dealer.

The drivers electric window sometimes sticks and goes back down when you try to put it up. The window seals were lubricated by the dealer and this has helped a bit, but it does still occasionally happen.

The drivers door needs a really good slam to shut! The doors are huge and the seal is tight, so unless you shut it hard, it just sits on the catch. If a window or other door is open, it is fine, all the air rushes out.

The drivers seat material is already showing early signs of wear on the base.

The above are all minor things, not worth worrying about really.

General Comments:

We got this new earlier this year, I work for the manufacturer, so we got a good deal. We went for the Urban with the colour bumpers, mirrors etc, they look pants without these!

The best thing about the car in my opinion is the engine. On paper, performance is poor due to the low output (54bhp) and the high weight (about 1000kg) - however, its much nippier than you'd expect, I think this is down to the short gearing. It makes a great noise too when revved, which makes it feel fun to use.

The gear change is positive, light and direct.

The steering is pretty good, it's light, like most cars, but there is a decent level of feel through the bends.

The ride is a bit choppy unless you have a full car and boot, then it's pretty good.

The space inside the car is excellent, this is mainly due to the car being tall. Headroom and legroom is great all round, and the boot is pretty big too. It's a shame there are only four seats! The back seats in the Urban can be slid forward several inches to make the boot bigger, it's a useful feature.

General refinement is okay, fine for the price of car I suppose. The engine is smooth, most of the noise is from the tyres, I suppose a different brand of tyres could improve this.

The dash is well built, the materials used are cheap and basic, but again, fine for the car. The buttons, dials, etc, are lit up red at night, they look really smart.

Fuel economy is okay, we get about 43 mpg overall in a mix of traffic and motorway driving, slightly less than the average quoted by VW, however, as mentioned, the power is low, and the car is not small or light, so the engine is working pretty hard most of the time. From an mpg point of view, this car doesn't compare well to more modern rivals - although bear in mind that they are smaller, lighter cars.

From a styling point of view, many think the car is bland, it doesn't have the character of the Lupo before it, which is true, but bear in mind, this is a much bigger, yet cheaper car. The shape grows on you over time.

Overall, we're really happy with the car. It's a lot of car for the money, and so far, has ran very well, with no major problems. Recommended!