I know we had a bit of a grumpathon about these a while back, and I may have been leading the charge, but, as mine ticks over the 20k miles mark I have a confession to make...

<sotto voce>

I'm starting to like it

</sv>

I'm no longer distracted by it being a bit noisy, and I'm no longer fussed that the fuel consumption's not quite as brilliant as I'd hoped. I'm now loving the smooth engine and the really broad spread of torque and the solid way that it's screwed together.

I'm still finding the suspension a bit hard (but that's probably just a Greenline thing) and the first gear seems a little low, rapidly needing me to change up or short shift into 2nd, but now I've stopped picking faults and am just getting on and driving it, I'm finding it all rather agreeable.

After a few weeks with the car I was wondering how soon I could afford to trade it in, but now I'm wondering how many years it'll last me if I look after it, which is quite a significant change

That's reassuring. What MPG are you getting, roughly? (I'll get less in the 4x4 no doubt).

That's reassuring. What MPG are you getting, roughly? (I'll get less in the 4x4 no doubt).

About 48mpg overall

About 48mpg overall

Cool!

I get on average 45mpg from my vRS with mainly A-Road/town driving. Happy with that!

Good to hear a real world mpg. I get the same overall mpg from my 2l PD . Glad I did not specially order a 1.6CR as I expected to get 10mpg more ,from the official figures.

Keep us posted.

Good to hear a real world mpg. I get the same overall mpg from my 2l PD . Glad I did not specially order a 1.6CR as I expected to get 10mpg more ,from the official figures.

Keep us posted.

yep, the real world mpg of the 1.6 ecomentalist version is only marginally better than the VRS, and I wouldn't be surprised in the VRS wasn't less thirsty when you're "making progress".

I should have bought a VRS, but I didn't.

And there ought to be an investigation into the official fuel figures by some government body, but I think the Office of Honesty in Fuel Consumption Reporting bit the dust in the last round of cuts.

But the good news is that after a few weeks of pacing up and down the living room wailing and lamenting my decision and the passing of my significantly quicker and more economical 1.9, the torment has stopped and I've just got on with enjoying the car.

Edited 15 December, 201015 yr by Gyp