3 rentals this week, all disappointing in one way or another
First up was a Pug 2008. Its a 1.4 diesel offering an unremarkable 70 bhp. Not that refined, bit asthmatic and had the touch screen that Peter has referred to. I liked the idea of the touch screen, but struggled with it.
Build was not great, still felt a cheap car with some nasty plastics and no padding on the door, so resting my elbow was uncomfortable - not a car I could live with for any period of time.
In France I was greeted with a Renault grand scenic. I liked the TFT display, tomtom nav, and smooth dci engine, but it had a flimsy feel to it and really bad wind noise. When I got out I realised that the A pillar was a kind of stick on plastic trim thing that was loose so causing the wind noise where it hadn't sealed against the windscreen. I could live with this one, but would worry about its longevity in day to day family use.
Back in the UK the guy at the hire desk was chatty so I appealed for something non Vauxhall - he laughed telling me that they had loads, but still managed to find me a Focus. It was a 1.0 ecoboost again, but the 100 bhp version with a 5 speed box - odd given it was in titanium spec. It was a bit gutless off the mark, but OK on the move and surprisingly refined at speed. This one was interesting in that it had 17K on the clock and had led a hard life - lots of damage and stank like an ashtray, but still felt solid with no squeaks or rattles. A testament to Fords build, and although each of these disappointed in one way or another the Focus would be where my money would have gone. Should also add that the Focus managed 51 mpg over my 160 miles which I thought was pretty good
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