I went out for the day with my brother yesterday (Monday) and we had a bunch of test drives (Toyota Prius and Verso and Golf Plus and looked at the new Auris, Fiat 500, Opel Insignia and Honda Insight).

The Prius is very nice. Driving around without making any sound is great. It really is a different driving experience. The CVT transmission is horrible though. I first drove a CVT car back in the 90s, a Ford Fiesta. The Toyota interpretation is much improved (it doesn't constantly seek for the right revs - with the Fiesta, the revs would constantly go in waves as the CVT slipped back and forth), but it is still disconcerting - you accelerate and the engine revs rise to a crescendo and stay there, until the vehicle's speed has caught up... That is off-putting. The rest of the driving experience is very nice, if placid, it is about as exciting as taking Trazodone.

My brother (sports car fanatic) was in awe of the technology, but just couldn't understand the car.

For me, although a delight to drive, it was painful. One of the reasons I was looking at the Verso and Golf Plus were the higher and more upright sitting position. I have problems with my heels and cannot seem to sit for long periods in the Mondeo any more, hence the looking at different cars.

The Insight is also very interesting, if a little different to drive. Its biggest disappointment is that it feels cheap - well, it is cheap, compared to the Prius, but it "feels" cheap.

Not as cheap as the Fiat 500, but still a disappointment. I sat in the new Accord and it felt luxurious and solidly built. The Civic and Insight, both with the same bonnet badge both felt "cheap". The plastic creaked, the plastic inside the cabin was hard - the plastic in the Toyotas was soft and gave off a feeling of quality.

The Opel Insight is much the same. Something that I also noticed is that, while it has about the same number of buttons and information panels and dials as the Toyotas, it felt "busy".

Anyway, back to the test drives, the Prius felt like a well put together car. I loved sitting in it, the centre console runs into the dashboard and cocoons the driver. It feels very safe and very comfortable. But I just couldn't sit in it for long periods, due to my heels.

The Golf Plus is very nice, it is very well put together and feels very solid, typical VW. It drove well as well, accelerated well and is slightly more economical than the Verso. The sitting position is a bit higher than a normal Golf and was certainly better for me than the Prius and my Mondeo, but it didn't feel completely right. It ticks all the right boxes and, to be honest, I'd rate it just above the Verso, in terms of quality and it drives a bit better.

Then we took the Verso out. It is comfortable, has everything easily within reach. The only negative was that the steering is incredibly light, but apart from that, it is very good. It was also incredibly comfortable.

When we went back to the dealer, they offered me a new Verso Life +, but with a 3 month delay. In the showroom, however, they had a Verso Executive automatic sitting there as a pre-registered car. I got that for the same price as the lower specced Life + and ready for immediate delivery. The colour also worked, the last 2 cars were both black and I didn't want another one, this one is silver - they had a ex-demo Verso out the back, in black, with 6000 KM on the clock for a couple of grand less, but I decided to go with the silver.

Insurance also isn't too bad,140€ a quarter, which is a bit cheaper than the Mondeo - I also get a 10% discount, because the car is brand new...

fiat 500s are a pile of sh*t AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID!

My brother's girlfriend just bought one and they are very happy with it...

That said, I sat in 4 at the dealers, all new, all sitting in the showroom and on each of them, something was broken off!

The 500 looks like a nice, fun car, but it is too small for me to fit in comfortably and it feels cheap. It is cheap, but some of the Asian cars manage to be cheap, but look/feel a bit more up market.

The C4 Picasso looks quite nice, (as the C3 is probably too small for you) and if it's as nice as Mrs. V's current Picasso is very comfortable to drive.

Friends don't let friends buy French cars.

Congrats on your new purchase, but I have to spring to the defence of the Honda Civic - mine doesn't rattle or creak. I have the 1.8i VTEC, and yes, the interior is a matter of taste, but it goes like stink...

The only issue I had with the Verso when I tried it was that I kept clobbering my arm on the arm rest when I went to put the hand brake on. Very annoying. Other than that I really liked it. I don't like the interior of the Auris though. Cheap tacky plastics compared to the previous Corolla. The Avensis has a very nice interior.

+1
They just aren't as reliable.

Sounds like you really wanted a Touran. But hey, glad your happy.

The Touran looks old fashioned, I go for the new Golf Plus over the Touran, although my brother says that the new Mk 6 isn't available in the UK?

Jon, I looked at the Renault Scenic and the Citreon DS3 and Picasso as well, briefly. I don't know why, but they really didn't appeal to me, sitting in them.

l3v1ck, I looked at the new Auris, which was released at the weekend. The interior is very similar to the Verso. After the Hondas, Fiats and Opels, it felt really good...

ardubbleyu, The Civic looks nice and the bigger VTECs go nicely. But it was things like the plastic on the door handle, which creaked noticeably when you pull the handle to open the door. That isn't a reassuring first impression, when you are looking at a new car. Especially a brand new car, sitting in the show room.

I thought I had found a bad example, but all of the Civics in the showroom did it.

I hope that means they've made a big improvement then. I'll have a look the next time I take my car in for a service.

I had a look at the previous version. There is a lot of difference in the interior. I find the new one looks a lot more welcoming and the controls are much more encompassing.

The only thing missing from mine, that made the Verso look more integrated and modern inside, is the sat-nav, but after the number of times I've used the one in my old car, I can't say that it is worth the 2K for the upgrade! (Okay, it is an HD based media player, integrates all the controls for the climate control etc. ) but that is still a lot of money for a nav system...

What I really don't understand, with new cars, is why people buy them... Mine is "nearly new", in that it has been registered and driven 53KM, I save about 5K on that. That means, I get a new car, I get a better specification and I get it next week, instead of in 3 months... Why would you buy new-new? Okay, you have the choice of options and the choice of colour, but this one was above what I wanted to spec and was in the colour I wanted, so nothing to lose...

What I really don't understand with nearly new, is why people buy them. If they got a car that was a bit older, they could spend the same money on a better car.

Yes but why not go to the other extreme and buy as old a car as possible. You will save a fortune until it breaks down permanently.

It's all relative. I HAVE to buy older because I cannot afford a newer car. To a point, I hate the idea of paying a fortune for something I'm just going to wear out. However, most people give their cars more abuse than me, so the idea of buying a car that nobody else has ruined yet, is extremely tempting. That and the fact that I can spec whatever I want. That said, I would probably only do that if I was gonna lease something. For the most part, nearly new is still very expensive when compared with a (rare) well looked after second hand car.

Oh, and who cares what the Touran looks like, the driving position would've been perfect for you!