I asked KIA To Give Me Their CHEAPEST Press Car. Here's Why I Loved It. 

Love how you still take joy in the cheapest car. True petrol head like me

Front mounted NA petrol engine, manual box, 4 seats, decent comfort level; everything a proper Ferrari should be.

Love these reviews. So fed up with all the high end cars.

My first car, funnily enough, is a 2010 Kia Picanto 1.1 - I bought it the other day and I’m smitten with it, it’s terrific!

I absolutely love cars like this. Simple unpretentious honest to goodness transport that's actually a big bag of fun to kick about town in. Proof that less really is more.

My first car was amazing. Took me a year to save and cost me £700. It was a 1.0 Seat Arosa, with a widebody kit, bucket seats, coilovers, and loads of lovely bits. Was a very engaging drive and I could rev and use all the 49 horsepowers every single day. Was a laugh to own and drive and I miss it dearly.

I love hiring small cars like this. In their own way they have much more interesting engineering, cost saving, maximising space etc. One of my favourite cars was a 1.3L yaris. Drove the nuts off it, never missed a beat and was great fun

My first driving experience was in a Peugeot 406 sedan. It was rusty and pretty beat up, but I still think the 406 line has some of the most beautiful cars produced in their time, especially the coupe.

Those reviews are also what make this channel really enjoyable to me

The first car I started driving and then drove it for some years was my father's 1980 Toyota Corolla. I loved it.

Day after passing my test I drove back to college in my Mums Citroen 2CV, great fun, my mate's loved it for its quirkiness

My first driving experience, was my grandmas 2007 ford fiesta ghia, loved it so much when I passed my test I bought a 2007 ford fiesta zetec :)

It was a bit of a shock to watch this - a proper review! It was like watching Top Gear in the 1980s! Well done Jay!

My first "car" was a Reliant Rialto GLS Estate - chosen due to only having a motorcycle license at the time! I rode a 400cc motorbike up to see it, put the bike in the back of the Rialto, and drove it home down the motorway having never driven a car in my life before.

My first car was Fiat cinquecento and then moved to Fiat Punto ;)))) changed rims, exhaust and lowered it ;)

I thought this was going to be more like Mr. Clarkson’s reviews of the sensible cars he used to do back in TG. The ones he told how nice the car was and then threw it off the ferry or something. “Is it green? -No, it is red.” Jokes aside, as a fresh driver myself with a long lived passion for all things cars, I can totally feel the message of this review. You can absolutely lust for the sound of a screaming v8 or some kind of an exotically shaped exterior, but there is also something about that little mass production box meeting you everyday in the parking lot. And yes, I accidentally started the love letter for my 08 Chevrolet Aveo 1.5. It starts, it goes and gets you to the places with relative comfort, can carry your friends and even some load if you need to. And being a newbie on the road it is also not scary to learn and have fun with it! Isn’t that what motoring was all about from the go?

Genuinely I'm tempted by the GT Line S version of this with the 1.0T engine, looks like a lot of fun (I'd buy a used one and tune it a little). Little hatchbacks that you can thrash the balls off while not going very fast are more fun than virtually anything else on the road. I'd take one over an A45S or Type R any day of the week.

Love supercars that I'll never be able to afford, but a sensible car review was a nice change.

4:14 really sounded like 'Ford' collision assist - so you don't crash into Fords.

Thank you. At last you have regained my attention. You have broken the seemingly endless procession of beautifully conceived and crafted cars perhaps capable of outperforming most drivers and possibly their bank accounts along the way. I first watched your channel ages ago when you were reviewing some elderly French cars. I really enjoyed those. Variety is the spice of life and all that. Since you asked - my first car was an old but lovely 1958 VW Beetle with a sunroof and a maximum of 35bhp! I seem to remember a great deal of oversteer. That was great fun at 17/18 and I never did spin in it all the way round.

Started with a kia picanto when they hit the market in 2004 and still have a kia picanto. Have 2 in total as both me and the hubby have them. Fantastic cars. Really give higher brands a good go for the money. Safe, reliable, very good storage for long journeys like camping, going the tip, ikea runs etc. Have more modern amenities than more expensive models on their basic models. A true fan 😀.

Your starting to remind me of Swiss Toni for some reason 😂 Having a station car, Paul .........

Terrific review. I love it that as a motoring journalist you can just ring up and they'll send out a press car! Good for KIA, and that 7yr warrenty is outstanding! First car was a Mini 850, and my learner car was a 1984 Nissan Micra!

1st drive was an Austin Maestro 1.3 city. C505 EOD It was a loveable piece of crap but I'll never forget the freedom of the open road.

Austin Metro 1.0L - Under the bonnet was mostly empty.

Smart video. We love the higher end stuff but as petrol heads its good to see the full spectrum and probably more realistic cars too. This is a very well round channel, well done.

I had a 54 plate picanto as my first car. Moving out of uni I had 2 large bikes, all my clothes and a desktop computer in the back of my car. oooodles of space for activities.

First car driven on the road - 85 Opel Ascona First car driven in a field - MK2 cortina First car owned - 91 Honda Integra Xsi (da6 engine)

This year I learned how great a cheap modern car can be: in a postmodern way a car is what you make of it, not what it is when it leaves the factory.

My first car was a Citroen Saxo, a base spec 1.0 4 cylinder with a whopping 50 hp. 0-100km/h in 20 seconds. It was supposed to be orange (more yellow than orange, though) and had some pretty snazzy alloy wheels and a little boot spoiler. Very easy to drive and comfortable too. Rusted out though, so it was followed up by a Vectra A 1.6 a year later. Had that car for almost 4 years.

my mum ( in her late 60's ) has an Auto one .. bought it new 10 years ago & sees no reason to trade it in yet .. as a car for a new driver or a retired couple or as you said a small car to leave at the station all day , it's pretty hard to beat

Canadian viewer here... First vehicle of mine was a '72 Dodge D100 Adventurer SE. Bought it for $75.00 USD at 16 years old and fixed it up with my Dad. Still have, and enjoy it today at 25. Love the videos, keep up the good work!

Had my Fiesta 1.2 for almost a year now and I'm still loving it. Great little car and great to learn driving dynamics (and heel and toe) in without even breaking the speed limit.

Hey Jay ! Although I have a Mustang, MX5 & a Kona Highlander , I much prefer when you do reviews of basic cars like this ! It’s a lot harder to make a decent cheaper car than a mega dollar super car ! Big fan of yours ! Greetings from Western Australia !

My first car was a Renault 5 1.1TL, it was 5 years old when I bought it, had it for 5 years until I traded it in for a GT Turbo😁😁😁

“£550 more expensive than the panoramic roof on the Ferrari” - that puts it into perspective! So I’ll have the Ferrari without the sunroof, please!

I just bought my daughter the Picanto GT-line auto this weekend. It cost $20,990 in Australia. Fantastic little car. Much better spec'd then what you reviewed in this video. Wireless apple carplay, 8 inch colour infotainment screen, leather interior, go fast red bits against the white paint looks great. She's super happy!

Thank you for the review! As to "affordable dream cars": What about a current rear-engined Renault Twingo? My first driving experience was my dad's long wheel base Merc. The A 170 CDI ;-) It was an utter joy!

Pulled off the Rebecca Jackson car review perfectly 😂

My first car, 93 Mitsubishi Space Runner, then came my 96 Toyota Paseo. And that is all the cars I have had. I still have the Paseo and I will do everything I can to keep it forever and ever. Thank you for the Kia review. It's nice to see that cheaper cars get some love too.

the skills needed to get the absolute best performance from a tiny engine are just as hard won as the skills to get a silly big engine round the Nurburgring in the fastest possible time....

Well done James on an honest review of a car that does exactly what its designed to do. My first car was a 1979 Fiat 131 Supermirafiori 1600TC. FGD 937T. I bought it from an old couple who had owned it from new and only used it for supermarket shopping at the weekends. So at 9 years old, it only has 14,000 miles on it.

Absolutely brilliant, loved seeing this review! Kia and Hyundai now make some of the best mainstream cars on the market.

My first car was a Renault 5 GTL and it was an excellent car for a young family. I learnt to drive in a Mini Clubman and still think the original mini was a great car to learn in because of its wheels on each corner and minimal bonnet and good all round visibility making it easy to get to grips with. I think if you are young and have a limited budget the Kia in this review is a perfect starting out car.

I have nothing but respect for Kia to be honest. They've come so far and their warranty really puts a lot of other brands to shame. I hope I can get my hands on a Stinger one day. Such a massively underrated car.

would absolutely love a sporty version with like 120-150 hp like a abarth 565 rival. And looking at kia and hyundai at the time doing crazy stuff, it isnt even that much out of question :D

First car was a mk1 Ford Escort that was so worn it would only do 55mph. This was around 1990 and before the mk1 became a classic. Rust meant the carpets were nearly always wet and it was a constant gamble if it would start in the morning. Door locks could be opened with ANY key or a screwdriver. But it was freedom and I stayed largely dry after a couple years on motorbikes. Happy times scouring scrap yards for trim bits from higher spec models - having a centre console was an absolute luxury!

My first car, a 1997 BMW 528i SE Touring manual in Calypso Red. Such a great car it has been, and which I still have to this day. Although in full restoration process.... I find it refreshing when down to earth, cheap cars get reviewed.

My first car was a BSM Triumph Herald. I passed my driving test in a company Morris Minor van. We turned up with ladders on the roof, which the examiner asked us to remove. The passenger seat was an orange box with a blanket over it. The passenger door had to be clipped shut, otherwise it tended to fly open on tight L/H turns. There were no seat belts in 1962. The examiner entered nervously with a great deal of trepidation and I suspect it was one of the fastest tests that day. Happy days...

When I think back to my first car - an old Austin Metro 1300S (great car, bought it for the kick ass sound system) - then seeing cars like this with all the modern tech safety features and comforts, I feel like putting on a flat cap and talking about "kids today..." while ranting about how hard we had it back then. However, getting insurance was a doddle in the 1980s in comparison to today and it was easier driving on the roads imho. The picanto is a city car for sure and as a teenager I would not want to be seen dead in one BUT if it was a choice of one of them or the bus to college, then what a great little motor for not a lot of money. Can always put some go faster stripes on it or something (is that still a thing???). Anyway, I'll be stood at the bar with my whippet scowling at the younguns.

First car was a 1975 1300 Marina followed by 1977 Simca 1100 Estate. Then followed 1978 Avenger Estate, 1971 Capri 300E, 1986 Ford P100 Pickup, 1983 Opal Manta 400, 1982 Mk2 Scirocco GTI, 1966 MG Midget, 1985 Fiat Uno Turbo, 1985 BX GTi, 1994 Rover 414Sli, 2006 Mazda 6 TS2 Estate, 2016 Volvo XC60 SE Lux, 2019 Peugeot 3008 GT Line, 2001 Mazda MX5 1.8is. Many owned at the same time.

Lovely Jubbly, a 1973 BLMini which was a rot box in 1984.

First car I owned was a 2008 Fiesta (MK6.5) 1.4 diesel Zetec Blue 3dr in blue. I loved that car. Got it new when the dealers were really struggling to sell the old shape. Had no intention to buy a new car. I kept it until 2016 in mint condition and got a really good trade in price for it. It was very practical for its size, handled really well and was comfortable on the motorway. Had all the toys that gen fiesta offered too; tints, AC, Sony sound system, nice alloys, metallic paint, smart seat fabric, folding mirrors, heated screen, and a blue dash. Didn’t have a DPF so none of those worries. I also had access to fleet cars and other nice big German motors (Mini, BMW 335d, x5 d and 4.4, xc60 and 90, 535d and various Audi’s) through the time I owned it. Honestly didn’t mind hoping back into my little fiesta. It felt quick but was slow so gave a lot of fun without worrying. Although I did once try putting into 2nd without the clutch once thinking for a second I was knocking the 335d I was in for the two months before into S for a quick getaway! At least I had my foot on the brake... When it came time to change I was living in ROI and my mileage was practically nonexistent compared to what it once was. ROI has horrific import tax on cars and high running costs. I was looking for a small premium car until I test drove the 1.0 ecoboost Zetec S 7.5 140hp and fell head over heals for the thing. I waited to find the most specced up one I could find nearly new. Ended up getting one in blue with cruise control and the appearance pack then retrofitting the Sony Nav and some other (factory only) things. Swapping one blue fiesta for another (with twice the hp) to the dismay of my partner who thought 5 door premium was a practical, more sensible buy. Still puts a smile on my face every time I get to drive it! Again in work we have bigger and premium stuff and I never mind getting back into my chuckable little nugget.

My first car was a 1981 VW Golf MK.1 GTS (unique to South Africa) - same exterior styling as the GTi with 4 headlight grille, black wheel arch extensions, GTS side decals, blacked out fender, door & sill trims (but no tailgate spoiler) - and with a blue/black tartan interior, Recaro-style front seats, 4-spoke steering wheel, instrument panel with rev-counter & digital clock (but no trip computer or up-shift light), additional gauges for voltmeter, oil temp & oil pressure on the centre console, a 1.6 NA carburettor engine with 63 BHP & a 4+E gearbox with golf-ball gear knob, 13" steel rims with chrome trims & centre caps & 175/70SR13 tyres - I upgraded it with GTI front dampers & wider 185/70HR13 Dunlop SP73 tyres but left the engine as standard - it was the most fun, enjoyable & chuckable car I have ever owned - sadly it was written off in Sept 1983 with just over 90,000 kms on the clock, when some idiot in a Mazda 323 did a u-turn right in front of me on a blind corner... still miss that car!

Wow. 110k followers. Well done. I remember not that long ago you were 20k.

Learn to drive on a 98' Buick Riviera, manual 92' Audi 100CS, first car was 92' MR2. Thanks for bringing that memory back!

First car: 1981. Used Marina. Orange. AVJ687L. I was 21; rode bikes before that. Someone had put a TC (twin carb) grille on it, even though it wasn't. Surprised the mechanics when I took it in for some work. Driving became more...challenging, when the 4-speed box lost 2nd and 3rd. I got a replacement from a breakers and my dad and I dropped the broken one out and popped the replacement in one Saturday evening in the garage.

Parents bought me a brand new 1987 Mazda B2000 when I was 16. Thing was manual with a tiny 4 cylinder engine but since it was so light the thing would chirp 3 gear. I learned how to lower the front of it by unscrewing the torsion bars and got 3 inch lowering blocks for the rear. Yeah, the 80's where I lived was big on lowered trucks and the kids who had the Toyota version of my truck were the envy of the school. Looking back the thing really was quick and once it was lowered handled like a go cart, lol.

I rented a Yaris a few years back for a 1000 km+ road trip over 2 days. I utterly loved it. I don't know why but I did. More so than the Civic, the Mercury Disable, the Ford Taurus I am not one of those vroom vroom kinda guys and usually the joy of driving is more in seeing the miles pass by and looking at the country side but still.

More of these please. Very enjoyable. I learnt to drive in a very knackered Land Rover Series 2 that had some gears, sometimes. The first car I owned was a Rover P6 2000SC. That had some body panels, for a while.

I’m interested to see how young most commentators are on your channel...that is good news..and even better news is that they understand and like the fact that a drive to the shops in the Picanto is vastly better than in a Porsche GT3 RS Weissach...you can park it, nobody wants to vandalise it, nobody films you for You Tube and you are far less likely to get done by the mobile speed camera van. Often..less is so much more! My first car was a 1961 Austin Se7en Deluxe who I had for five years and I wish I had it now but the first car I drove was a 1953 Ford 10 van (PHT 13)...rough as nails but good brakes and unstoppable in snow! Good Work JayEmm...more reviews like this would be good...😀😀😀😀😀

1998 Clio, grandparents hand me down car. 1.4 16v. I absolutely loved it. Only owned it for a few years but it was everything I needed

I'd watch you review a bicycle. Even my wife who isn't into cars, loves listening to you talk about cars. So yes, please keep doing "normal" car reviews. 1st car I ever drove : a manual 1970s jeep that my uncle owned. Just drove it down the road and back. 1st car I owned : 1970s Oldsmobile Cutlass. 1st brand new car I owned : 2012 Kia Soul.

The hyundai brother to this, the i10 SE (the one up from the bottom) with the 67HP 1.0.

1975 Vauxhall Chevette Hatchback. Great car - I had 2 of them at different times and both were reliable, went everywhere and did everything. Brakes caught fire going down Hardknott Pass, with 5 adults in it, but were fine again once they cooled down 😁

First car in 1964, 1936 Austin 7 Ruby saloon. Present and probably last car 2015 Kia Picanto 2, 1.25 litre. Love it, cracking little car & does everything I need it to do. Great video, thanks very much. PS. 44 mpg same as you.

My First and still owned a Kia Ceed 4 tech 1.6 diesel top of the range second hand everything that premium cars have panoramic roof, heated front seats and heated steering wheel,autonomous parallel parking that works very well, front and rear parking sensors with rear camera and 7inch screen Bluetooth and nav. Anything you could need bar DAB seemed to be a kia thing in 2013 but 2015 had it. Great run about easy 50mpg in town and close to 60mpg on a long motorway run. Highly recommended car.

I first drove in a black 1987 Ford Fiesta 1.1, with a funky green tweed upholstered. The engine sounded nice and it was scary being in it past 60mph/100kmph. I first drove it when I was 8 years-old and... nearly ended up in a ditch... My first car will probably be my mom's red 2007 Fiat 500 1.2 clocking at an amazing 276000km on a factory engine and no problems so far. I love it.

My first ever drive was in a 94 Camry V6 with my mom. I'd never driven before, and she was very scared (this adventure was a poor suggestion on her part). I crashed it a few years ago in the rain RIP. We have the Kia Rio in the US (our cheapest small Kia), and it's very inoffensive and smooth considering the price point. It really puts into perspective just how good cars are now.

Hello from the US, my first car was a 1970 Toyota Corina. I love the car because it was mine and represented freedom. Had a laugh out loud moment when you compared the price of the Kia to the glass roof panel.

Excellent review James, these small cars are a blast, people are very quick to judge and forget how good cars like this are. And you can drive them like a madman and police probably won't bat an eyelid yet you feel your tearing down a backroad like Colin McRae.

Fiat Punto 1.2 16v Go! Edition was my first car. Loved it, drove it into a river, survived for a little while after. Put halfords alloys on it, cracking factory speakers and great mpg with a city button when you are bored sat in traffic. Would have it back as a project car in a heartbeat ♥

Learnt in a Maestro, first car owned Talbot Sunbeam. Hatchback blew off it on the motorway as I was changing a tire. Life lesson, secure the hatch before a truck passes by. Enjoyed the review, Kia have come a long way.

My dad let me drive his 1972 Rover P6 2000TC in 2013 when I was learning, would’ve been the first car I drove as well, such a nice drive and felt modern to me

My first car and driving experience was a 2003 Ford Crown Victoria ex police car that I bought from a retired sheriff for $500. That this was amazing, V8 RWD and dual bench seats meant that me and 6-7 of my friends could go drifting in boat like comfort

1st car, a 1981 silver MK1 Fiesta 1.3 Ghia with turquoise interior, pancake air filter and a brown tinted sunroof. I tried to repair the rusty front wings with fibre glass and a silver can of spray paint with hilarious results. De-coked the engine only for the big end bearings to self destruct a month later. Had the engine reconditioned and it then decided to throw a rod at 2am while dropping a friend off. (I used one of those infamous engine centres that I believe appeared on watch dog). I have fond memories but it was a very fraught ownership experience. Funny to think that the car was only 9 years old at the time.

First ever drive; Subaru Brat. Lived on a farm, i was about 6 years old, and Grandad decided it would be better for him if his pickup could follow him around the place instead of him having to frequently go back and get it from wherever he left it... so he taught me to drive. First ever drive on the Queen's public highway; Mazda 323 "BF". Exactly sufficient in every way, it was always my opinion that it would have benefitted from not having power steering, but i think that about most cars.

First car I drove at 17 was a 2005 Toyota Corolla Verso with 7 seats! Featuring a torquey, if noisy, 2.2 turbodiesel unit attached to a not-so-nice 6-spd manual.

Mitsubishi Colt ZC3 1.33 95hp was my first one. Absolutely loved it and kept it for nearly 3 years. Taught me a lot about driving.

My first car was a Citroën Dyane 6. 602cc 29bhp taught me all about maintenance of momentum, I loved it, it was so much fun to drive flat out everywhere.

"great to learn in or for old people" and here I am as a 41 year old man about to pick one up as my one and only car. Decided to sidestep from my 2003 fiesta to something with some more modern features. I don't need an SUV as I only have my wife and sausage dog to worry about and I have never really used the trunk on more than a couple of occasions so figured a smaller but nippier car might be just the kind of thing I need. Sadly it means having to let go of my fiesta which is still an absolutely awesome car, barely a thing ever goes wrong with it and if it does it's usually a very minor thing. But go it must in order for me to finally be able to hook my phone up to my car and not burn all my music onto CD's constantly. Plus from all the reviews the picanto seems like a really fun drive and with 99bhp in a 1TON car it should be nice and responsive.

I grew up in NY and my first car was a nice-old-lady's 1977 Mercury Monarch, in burgundy with burgundy interior. Bench seats, an 8 cylinder 350 (I think?) Making maybe 175 hp, all metal except for the vinyl dashboard, and about four inches of slack in the steering wheel. I learned how to do maintenance on it using only a hammer and a screwdriver, and it got me through two years of high school and a year of university before the transmission gave out. Dad rewarded me by handing me the family's 1985 (?) Pontiac 6000 SE and went and bought a new Lincoln-Mercury Marquis in that silvery-gold colour popular at the time.

God to see you reviewing a car most can aspire to drive. You are way better than most of them in Autocar etc. If its not BMW, it's not worth reviewing kind of attitude. Nice one Jay, keep it up

First steed back in 1987 was a mk5 1.6 Cortina. Lightweight version (rust in boot floor replaced with fibreglass lol). Had to keep a brick in it to pop on the accelerator to keep it ticking over on cold mornings. Quickly upgraded to a 1984 XR3i and then onto an 1986 RS Turbo Custom. In the days before insurance premiums went mad.

My first car was my aunt’s peugeot 106 1.1 60hp. Tiny. But with 900kg it was rather fun. 125mm wheel base, a joy in roundabouts. Only one speaker working and a cassette player, with no AC was a genuine hit in spanish summers. Good old times

My first and current car is a 2015 Kia picanto 2 with the 1L engine. I got it because insurance was cheap and Bluetooth and AC was all I needed. Can whole heartedly say I love this car, I have never once had a single issue with the car. Extremely extremely reliable and alot smoother to drive than you'd think. Altho get going above 90 and it starts to shake itself to pieces. In the process of moving onto a bmw 220i but part of me still wonders if I ever really need to upgrade at all

My first car.. Engineering student at the time 1982..OMB 701P... Renault 16 TL... Column change... Brilliant..£400... Then £400 to fix the engine... Failed MOT 6 months later... Sills. Drove for 9 months without MOT!... Lived life on the edge then... I still look round for decent ones for sale.

First driving experience was a LWB land rover pick up in about 1997. It was bright green and had no power steering. Then a 205 GT we used to rag down farm tracks where we worked. Like a go cart next to the landy 😂😂 great vid as always James

First car I drove was my instructors Seat Corboda 1.9 Diesel - non-turbo. We used to start and end every lesson with a 3 mile run along the A303, and it would JUST about get to 70mph in that distance.

Thanks for having the guts to review a real car!

First car I owned and drove is a 2002 corolla hatchback. I stand by it having the comfiest seats in any car I've sat in. Ever. Dodgy clutch and a rattling gearbox still hasn't stopped the car from being ol reliable.

Thank goodness for testing real, popular cars, just what people looking to buy need to help them decide what to go for. Having just bought an old Picanto as a run about, I am very impressed with the car and its size is brilliant for day-to-day driving to and fro the shops and local towns. Japanse/Korean cars are reliability personified, German cars? Not a chance. Thank you very much for this engaging video. Learnt to drive in a 6cylinder, 3 litre Humber Super Snipe Estate with a 3-speed column change. You had to concentrate, there was a lot of it and the column change was missing synchro on first, no power steering and no servo brakes, no heated rear screen so the whole car fogged up in the rain, cross-ply tyres. I was 17 at the time. Modern driver aids? Who needs them after that training? I still prefer driving cars where the driver controls what is going on, not a computer. If one is responsible for what the car does then the drive is far more entertaining and to some degree, testing which is good for technique, anticipation safety and enjoyment.

Basic, simple, manual transmission cars like this need to go on sale in the US again. You wouldn’t believe how few choices exist under $20k and almost none offer a manual anymore.

My first car was a Honda Civic, 1.7 diesel. The doors flapped when you hit about 70 and the turbo broke after I'd had it a year so it was stuck in limp mode. The turbo was more than the car was worth to fix. Amazingly it's still MOTed (passed last month) and judging by the MOT records the current owner is putting a lot of work in to it to keep it running. Followed that with a Hyundai i30 which was perfect in every way except for being incredibly boring, and replaced that with the Defender which is terrible in every way but I love.

My first car I got to drive after passing my driving test was a 2007 Toyota Aygo Blue with a 1.0L NA 68HP. It felt like a go cart and Top Gear at the time used them to play a football match with. I remembered the number plate and the car is still on the road somewhere at 13 years of age.

First car i drove on the road - Simca 1100, First car owned Avenger. But the first one i drove aged 13, was a Ford Anglia in a field with the leaf spring sticking up in the boot!

My first car was a 1983 “A” reg silver Vauxhall Nova 1.2 with treacle brown interior and rusted arches to match. I blew it up on the A1 trying to keep up with a Vauxhall Nova SR with a 1.4l engine, the garage kept it rather than me pay the towing fee - I was 19 and I cried.

Hmm.. Learnt to drive in my Instructor's 2010 207 1.4 diesel. Being a big Peugeot fan I was pleased - although the steering was so light and vague! It wasn't a great car really and my own 1999 Fiesta Zetec 1.25 was a much better drive. I have such happy memories of the Fiesta and enjoying the country roads and dual carriageways on the way back from work. It was slow but it was a real driver's car and an absolutely blast! The engine had a lovely roar when you put your foot down and the gearbox whine was characterful in the lower gears! 🙂

The absolute key here is the manual trans, that makes any car 10x more fun, sadly you can’t find them on the entry level cars in America anymore.

First car driving experience was in my instructor's diesel Citroen DS3. First lesson on my 17th birthday, obviously :) First car is a mk3.5 1.6 diesel Focus in Techtonic silver. Additional thing not asked for, first time driving a petrol car was in a Fiesta courtesy car a few weeks ago. I'd guess it was a 1 litre 3 cylinder, probably 70ish hp. As someone who has only ever driven diesels, including some very noisy diesel tractors, I was surprised by how quiet it was when idling, and the sensation of acceleration wasn't what I thought it would be, but I guess that's the torque of the diesels that I'm used to (just how reviewers talked about diesels in comparison to petrols as running out a lot earlier, but I guess that's all down to rev range). Once I got used to it I found the engine note (when I could hear it) quite pleasant when revved out. Maybe it's just the generation difference between that car and mine, alongside the engine differences, that made the sense of speed in the Fiesta less significant (i.e. the speeds shown on the speedometer feel slower in the Fiesta) when compared to my Focus. Positive note, despite only driving diesels and quite early after getting the car making some questionable rout choices through a town with a few steep hills to climb, I never stalled it. :)