I forget what stage I was at with this, the house stuff/work is disorienting. Anyway:
2004 Ignis Sport. Had a noisy wheelbearing, I fixed that. Now I've driven it over 1,000 miles such as down to Birmingham, Herts. etc.Revised verdicts:
Cupholders - excellent. Very useful.
Standard radio? Shit. Got an Alpine X300. Much better (though not as good as the X200 with alphabet search on iPod). Standard one skipped MP3s on smooth surface.
Handling? Hilarious if you're in the mood; it's like a Mk 1 Golf GTi but with the wrong driving position.
Comfort - better than I expected, the recaros are nice.
A/B road blasts - if it's not loaded with luggage to slide around, brilliant fun. Pulls well, is very very quick off the mark for such an ugly/daft looking car, not "fast", but entertaining and can surprise people. Brakes reasonably responsive.
Motorways - OHGODWHENWILLIGETOFFTHISROAD... small, bouncy, less pleasant than a Mk IV Fiesta. Also the gearing is too low. And the aircon is broken due to a leaking pipe on a four year old car. Needs sixth gear, and not to be so keen to just follow the bumps in the road.
Refinement - 1.5 VVTi engine is not sporty sounding, it's got a good growl when really caned but is otherwise worryingly smooth. Is near silent at idle and I keep wondering if I've stalled it/it's running.
Practicality - boot is WAY bigger than it looks, underfloor storage useful, silly headrests in back annoying. Have to tell KwikFit not to jack it up by the bodykit (there's a good inch at least of clearance between the kit and the actual car bodyshell).
Reliability - car has rust on tailgate due to mongs at dealer fitting plate with self-tapping screws DESPITE the presence of proper screws. Aircon failed due to corroded pipe. Interior is quite fragile, carpet has hole worn in it in odd place on passenger side. Rattles a little but is acceptable within character and feel of car. Wheels look manky and corroded. Roof trim detached slightly. Wipers corroded. Sort of "cheap" finish is very apparent.
Economy - if I'm going to suffer this for long drives, there had better be a payoff. There is; 300 miles, £40 at current prices. And that's with the car loaded to the roof/all gaps filled with music and computer gear and being driven at motorway speeds (which equate to 4,000+ RPM).
Overall satisfaction rating: I'd never choose this class of car, so I'm pleased to say I'm actually quite satisfied with it as transport. Given the price I paid for it, it's been good; had I bought new I'd have been disappointed with the build quality and longevity but happy with the car on the whole. Also, the UK dealer network is crap, it seems - Suzuki car owners really do seem to get a raw deal from the dealers.
For a 21st century Hot Hatch equivalent I think it does a good job of approximating the fun of a 205 Rallye or a Mk 1 Golf GTi, but it starts off with the wrong car and it's hard to see past that.
Richard