 Bought this car after researching smaller models. Found it was designed by an esteemed designer. Looks are terrific and the finish is excellent as you would expect from a Euro designed car. Driving is a hoot and the performance is more than acceptable. I also managed to get 2 high back chairs in the large rear after folding the seats down. Economy is 30mpg at all speeds although if you use the power higher up it drops slightly -- 27ish. All in all I am very pleased with the car and actually chose this over the BMW 323 because of the price differential; the BMW didn't offer the extra edge to warrant the price. The Mazda 3, Nissan, Toyota and GM vehicles were a bit lacking in quality.