Estate 1.5 dCi 90 Laureate Prime 5dr Estate

Well worth the money. A strong contender for estate of the year

I was trapped in a finance agree with a 1.0 VW polo which was pathetically underpowered, rattly and tiny. I purchased the Logan to absorb the negative equity, and my monthly payments have also dropped by £50.

The Logan is small on the outside, its narrow with near on vertical sides. Inside however, it's full of space, particularly in the back. The driver seat is adjustable both up and down along with back and forth, and the steering wheel is adjustable too. The instruments are plasticy and basic, but feel hardwearing and unlikely to break. The wing mirrors are a little clunky when turning in and out, but unless you do this daily (parking on the street for example), I wouldn't be surprised if you'd never notice.

The engine is perfectly adequate power wise in ECO mode which returns 64mpg, but feels strong and responsive out of ECO mode, returning 58mpg (I live in Wales and mountains are regularly crossed).

Seats are a little unsupportive on the base but side bolsters hold you in place well. The armrest is very comfortable and a nice added addition to storage. Radio speakers are good for the price mark and satnav is responsive and accurate. Headlights are BRIGHT and light up the road brilliantly. The boot is large, and having paid for the load liner, looks to be able to take a battering without any hassle. Full size spare wheel in the boot with space around it for extra things like a euro safety kit, jump leads etc etc so they dont clog up the boot space. Isofix as standard puts you at ease transporting young kids and the wide doors make loading children in and out easy.

The ride is a little wobbly over rough surfaces and feels a bit jumpy over speed bumps. The car doesn't take kindly to cornering at higher speeds but if you adopt a more stately style it's quite happy.

The gearbox has a longer stroke than you'd expect and the car isn't happy in fifth until around 52mph, and is more happy in third around town than fourth. You'd think this would affect fuel economy but it doesn't seem to. The gears are far apart, but this just requires practice.

Turbo on the engine is very noticeable when climbing hills and you feel it kick at around 2300rpm. Aircon works well and clears windows near on instantly. Chucks out very cool air when needed too.

Overall, well worth the money, and has the capability of something closer to a more expensive brand estate car, comparable to a Vauxhall or Peugeot, rather than a cheap Romanian built car.

Time will tell as to how it does long-term.

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