All going on.

The thing with modern small cars is that no one wants to compromise anymore. Expectations have shifted and the role of the small car as utilitarian urban transport is gone, these days a small car has to be so much more.

I reflected on this as I drove a mid range diesel Fiesta 150 miles to meet The Editor this week. He wanted to discuss the feature I was to write and view the subject of my review with me. It was a three hour journey on mainly fast roads and the Fiesta handled it with aplomb. Comfortable seats, check. Confident handling and compliant ride, check. Quiet cabin, check. Good stereo, check. Plenty of room. Check. The car handled the journey better than a Mondeo would have done ten years ago, and all on less than £25 of diesel for the round trip. Now that’s progress.

The meeting went well, culminating in a very pleasant lunch. Seems there may be work for me to do, certainly this review is mine to do, and it’s a biggie. If I can nail this one then it appears there’s more to come. Past experience means I’m not counting any chickens, but there’s certainly potential.

The journey home was in pouring rain but with much to think about and Steve Wright keeping me company on the Light Programme it flew by. I’ve got a bit of work to do before I can start on the article, but I’m already formulating and dismissing ideas. I really need to get this one right.

Back at the dealership a mild panic as the Laguna I sold turned out to need more parts than had been anticipated for its service and MOT. A call to the purchaser to see if I could delay him fell on deaf answerphone. It’s due out early tomorrow and as I left the garage tonight there was no sign of it. The service manager has promised it’ll be with me first thing, fingers crossed he’s as good as his word.

It never rains, but it pours sometimes.

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