This year's love

So I turned my back on my Clio and walked away, not looking back.

And I walked straight to my new car; a brand-new, very shiny white 12 reg Ford Fiesta.
I could not be accused of two-timing, I had finished with my Clio before I started with the Fiesta, but I must confess that I did have my eyes on the Fiesta as soon as I realised that things were coming to an end with the Clio.

The weather was a wee bit too wild and chilly to spend too much time admiring her from outside, so I got straight into the cockpit. The first thing I noticed was that I felt much more that I was sitting 'in' the seat, rather than 'on' them. In fact, there is a general feeling of the car being wrapped around you, which, if I'm being harsh, makes the Clio feel slightly 'agricultural' in comparison.
As I drove out of the car-park, the first thing I noticed was the steering; the Clio's steering was slightly 'slow', but the Fiesta's is razor-sharp, not quite as sharp as the Fiat's, but a turning circle more than a metre smaller than the Clio - that should be good for manoeuvres.
The gears are very nice. I used to think the Clio's gear selection was good, but the Fiesta's feel even more slick. And there is no effort to select 5th - the spring on the Clio was slightly too firm, resulting in anxiety for some learner drivers the first few times they tried to select 5th gear. Even better, thankfully, is that there are no problems at all in selecting reverse. So no more panics in the middle of a turn in the road because they can't get it into reverse.
The integrated entertainment and communications system all looks a bit complex, and I haven't got round to exploring that properly yet, but I have worked out how to make and receive calls on my mobile using voice command, which should save me having to pull over every time someone calls me.

A good few years ago, someone was considerate enough to crash into my parked car (a story I shall have to tell you sometime) and I put the insurance payout towards treating myself to a Mazda RX7 (which reminds me of other stories that perhaps I won't tell you). Anyway, this car was FAST. The following weekend, I drove up to see my friend, Molly, at Culzean, and I took some obscure B roads to enjoy the journey. My favourite was the B6277 from Barnard Castle, through Middleton-in-Teesdale, to Alston. Weaving my new car around that twisting road it felt like something from a car television advert. Loved it. Well, I had that same feeling again with my new Fiesta as I took the B9007 from Carrbridge, over the Dava moor, to Forres; a glorious, winding road, with no other vehicles. The car was a real pleasure to drive, feeling completely assured on every bend.

I still notice and admire Renault Clios coming towards me, but do I regret changing to the Fiesta? Not a chance.