The Puma returns

[spudfan]

The Puma went in for a few days last week to get some warranty work done. I was given an 09 Ford Focus while the Puma was in. Regarding the Focus. There was lots of room for my right elbow and it did not hit off the door. I presume all this room is there to allow you to crane your next to look for on coming traffic before you overtake. The Defender definately scores over the Focus here.
The windscreen rakes toward you and combined with the low roof gives you a claustrophbic feeling. For cabin room the Defender wins again. Rear passenger space, well the Defender comes out on top of course.
I could barely see the fuel and temperature gauges in the Focus. Yep the Defender gets top marks here again. The Focus has pedals that a budgie would find small not to mention the handbrake being stuck over by the passenger seat. Two hours driving home and my back and legs were aching. As for noise it was quieter than the Defender until I went over certain types of tarmac then the noise from the back was awful. At least the Defender has a constant low road noise ( Puma version).
Fair enough it did a bit more to the gallon than the Defender but why would anyone want to drive something like this when you can enjoy a "real" car is beyond me! There was a 15 year old Tdi in the dealer's yard. If the Puma goes in overnight again I will be taking that!
When the Puma went in to the dealer for the work my wife reverted back to the 200 tdi she had driven for 14 years before the Puma arrived. The Focus sat in the garden. The 200 tdi took a little getting used to she said but after a few miles it was as if she had never left it. When the Puma came back and was reappropriated by the wife she arrived in after her first drive saying how wonderful it was and how she missed it. Talk about gratitude, only wish we could have gotten the Puma before our honeymoon all those years ago! A few days on and I must admit that all of this "gratitude" is beginning to take it's toll. I mean I am not as young as I was and there is only so much "gratitude" a man can take. Good grief here comes the Mrs again with that glint of "gratitude" in her eye.
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1992 110 200tdi csw
2008 110 2.4 tdci csw

[spudboy]

You've got a good Mrs there!

Defenders seem to have the opposite effect on my Mrs She's not too keen on old Discoveries either.....

[spudfan]

You have my sympathy!