Car feels tight and well-assembled. Decent interior w/leather, exterior metal panels a bit thin but fit nicely. Doors close easily and sound tight. Relatively quiet at highway speeds.
Absolutely lovely handling. A touch of oversteer on stock tires, replaced with Kumho Ecsta ASX and handling is neutral. Good in rain/snow on new tires, terrible w/OEMs.
Given its performance, it has remarkable economy. When babied on the highway, I can get 38+mpg. In the city with a leadfoot, I get about 23. On average is 28-30 MPG.
Although only 160hp, with the 5spd manual the car is surprisingly quick. The shifter is among the better ones on an economy car. Plenty fast to get out of a tight spot or for a fun ride.
Braking performance is on par with some Porsche cars. OEM pads in rear are worthless, but replaced w/ Hawk HPS and it stops like a dream. 8 airbags and great safety reviews. Wish it had Electronic stability but handles very well.
