About 1000km in now, and enjoying this comfortable and cheeky family wagon. Indeed a sleeper, because CUPRA is still relatively unknown here, and so... You get overtaken by HRVs and CHRs and all its fancy peers as well. It is a nice feeling to note that nobody knows how quick this thing can get.

Here's my opinion having owned this car (EX variant) for 6+ months and driven 6000+km. It's a fun drive, with better than expected acceleration feel if you rev up the engine a bit. With how rattling the test car was at 8000km mileage, I expected the same for my car. True enough, there was some rattling after 5000km, but completely inaudible in the cabin. Internal space is slightly smaller coming over from a Honda Jazz 2nd Gen. Tailgate also feels heavier than the Jazz. Fuel economy is also comparable to the Jazz with the Stonic being driven in Eco mode 99% of the time. Mild hybrid system is only capable of maintaining 35km/h speed - your speed will start to drop the moment the system kicks in. Engine brake kicks in erratically when coasting (without sailing mode) in order to charge the hybrid battery. So you never know when you need to use the foot brake. Brakes also feel a bit mushy - you need to step on the pedal for real with 5 people in the car. Hauls 5 people without much of a struggle. With the rear seats down, I also managed to fit a 27.5" Hardtail mountain bike after removing the front wheel. Wireless android auto is a bit clumsy to set up, but the wired connection cuts off from time to time. The audio volume dial is on the left of the touchscreen as it seemed to be ported from a left-hand drive design. But the controls on the steering made up for it. Engine start button is also on the left, thus not easily accessible if you're just trying to start the engine from outside the car. Shutting off the car is also a bit clumsy if you don't follow the exact sequence, e.G. Leave door open before shutting off. Likes: - Comfortable for its size - Decent sound insulation - Decent acceleration with some revving - Competitive price relative to the market - Manual handbrake Dislikes: - Build quality (uneven panel gaps; Rusting screws; Rusting brake caliper clip; Fading paint at areas not outward facing) - Hybrid is too mild (electric motor can only maintain 35km/h speed) - Unpredictable engine brake effect (to recharge hybrid battery) - Engine stop/start needs to be disabled with each engine start - Mushy brakes - Rear seats tight for 3 adults - Unable to control windows immediately after car shuts off

Test drove e-tron and EQC and whilst they are cheaper than iX, the standard equipment cannot be compared to iX. As looks is subjective, buyers will need to decide for themselves but IMO, I do not have any issue with how the car looks. The ride quality as a driver as well as a passenger is superb as well with the iX. This is afterall a SUV and one cannot expect it to maneuver like a sedan/coupe. In fact, I feel that it is more planted than my G06 and this could partly be due to the bed of batteries at the floor. I am glad that they do not have the air suspension as standard with the iX 40 as many passengers complained about the air suspension on my ride - too floaty and they feel nausea! As with all EVs, it is smooth and quiet and the instantaneous torque is there upon flooring the accelerator. The interior with the diamond stitched amido leather is befitting a luxurious SUV and I really like the panoramic skylounge as it provides light into the cabin making it feel even more spacious. By itself, it is already tinted but adding on the layer of solar film helps to further cut out the UV and glare if needed. IMO, the leather is almost similar to nappa leather which is soft to feel. Rear seating is spacious with abundant of leg rooms to stretch - similar to the X7. The options that come standard with the vehicle are impressive and in fact, I understand that some of them which are semi-autonomous related (e.G. Parking assistant professional) are not enabled as this has not been approved by the local authorities.