Mrs 72 dudes recently had a medical reassessment for PIP, and to our surprise, she has been awarded the enhanced rate of mobility, meaning entitlement to swap her benefit for a Motability car.

She wanted a high driving position and automatic, so it was off to look at small SUVs. Not being a very confident driver, she wanted a lowish fascia and shortish bonnet. This excluded things like the Qashqai, Kadjar, Ateca.

I wanted to go Petrol due to short journeys, so that excluded others like the X1 and Sportage.

Basically came down to the Mokka X 1.4T Elite or the Audi Q3 1.4TFSi Sport.

Mrs 72 dudes liked the Mokka interior with the heated leather seats, but I felt it was dull to drive. The Audi Q3 on the other hand was very impressive, both loved it. Same engine as that in Skidpan's forthcoming Superb.

So it has a S-Tronic gearbox, an electric handbrake and cylinder on demand technology, all things we tend to advise people to steer clear of, certainly with a second-hand purchase. A bit of research suggests this is the 6 speed wet clutch DSG, as opposed to the dry clutch 7 speed which was the more troublesome. The test drive showed it to be a superbly smooth engine/gearbox combination.

Obviously, for us, it's not an issue, as it's a contract-hire agreement, including servicing, insurance, VED, breakdown cover, tyres etc. A really good deal.

Picking it up Friday 10th.

I'll keep you posted on whether we have any issues over the coming months.

Edited by 72 dudes on 02/03/2017 at 10:49