The simple seats are one of the car’s most attractive features. They are of the hammock type, slung in a light metal framework. To find a parallel in comfort one must look either to another small French car or else delve into expensive designs. Both benches can be removed, the rear in moments, and they are made to be suitable for picnics. With the rear seat removed there is tremendous potential for load carrying – 50cu ft of space and 400lb payload capacity. In keeping with this potential, the luggage area is covered in rubber matting and synthetic coverings on the door and roof are washable.The somewhat utilitarian design is less welcome in the interior door handles; to open the door from inside one must insert one’s fingers in a crudely cut hole to depress a bent metal rod. The equally simple sliding windows in the front, however, are highly effective; the rear windows are fixed, but the rear quarter light opens for ventilation.Operating the heating and ventilation system is difficult; there are five controls, some very inaccessible, but once functioning properly it is extremely efficient. The blower fan is extremely noisy, as is the fascia-mounted windscreen wiper motor. Economy is as expected for such a light car; 37.6mpg overall, with much the same result when cruising flat-out. Given a light foot on the throttle, a figure into the 40s could be achieved, and at a constant 30mph we recorded 54mpg.
