| COMFORT AND EQUIPMENT RATING: |
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The ride can be harsh over poorly-maintained roads, especially with the optional sports suspension, which can make the ride fidgety. As with many small cars with a short wheelbase, it's prone to getting a bit bouncy, but as it's lower-roofed and better-balanced than many of its small-but-tall city car rivals, the Forfour doesn't tend to pitch or wallow, containing body roll well even under hard cornering. The seats are well-shaped and supportive for a car in this class, if not sumptuously bolstered, and on the whole, wind-, tyre- and road noise is well-suppressed. Just avoid those potholes...
The sliding rear seat gives a changeable load space: rear legroom ratio; with the rear seat all the way back, there's very little by way of luggage room but enough passenger space to fit in adult-sized legs, or you can fit in a pair of kids and lots of shopping. The option's there, and the five-door layout makes access easier. The so-called "lounge concept" option is rather hyped, but should you really wish to hang out in your Forfour when stationary, you can fold down the two front seats, pull out a rotating cup holder/storage compartment from between them, lean an elbow on the central armrest and relax against the optional colour-coordinated extra cushions. We also like the panoramic glass roof (standard on passion-spec models), which runs almost the length of the car and makes the cabin lighter and airier, and the optional glass sunroof. Sunblinds are fitted with both to reduce glare if necessary. The entry-level Blackbasic special edition model will - in mainland Europe, at least - come without even a basic audio system; final specs are yet to be confirmed for the UK, though we've been told that all (main-range) RHD versions will have a CD/radio. The set-up we've tested so far sounds perfectly acceptable - you have to turn the volume right up at motorway speeds, but it's not bad at all for a car in this class, and the audio panel's layout is well-designed and easy to use. Upgrades on offer will include hands-free phone compatibility with keypad, a WAP browser for in-car internet access, extra tweeters and subwoofers, an MP3 player and DVD-based satellite navigation with a 4.9-inch colour screen - not a bad degree of technology for such a small car.
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