[Sprintey]

Been checking out a few SZII petrol RWD Territories as the replacement for the AWD SY and, um, it seems a different car entirely. We got the feel of sitting up higher, and after the initial delight at the light wheel noticed being far more detached from the road, roundabouts and corners with the EPAS; and the Barra in it has either adapted or been programmed to drop into a higher gear earlier, so it goes there and then chugs... This is very different to sons Barra 195... is this just how it's adjusted to previous drivers AFF gurus? Just a glance from the new to the old SY and I could swear the SY wheels look cambered and the sheer control and joy turning that in on corners and roundabouts still sets the benchmark.

The Mrs liked the connectivity, but found the beeping forward and reverse sensors annoying as they went on with nothing there to set them off. She found the corners far better in our one.

We thought it extraordinary that the earlier car performed in a more competent way dynamically.

A bit of reflection & sadness gave way to gratitude that we got to order from factory brand new something that has not seen it's strengths bested at it's price point, at the time of writing.

So, with that in mind, a good SZII petrol with the Barra is still a solid value buy, so long as I realise that it won't be the same car as the AWD SY. Genuinely shocked as I did not expect this.