MY relationship with our long-term Toyota Corolla Verso is starting to become a little strained.

After a blissful honeymoon period, I have started to develop a few 'issues'. As always, it is the little things that annoy me. Firstly, it has developed a rather irritating squeak. Something is working its way loose on the driver's side of the dashboard and over a long journey, this incessant rattling is starting to drive me up the wall.

Another quibble is the noise of the engine at speed. Like all diesel engines, the D-4D is noisy when started up from cold. But as the needle gets closer to 70 mph, I find myself turning up the radio to drown out the engine. But deep down, I am still committed. How can I resist such flexibility, such comfortable seats and such a powerful engine that always delivers and returns 47 mpg?