A driver who does not claim any special skill finds himself quickly at home in it and able to make it travel either leisurely or fast with equal facility, whilst the practised driver who wants to hurry soon discovers that it suits him well. It is a car with which one makes friends in the first few minutes, and an eagerness and willingness about it quickly strengthen first impressions into a positive liking. It is capable of putting well over 40 miles into the hour in the hands of a driver who wants to get along. By contrast it is admirable for ordinary unhurried motoring and in town traffic it can often score over bigger cars. Third is a high enough ratio to be useful to a driver who regards the gear box as a means of obtaining the best performance from a car of small or medium engine size, yet is low enough to serve when a change down on a moderate gradient has been left late.
Control is thoroughly satisfactory.
The fairly high geared steering is definite yet light, with very little trace of oversteer, and it has castor action. Fairly firm pedal pressure is necessary for maximum results, which are really effective when required, while the ordinary course of driving needs no more than moderate pedal pressure. It is not everyone who wishes to take bends fast, but the A40 will do this kind of thing with no serious degree of roll. At both back and front the riding is comfortable. A fair amount of vertical motion or slight bouncing occurs at times, but such movement is well damped and the riding over stone setts is commendable.