What strikes you immediately is how lively the Benni feels on the road. The engine pulls heartily from low revs and delivers its power in a linear fashion all the way to the redline, so acceleration is satisfyingly brisk in any gear.

Problem is, you never feel inclined to use all of the available performance because of the sheer amount of engine noise everyone on board has to put up with. There seems to be a complete lack of sound insulation along the firewall – every mechanical whine, growl and gnash comes right through into the cabin.

Keep the revs below 3,000rpm and noise levels are just about acceptable, but straying beyond that point is asking for a ear-bashing experience. Not too pleasant, especially on longer drives.

This is a pity, for in other ways the Benni is one of the better sorted Chinese cars we’ve driven. The steering is light but quite accurate, the brakes are reassuringly firm underfoot and the ride pretty supple. A positive clutch action and positive (if slightly gritty-feeling) gearchange are further plus points.

There’s less body roll than you might expect in corners too, and while it doesn’t take too much lateral g-force to push the front tyres beyond their grip limits, the car continues responding faithfully to steering inputs so it’s easy to keep it on the desired line.

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