I have driven and nearly bought one ... but 10mpg urban was a bit much !
The car was - IMO - quite well made given what I had heard ... it was comfy but big and heavy.
Engine - lovely noise ...you need to get a sports exhaust on them though I have to say the standard one is quite fruity
Performance - I found it quickish but not that quick ... I did drive an auto but my 330d is more fun !! I had a remapped Golf GTi Edition 30 DSG at the time (300bhp) and getting back into that after the VXR was more fun (apart from the lack of that noise). My Edition 30 was clearly quicker 30-70 ... by some margin - which surprised me ... though the remapped Golf had a reputation for being good remapped.
I went and bought a Z4M Roadster in the end ... which felt lots quicker and lighter !