For whats its worth, I own a face-lift 65 plate Sport and think its a great car.
I came from a 2008 2.2 Idtec Accord Es GT (148 BHP) that had more poke when up and running, but not by that much.
Previously had a 2007 Type R and numerous other fast-ish cars and driven plenty of fast diesels that are great for a run, but I wouldn't want to actually pay for and own.
For my driving (400 miles in the week and taking my wife and 21 month old out at the weekends) the 1.6 is a great fit, its refined and smooth at speed, returns over 60mpg in town and 70 on a run whilst still being punchy when needed.
I, like you was very skeptical about a 1.6D with 118 BHP, before I drove it.
Ride is a bit fidgety over uneven roads, but better than the 8th gen, interior quality is much better.
Handling is pretty good, very similar to my old FN2 to be honest but not as flat, front feels light and nimble when on a B-road.
There is a noticeable lack of power in the lower band, below the turbo there is nothing, meaning changing down is needed when pressing on on going up steep hills. That's no bad thing though as the gearbox is sweet.
The VAG 2.0 Tdi lumps feel nippy and are quicker, but really how often do you race your car? Once up and running the 1.6 feel punchy and doesn't give the impression of being slow. The VAG diesels are also notorious for DPF issues.
One of the quickest "feeling" cars was my old Skoda Fabia VRS tdi130, did 0-60 in 9.5 but the way it delivered its power (like a hammer) meant it felt bloody quick (at least in the very narrow power band) Its down to a lot of factors and on paper, some cars look poor, but in the real world, they make perfect sense.
That said, at your miles, I'd get an old Lexus ISF...
