THEGAYUK

Tag: Ford

All the latest breaking news on the automaker, Ford. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on Ford.

  • The Motoring New Years Honours 2018

    The Motoring New Years Honours 2018

    New years honours 2018

    What a year 2017 has been. Some launches, some vehicles with a difference and now to the top three.

    The Almost Ran

    There are things l like and then there are a few things l really dislike. I’m talking about the Fiat 124 Spider.

    Compared to the Mazda MX-5 that it shares its platform with, it is more expensive. What’s more, the engine needs you to work it to get the best from it. The Mazda (in 1500cc form) was on the boil all the time and the MX-5 is cheaper and with the limited slip differential that Fiat only gave you on the Abarth 124, it made the handling safer and more surefooted.

    What l can’t forgive it though is Fiat using the MX-5 dashboard. Such a silly mistake to make. And lazy too. Even the fitments of a different facia binnacle would have been better than this.

    So how has this made it into the almost ran if I dislike it so much? I’d go out and buy one tomorrow. Unlike the MX-5, it is dressed in a very stylish suit that makes you look back and admire its style. Admittedly the handling is more twitchy and it’s this that makes it more alive and risky. Get some rear end out action going to work and you can wait until lunchtime before your first coffee. It’s the adrenalin rush it gives you.

    And the dashboard? When you’re going fast, you don’t look at it anyway.

    And so to my top 3 of 2017.

    Dacia Duster. £ 14,990

    It’s cheap and cheerful execution actually made this a joy to have for the week. What’s more, it’s an SUV and yet l don’t really like SUVs. Certainly not faux SUVs in 2 wheel drive form anyway. So what is it doing on my New Years Honours list? Its looks are a bit like an estate car and l like estate cars, they ooze practicality. The Duster though is available for not a lot more with a proper 4 wheel drive system. Win win.

    New engines available have also made it reach up to today’s standards of performance and economy. Just as it’s about the be replaced by a new model, it was given a brief new lease of life.

    There is nothing pretentious about the Duster in any way even in the midrange Lauréate trim level. And yet what surprises, is the way it was put together. Admittedly it isn’t even up to Renault’s standards of today and yet that’s OK.

    It’s a Dacia, It’s no-nonsense transport for you and whatever you throw at it. At this price, you will throw everything at it without a care in the world. Not because you won’t actually love it, you will. It will do all that is expected. It’ll be because it feels it can just handle it.

    Ford Mustang Convertible. £43,095

    Again this is another car that exudes a bit of cheapness. It’s not up to European standards. The fit and finish inside aren’t as tactile as in the new Fiesta and yet for about the same as the highest spec Focus RS, give or take £6000, you get a V8 muscle car with a retractable roof that can light up the tarmac without too much of a problem.

    It’s also a car to pose around in. The V8 under the hood rumbles away like a good old Yankee V8 should except this time it’s not as bad for the environment and now fitted with green bits like catalysts and an engine management system keeps tabs on the nasty stuff that comes out of the back. Your grandmother will love it.

    Ford thankfully have addressed the rear end and made it a little more acceptable to European standards. It’s now all multi-linked with wishbones and anti-roll bars of a sort and manages to go around corners albeit with a little naughty fun if you so wish it to.

    It also has those classic Mustang looks. It makes the car unmistakable from any angle or in any light. You can never mistake it for a…There you go. There is nothing that looks like it apart from an older style mustang.

    What is not to like? The Ecoboost engine that’s what. Avoid it. No one wants to hear a muscle car sound like a Fiesta.

    Alfa Romeo Giulia Voloce. £ 39,205

    What a car. A car that pipped my proposed number one from the entire list that we had back in the summer. It did everything right. Then we got the Alfa Romeo. And this isn’t if l am honest the best car overall that we tested this year. It is, however, the best driver’s car, with the best seat in the house. It’s so good, that I had to put £30 of my own money into the fuel tank. I couldn’t stop driving it!

    Every so often some manufacturers allow their engineers to forget the bean counters and go against the tide of normality to make a car that is available for every man (or woman) to be great to drive. It’s a car that puts the driver first. It isn’t cheap, then again it isn’t the most expensive of the drivers’ cars out there. You’ll be needing deeper pockets for something similar from BMW or Audi.

    Stories will unfold about the thing breaking down and it will have its faults. If it didn’t then it wouldn’t be an Alfa Romeo. A car company built with passion over precision of the finer things like a stupid switch working with fluidity. Passion isn’t built into a car, it comes from within. You just can’t manufacture it in a laboratory. It makes you spiritually aware. It has a human touch and quality to it.

    The Giulia is a return to form for Alfa Romeo that hasn’t been seen for over 2 decades. The crime is it shouldn’t have happened in the first place so this return should be celebrated and for this l award it THEGAYUK car of the year 2018.

  • FORD MUSTANG | Just Call Me Mustang Sally

    Ford put on quite a show recently to a few motoring journalists for the launch of the 2017 Mustang Convertible. Not only was there a play in the new pony car but a polo match and tuition on how to play it albeit thankfully not on the horse and a day at Goodwood festival of speed.

    First up though was the excitement for the new Mustang that was then halted by the presence of a 1977 Mk2 Capri 1.6 L. Mustang does something to the inner you and l suppose if I was American it would do more but the Capri really was the car they said you’ve always promised yourself. And being British it stirred me up the wrong way. Thankfully Charlotte Ward from Ford Heritage entrusted me with the keys and I was able to satisfy those pangs with the joyous sound of a 1.6 pinto engine doing nothing but making noise when you pushed the pedal to the metal.

    Noise with motion was not a problem in the new Mustang with its V8 thundering under the bonnet. Motion was there in abundance. Sometimes too much was there. Even with all the traction control, you could still have some fun. You could also turn it off too but this is really only for legends. Come to think of it there were many different setting even down to a ‘track’ setting. I kept it as it was and cruised. The roads around Goodwood are not great for sideways action. As a thundering toy, I liked what I saw.

    The route took us to watch the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup polo courtesy of Guy and Charlotte from the Cowdray polo academy. As an animated fan, Guy was able to enthuse with abundance about polo, the skills needed, what made a good polo horse and the players. A gentle sport it is not and Charlotte showed off her skills at brownie making. Diet or not, I hit those hard.

    Dinner was interspersed with what can only be described as a perfect accompaniment to wine tasting five different wines and champagnes by Wiston with husband and wife team Richard and Kirsty Goring providing ample joviality per bottle per course. A lot of fun, even if we were lead down the wrong path by Richard who during the quiz asked questions he and Kirsty had not mentioned. An uproar ensued.

    Sunday was filled with a trip to Goodwood. Having never been before I can only express that it is far bigger than I thought it would be and quite overwhelming. There is just so much to see both on and off the track. This was after all The Festival of Speed.

    THEGAYUK hopes to get hold of a new Mustang for further examination so watch this space and a look around the heritage fleet too.

     

  • CAR REVIEW | Ford Kuga Titanium X Sport 2.0 TDCi

    Ford seems to have tried making a premium SUV, but gave up half way in and threw in a load of plastics and cheap technologies to get it finished. Of course, it looks good and should be reliable, after all, it is a Ford.

    CAR REVIEW | Ford Kuga Titanium X Sport 2.0 TDCi

    The MK2 Kuga is a vast improvement on the old, it has sharp styling and from the outside has a very strong whiff of a premium brand. The model tested was a Titanium X Sport with the 2.0 TDCi 180ps manual with AWD. Now, in this trim the car looks brilliant, we had ours in Deep Impact Blue and it was gorgeous. The big 19″ alloys, silver trim and roof rails made it look like it came from the class above. The bodywork is curvaceous yet sharp and looks very sporty. However, you only get this look on the Titanium Sport or higher, anything less and you get cheap black plastic trim all around the outside. That is where Ford has made a mistake.

    Our test car was fitted with the very comfortable leather seats, well, more like armchairs. Heated as well non the less. The rear seats were also just as comfortable with plenty of leg room and the option to recline the seats. This is more or less where the positives for the inside end. The infotainment system is appalling and looks like it was designed to be used by babies. It is slow, dim-witted and clunky with hard to reach buttons and a poor layout. What can I expect, Ford have never done very well with infotainment. Look at the current Fiesta, nearly 9 years into production and they have barely changed the inside once.

    What makes this even more shocking is this is a whole new infotainment system, only in cars from April 2016 onwards.

    The problems continue. On a car this size and shape you would expect to have a massive and fully usable interior, after all it is a Sports Utility Vehicle. The rear seats don’t even lay completely flat. One of my biggest bbugbears Nothing ruins the back for me more than on a car with tall and wide with so much potential, to be hampered by a step in the load area. The little things. My other issue is more of a suggestion. Under the two front seats we have on offer a very large space, could it not be an option to have under seat storage? It will be great to hide valuables in. Although the glove box is big, it can get filled up quickly with the manual, CDs and in my case, my change pot.

    Apart from those niggles and issues with the inside, it is a pleasant place for a long journey. The electric sunroof is a nice touch, it brings in a lot of light into the cabin, although it sits rather annoyingly in the center of the roof with over half a foot gap on both sides. It doesn’t sound like much but when you want to look out the roof from the rear seats you have to strain over to one side. I won’t get too bogged down with the negatives, because at the end of the day the ride is smooth, the seats are comfy, it is quiet and the air-conditioning works sublimely. Everything you need for a cruise down the motorway in the summer sun.

    So we have established the outside looks great and the inside needs improving, now it is time for an under the bonnet critique. The engine in this car, a 2.0 180bhp diesel works well.

    First gear is almost non-existent and proves to be no use, I often took to moving away in 2nd gear as it got off quicker. Apart from 1st, the rest of the gears are lovely and the transmission is smooth and the gear lever feels connected. The AWD system is a useful, but fuel consuming, bit of extra safety and reassurance.

    For a Ford it coped very well with a bit of light off roading. The suspension is also very good at soaking up bumps, not to mention you can really chuck it at the corners. I was surprised at how smooth the ride was, considering we were riding on 19″ alloys.

    The safety kit is also useful, if not a little unsettling and confusing. It was not until after contacting Ford about the City Stop active breaking that we found out it doesn’t work for people…

    The lane keeping assist works and isn’t too intrusive. Some cars have been known to pull you back over, whereas the Kuga goes for a more “vibrate the steering wheel so violently you lose blood flow in your hands” approach. I also got to test out for the first time park assist. It is a very useful bit of kit, if not a little weird to get used to. Even in the pitch black at 11pm at night I didn’t hit anything.

    Overall it is a good car, nothing to rave about, but I wouldn’t tell anyone not to get one. There are similar cars available which I would suggest, the Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tuscan to name two. If you are looking for similar sized cars but with a different budget in mind, the Dacia Duster is a phenomenal car for your money, whereas the BMW X1 gives you a lot more class for your cash.

    Likes:
    Styling
    Comfort
    Drive

    Loathes:
    Infotainment system
    Acceleration
    Fuel economy

    Car – Ford Kuga Titanium X Sport 2.0 TDCi 180 AWD Manual
    Price – £36,115 (as tested)
    MPG – 54.3mpg (combined)
    Power – 177bhp
    0-62mph – 9.2 seconds
    Top Speed – 126 mph
    Co2 – 135 (g/km)

     

    Find out more at http://www.ford.com/

  • CAR REVIEW | Ford Fiesta Black Edition

    Firstly, the Ford Fiesta Black edition is almost exactly the same as the Red Edition, sparing opposite paint schemes. Whichever colour scheme you go for, they are both absolutely stunning cars. Evidently, as I own the Black Edition this is my favourite.

    The Fiesta Zetec S Black Edition has a bold, sculptured, aggressive look with contrast details that make sure you don’t get confused with any other Fiesta in the car park. Considering, since going on sale in 2008, the Fiesta has been the UK’s best selling car it is in no doubt that you need something to make you stand out. This special edition model composes the great styling of the standard Fiesta with a racy body kit, lowered suspension by 10mm, black 17” alloy wheels and red accents across the car from the grill surrounds, front splitter, mirror caps and roof all presented against Ford’s “Panther Black” paint. The Red Edition is exactly the same, sparing the paint scheme, where there is red it is black and where there is black there is red. The only other difference between the two is the price, the Black Edition is slightly more expensive then the red due to the black paint being a premium choice.

    The star piece of this car is the engine. In most other Fiesta models you can choose boring petrol or diesel engines, which are pretty standard, and nothing special. What is special, is Ford’s 1litre turbos, the “Ecoboost” engines. The standard 1litre turbo gives of an impressive 98bhp – nothing to scoff at. However, Ford have made the engine for the Black Edition pump out an amazing 138bhp, and what a sweet engine it it. Considering how small the engine is it loves to rev, makes a gorgeous thrumming noise and is pretty rapid.

    The Black Edition is almost the same as the standard Zetec, however, here we get some red accents throughout the cabin.

    Where the Black Edition is let down, as with all Fiestas, is the infotainment system, which is immensely dated and aged, where most rivalling cars get a colour touch screen Ford offers a rather analogue looking display, with lots of buttons.

    Another overlook on the Fiesta are the materials. Some of the plastics do feel cheap and scratchy, however considering that the Fiesta is churned out in obscene amounts we have to give credit were it’s due.

    The technology is very good. Considering the look of the bad infotainment system it does fairly well. There’s voice commands to control some of the functions as well as Bluetooth connectivity which lets you make calls, have texts read out, stream music and the car even calls the emergency services for you if you have an accident.

    Other features, which you’ll love to test are the hill hold assist, which holds the car for you for three seconds to allow you to move off without juggling controls and rolling back. The start/stop technology, helps to keep this car’s CO2 emissions low. This feature can be turned off via a button on the dashboard.

    For concerned parents, this Fiesta also comes with “My Key” which allows restrictions to be put on for anyone driving with the spare key. You get two keys, the master and the spare, with the master in the ignition you can set restrictions such as speeds and volume for the audio, it even tells you how many miles have driven with the key. As optional extras on the car you can have rear privacy glass, auto wipers and lights, rear parking sensors, heated seats, cruise control, automatic climate control, and active city stop. So this can be a car for anyone.

    The Black Edition sits in the range between the standard Fiesta and the Fiesta ST. I see this car as a stepping-stone into the true “hot hatch” market. It is faster and sportier than a standard fiesta without setting off alarm bells with the insurance company, as to them this is still a 1.0 Ecoboost Zetec with a body kit. What I appreciate about this car is its comfort. Compared to the shockingly hard suspension on the ST and bum numbing bucket seats this feels like a luxury limousine. Although the Black Edition is lowered and has 17” alloys, it makes almost no difference to the ride quality, only improving handling and driving fun.

    CREDIT: Ford/Newspress

    I live by a philosophy of “if you don’t look back at your car once it’s parked, you’ve got the wrong one”. And not a time goes by I don’t look back at mine and think how lucky I am. I can forgive all the little niggles about it, like the build quality and the infotainment system because when something puts a smile on your face like a Fiesta does, then its perfect no matter what.

    LOVE

    Punchy engine

    Sporty looks

    Great road handling

    Loathe

    Infotainment system

    Poor materials low in the cabin

    Fuel economy

    Lowdown

    Car: Ford Fiesta Black Edition 1.0 litre 140PS Ecoboost

    Price: £16,945 (starting price)

    MPG: 62.8mpg

    Power: 138bhp

    0-62: 9 seconds

    Top Speed: 125mph

    Co2: 104 (g/km)

    Find out more from Ford.

  • MOTORING: Imagine A World Designed By Ford

    What do a chaise-lounge (above), a boat, a table football game and a guitar have in common? Apart from the fact you won’t be able to fit any of them in their brand new super vehicle, the Ford GT, they are in fact the imaginations of Ford’s design team.

    Given free reign to design and re-imagine everyday products, Ford design teams from around the globe were able to forget their normal remit and go beyond automotive design to create products that showcase their prowess as a design company and their innovative research tools. At the world’s most prestigious international design expo, Salone del Mobile exhibition in Milan, Ford unveiled the beautifully sleek modern lines of everyday objects redefined.

    Incredibly the design team are now using eye-tracking technology to collect data about what bits of the car we love and perhaps more importantly to them, we hate. They’re collecting biometrics to see what turns us on and off about their products. Sounds a little Big Brotherish? It’s all for us as customers I’m assured. As consumers, we’ve never been so choosy and a brand’s place in the world is no longer a given. There are many competitors in this crowded space. We as consumers want perfection. We want more bang for our pound. We want connectivity and we want it now.

    With technology becoming an ever increasing factor in our lives, as newspapers and traditional magazines give way to digital offerings, as MP3s give way to streaming and Netflix looks more and more attractive than Network TV, Amko Leenarts, Global Interiors Design Director suggests that in the near future that touch-screen technology and tablet incorporation could feature. The car is your personal space for you to connect with. Where before automotive designers were looking to perhaps build a car we could age happily in, the design pulse is modern, it’s millennial, it’s generation Z.

     

  • TECH REVIEW | Sync or Swim, In car technology with Ford

    The amount of technology packed into a modern hatchback is astounding, features that were the preserve of luxury brands are now within the grasp of anyone able to afford a relatively cheap new car. To demonstrate I borrowed a Ford Focus Titanium X Estate (perfectly timed for me moving house) with all of the option boxes ticked to see how much easier the tech made life over a week. From voice activation to adaptive lights, smartphone integration to park assist, I played with tested everything.

    Cars and phones don’t mix together well. At best a ringing phone is an annoyance, at worst a danger if you decide to pick up. Thankfully systems such as Ford’s Sync, now in its second generation, are available, allowing you to call, hear your texts and even control your music without even taking your hands from the wheel. Based on a Microsoft operating system, it works with both Apple and Android Smartphones, in this case an HTC One M8. There’s also a couple of USB ports that allow you to also connect an iPod or other music devices too.

    It’s a simple process to pair your phone via Bluetooth, giving the car access to your contacts, music and messages. An 8” touchscreen allows you to navigate between phone, music, navigation and climate controls really easily, the four options appearing in the corners of the screen at all times. The menus are clear and not unattractive but lack the Apple like cleanness of similar systems from Audi & Mercedes. It’s certainly intuitive though, after a few hours of driving and precisely no time looking at the instructions I was able to navigate quickly between screens, helped by large icons. I found the satellite navigation easy to follow with handy warnings for fixed speed and traffic light cameras. The option of having the next turning with a mile countdown between the dials was a nice touch too. My only gripe is that entering addresses could be a little slow at times, frustrating if you’re already running late!

    New with Sync 2 is enhanced voice activation, controlled by a button on the face of the right wheel spoke. The computer does an excellent job of hearing your commands making dialling a number both easy and safe. Calls are crystal clear and the inbuilt microphone picks up everything you say seemingly regardless of speed. Whilst dialling and changing audio source were definitely easier though voice control, I still found myself ignoring the voice activation and touch screen to press a good old fashioned button for the climate control. Sometimes the old way is still best.

    From my experience, this is true of parking too. While the Park Assist will spookily steer itself while parking, creeping out any passengers in the process, it isn’t always as accurate as it could be. To be fair though, Ford doesn’t call the system self park for a reason, the technology isn’t quite that far advanced but it sure is impressive. After pressing a button to select either parallel or perpendicular parking, the system scans for a space, pinging to let you know it’s found one. After you come to a halt at the computer’s desired start point, select reverse and start slowly edging backwards (the slower the better) keeping your hands well clear of the wheel. The car will then turn itself getting nail-bitingly close but never hitting the cars around you. If you really don’t trust it, there’s a rear view camera too.

    In fact, the Focus turns out to be very good at avoiding hitting things. Active City Stop detects potential low speed collisions and applies the brakes to prevent an accident. Fortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to try it, as tempting as it was to stack a few cardboard boxes and aim the car at them. There’s also a blind spot information system (BLIS) that flashes a light in the door mirror to warn you of anything hiding and gives obstruction warnings as you reverse. These and the proximity sensors dotted around the car are handy but can make it sound like someone dying in a hospital drama. Lots of hyperactive beeping followed by a flatline. Great if something’s there, not so great when the computer thinks a sharp incline is a wall. There’s also a lane keeping assist which will subtly adjust the steering. If you can’t keep in lane though, you probably shouldn’t be driving.

    Of all the tech on the car, it was the adaptive headlights that were most impressive. Packing LED daytime running lights and bi-xenon headlights into an attractive and aggressive shape, they could be operated manually or left to their own devices. Even though I’ve previously scoffed at auto headlights (how hard is it to turn them on?) these blew my mind. On top of coming on when it got dark, they turn to illuminate corners with the help of the inner foglight and also adjust their beam depending on how fast you’re going, wide and short at low speed, longer but narrower at high speed. The icing on the cake was their ability to switch between dipped and main beam quickly and without dazzling other drivers all by themselves.

    So is all this kit worth the money? While the latest Focus starts at £13,995, you have to spend at least £17,095 to even option Sync, fine when you consider the cheapest model only comes with the oldest, least efficient engine. To get Sync 2 with the 8” (rather than 4.2”) screen you need to spend another £500 or jump to Titanium spec at £20,095. Compared to other mainly German rivals, that strikes me as pretty good value, just don’t expect it to be quite as well finished as, say, an Audi A3. You can go overboard however, our test car came in at an eye watering £29,615, partially down to metallic paint, some very tasty 18” alloy wheels and tinted rear windows adding nearly a grand to the list price. Pick your options carefully though and your life behind the wheel will be better.

    Ford.co.uk

  • Putting The 2015 Ford Focus Through Its Paces

    The common or garden hatchback has had a bit of a rough time of late. With everyone and their dog all after a high-riding SUV like the Nissan Juke or a ‘premium’ hatch like the BMW 1-Series, mass market offerings such as the Focus can be overlooked. The question is, should you ignore the current trends and give one of the old favourites a chance?

    First impressions are very good, the new corporate Ford grille has been criticised for looking a little bit too Aston Martinish (is that really a problem?) but here it’s handsome with just the right amount of aggression.

    Our test car was also painted a striking metallic blue and shod with some tasty 18” alloys wrapped in low profile rubber. Climbing inside this top spec Titanium X model, you are welcomed by a chunky leather steering wheel, half leather seats and Ford’s Sync 2 combined navigation and infotainment system, something you can read more about in June’s tech special issue of The Gay UK Magazine. There’s plenty of nice squishy plastic although premium car fans won’t be impressed by some of the cheaper plastics on the centre console and lower reaches of the dashboard. You can tell the range starts at less than £14k that’s for sure. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of space, everything is clearly laid out and not unattractive either.

    Keyless go means you don’t have to insert a key, just have the fob on you and thumb the starter button.

    The 2.0 diesel fires quickly and settles into a subdued idle, you still know it’s an oil burner but refinement has come a long way even in the last 5 years. Our test car came with Ford’s Powershift dual clutch automatic gearbox, similar to VWs DSG system and promising similar benefits. In almost all situations it smoothly shuffles between ratios with a noticeable shortening of shift speed in sport mode. There’s a built in ‘creep’ mode like an old school auto which makes manoeuvring easy with the car even holding you on the brakes for a hill start. Economy should be as good if not better than the manual too.

    The only fly in the ointment is if you go from pottering about to suddenly needing a burst of acceleration, something that can make the gearbox hesitate for a moment before delivering the performance you need. It never actually caused me an issue but does knock your confidence in pulling out onto a busy roundabout or carrying out an overtake. Sport mode helps but does tend to leave the car in too low a gear while the manual control buttons on the shifter don’t feel particularly intuitive. I get the feeling the optional wheel mounted paddles would be the ideal solution and make you feel like Lewis Hamilton to boot.

    The Focus has always been renowned for its handling so I had high hopes for this latest model even as a diesel estate. As with most new cars these days, the steering is electrically assisted. It’s nicely weighted and gives some feedback of what the road is doing but does feel a little gloopy just off the straight ahead like the wheels are turning in treacle. It’s a minor gripe however and one that most people wouldn’t even notice. In terms of fun and balance, I found the car hampered by having too much grip. This may seem like an odd thing to say but you have to be going seriously quickly to feel the inherent balance of the chassis.

    Once I had found my testicles and chucked it into a bend at speed you could feel the chassis working hard at both ends, resisting the urge to plough straight on and putting a very big grin on my face. I think smaller wheels would not only mean you can have more fun more of the time but you’ll also save a few quid replacing tyres and get a comfier ride. Although the Focus coped well with larger bumps and undulations, sharper ridges could thump through the cabin thanks to those skinny sidewalls. For the majority of people on the majority of journeys though, the Focus would prove to be a safe companion that you’d have to do something very stupid in to get out of shape round a bend.

    Overall the Focus made a compelling case for itself. It looks good, handles well and was very well equipped. It was also incredibly practical with plenty of room for 4 passengers and luggage with even more space if you folded the seats down.

    It did disappoint slightly with regards to economy though, being sensible I averaged around 43 mpg with a mixture of A-road, dual carriageway and town driving. Although this would no doubt improve as the engine loosened up (it was delivered to me with less than 1000 miles), I was still hoping to see better fuel consumption. My biggest complaint however was price. Admittedly I did ask for a fully loaded test car for the tech issue but even still, £29,615 for a Ford Focus diesel did surprise me.

    Personally, I’d be tempted by a lower spec model with a few choice options to bring the price down. At around £20-£22k and optioned with the adaptive headlights, Sync 2 and with less bling the Focus would be very tempting.

    Pros

    Handles well

    Punchy yet refined diesel

    Styling

    Cons

    Low rent interior plastics

    Worse than expected economy

    Price

  • Top 10 Cars From The Detroit Motorshow 2015

    Held in the Cobo Hall, the North American International Auto Show 2015 saw a number of genuine surprises, especially for performance car fans. Here’s my pick of the new metal.

    (more…)

  • Geneva Motor Show Preview: Ten Star Cars

    Between the 5th and 15th of March, Geneva in Switzerland will be home to the first major European auto show of the year. Although we are still a couple of weeks away, there have already been some major announcements. Here’s my top ten.

    (more…)

  • The Week In Cars – Ferrari or Porsche?

    Porsche have shown us the hottest Cayman yet, the GT4. As suggested by spy shots, it gains a much more aggressive body kit with a fixed rear wing along with 20 inch wheels.

    (more…)

  • Top Ten Motoring News This Week From Corsas To Teslas

    After complaints were made about an ‘ugly yellow car’, a local resident’s Vauxhall Corsa, ruining photographs of a Cotswolds’ village, Vauxhall have come up with an optional camouflage net for the car. Available in Flaming Yellow, Flame Red, Lime Green and Chilli Orange, they claim the bizarre accessory ‘has been designed specifically for use near National Trust premises and chocolate box Cotswold villages’. I think Vauxhall may be taking the p*ss somewhat.

    (more…)