Ford Focus1.6 Ecoboost long term test
many of its features work so well, you don't notice them - until you drive something else
There is an old saying in acting, ‘If it looks like you are working, you are not working hard enough.’ The same could be applied to much of the Ford Focus – you don’t notice many of the features because the designers worked so hard to make them unobtrusive. When you come back to the Focus after driving a different car, you realise how easy it is to live with. For example, its Bluetooth phone co…
Read moreBeat The Recession - Buy a Range Rover
Fifth Gear columnist Jay Nagley tries a different response to the credit crunch.There can be few cars more out of tune with the present austere anti-capitalist climate than the current Range Rover. Except perhaps a British Leyland-era Range Rover Mark One petrol. Dipsomaniac, famously unreliable and fitted with sub-Lada interior plastics, they are hard to give away. Which is why I bought on…
Read moreChrysler Ypsilon
Chrysler is selling rebadged Lancias because it is now part of the Fiat group
What is it?’What is it’? is a very good question in this case, because the Ypsilon is not really an American Chrysler at all but an Italian Lancia. If the question rermains unanswered because you’ve never heard of Lancia, well, it’s an upmarket, Fiat-owned brand that withdrew from Britain in the early ‘90s. Lancia’s most famous model was the high performance, rally-winning Delta turbo hatchback…
Read moreBMW 520 ED
A 5 Series with the economy of a supermini
What is it?At one level this is just the eco version of the ubiquitous 5 Series. At another level it is a minor revolution. Just look at the numbers: 184 PS, 141 mph, 62.8 mpg, 119 g/km of CO2. This is a powerful executive saloon which costs nothing in road tax and can cover well over 1000 km (620 miles) on a single thankful of fuel.These amazing figures have been achieved by applying the usua…
Read moreRenault Fluence Z.E. Prime Time
Renault reckons that a 125 mile range is feasible in favourable conditions
What is it?This is the final production edition of Renault’s electric four-door saloon, a prototype version of which we drove in 2010. It’s largely the same bar detail engineering differences, this five-seat saloon appearing surprisingly conventional despite its all-electric propulsion system. However, the impression that this is an unremarkable car changes a little when you see its unusually l…
Read moreFord Focus Long Term Test - Part 2
The Focus feels more like a small executive car on the motorway than a family hatchback
The Focus has been on its summer holidays: an 1,800 mile jaunt to the Italian Alps, which gave plenty of opportunity to draw some firmer conclusions about the car: there is nothing like doing 700 miles in a day to find out any hidden irritations.The first surprise was when we filled up with luggage. The boot is just about average for its class (316 litres with the rear seats up), but the floor …
Read moreFord Evos Concept - Your next Mondeo?
The point is to hint at the next Ford Mondeo
Concept cars used to be flights of fancy – a way to keep designers on their toes between their normal assignments. Nowadays concept cars are part of carefully orchestrated campaigns to introduce the public to the car companies’ future model plans. The Evos has a few flights of fancy, like the double gullwing doors, but the main point is to show Ford’s evolving design direction and hint at the n…
Read moreInfiniti M35h
its V6 engine can be completely decoupled from the driveline, enabling the electric motor to propel the car at quite high speeds
What is it?It might not look it, but this executive saloon is the world’s fastest hybrid car, sprinting to 62mph in a rapid 5.5 seconds. That’s faster than a Lotus Evora. Yet it will return well over 30mpg, which, given its size, luxurious fittings and lightning performance, is not bad at all. Neither are CO2 emissions of 162g/km. The closest competition for the M35h comes from Infiniti’s arch-...
Read moreFord Focus Long Term Test - First Report
This is Ford's first genuinely global car
There were a number of reasons for us choosing to run a Focus as a long-term test car. Most obviously, the Mark Three Focus is brand new and it is likely to become Britain’s biggest-selling car, so it is a pretty important model. However, there are two other reasons for being particularly interested in this car. Firstly, it is Ford’s first genuinely global car, designed to be equally appealing …
Read moreDrive a different road - the alternative used cars
Like the Porsche Boxster's baby brother
Smart Roadster (2003 – 2007)This was one of our absolute favourites when it was launched. To drive, it feels like a baby Porsche Boxster, but with the agility to nip into tiny spaces that even city cars can struggle to match. The Smart Roadster really only had two problems: the dreadful Smart gearbox and the fact it did not stay in production very long. The semi-automatic gearbox came from the …
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