From rallying to refined sporting estate, the Ford Focus ST has built up an enormous following. The Ford Focus ST has become “the” car of choice for thousands of drivers who enjoy their motoring and the brand has been carefully enhanced and developed over the years but it’s also become much more refined as in the latest ST-3 tested. From its WRC beginnings in 1999, the hot hatchback carrying … [Read more...]
Roadtests
Weekend road test: Jaguar XF Sportbrake
Jaguar has had an on and off love affair with estate models. It has tried and faced testing times in the past, but now that could all change with the introduction of the XF Sportbrake five door estate series this month, now part of the XF executive saloon and estate range. There are 13 estate models, for now, priced from about £32,000 to over £51,500 and while they are two wheel drive, there … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Mazda CX-5 2.2 Sport Nav 2WD
When the Japanese make a car the world usually holds its breath in anticipation of what it will do to the market but when Mazda launched the CX-5 no one could have expected the sort of success it has enjoyed. With sales soaring and now the Car of the Year title in Japan on board it is going to go from strength to strength. And I am not surprised. I tested the Sport model with 2WD only, which … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Infiniti FX Vettel Edition
Very high performance sports utility vehicles are really few and far between, so an even more exclusive entrant is bound to turn heads when the Infiniti FX Vettel Edition hits the road in the UK early in 2013. Developed hand in racing glove with the three-times World Champion Sebastian Vettel, this ultimate £100,800 FX five-door cross-over model is aimed squarely at the sector-dominating MB AMG … [Read more...]
Weekend roatest: MG6 DTI-Tech
MG is expanding its range and stepping up its bid to win more fleet and business buyers with the introduction of the first diesel engine in the MG6 series. The British designed and Chinese built 150ps 1.9 litre four cylinder engine uses common rail direct injection with a variable rate turbocharger and incorporates smart charging and stop-start technology. It complies with the Euro 5+ … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Fiat Punto TwinAir 3dr
The Fiat Punto TwinAir is the little car with giant killing appeal. The new generation of Fiat city cars is remarkably lively, eye-opening in economy and very surprisingly comfortable. In many ways, considering the standard equipment available depending on model chosen, it offers big car features at a small car price. The Punto range runs to over 40 models in Britain based on 3 or 5 door … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Ford Focus Zetec S Estate
Brits love their cars and Ford know how to fuel that affair. Focus has consistently been in Britain’s top ten and the UK love of the country life has driven sales of the estate versions, even when MPVs and SUVs seemed to be breaking into the market. While the people movers are considered commuter and kids’ carriers, the ever-popular estate hints at country living. So when the latest Focus … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 3.8 PDK
Nearly 50 years after it joined the Porsche line-up, the latest 911 Carrera 4S is arguably the best. Porsche always set the benchmark for dynamic performance derived from its on-track success and harnessed the best engineering with an unrelenting dedication to driving satisfaction. In the Carrera 4S it has embraced cutting edge technology, design and engineering to create a surprisingly … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest : Ford Mondeo 1.6 Titanium X Estate
Revamped in autumn 2011, the Ford Mondeo Estate has now been voted Britain's best estate car for the second year in succession and that's hardly surprising. Last autumn it was given a comprehensive make-over inside and out with an emphasis on enhanced technology features and was also given the latest high performance 1.6 EcoBoost petrol engine, which has been doing really well in the Focus … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Audi A6 allroad 3.0TDI quattro
Refreshed, refined and ready to convince you that a big estate car can outperform the even bigger SUVs, the Audi A6 allroad quattro really takes some beating. Updated with a choice of the latest four petrol and diesel engines, the third generation A6 allroad went on sale this year and uses the same lightweight construction technology we had seen in the saloon and Avant. Whether you go for … [Read more...]