More than any other car in modern times, the Ford Fiesta has defined British motoring and the ST-series is the most desirable, particularly among rally fans. Consistently one of the top selling cars in the UK market, the Fiesta is the right size for thousands of buyers looking for three or five door jack-of-all-trades transport. It has appeared in the top ten list every year since 1977 and has … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Ford Puma Titanium 1.0 MHEV 6sp
The Ford Puma is the company’s latest crossover and it’s strongest new generation of family cars to date. The name has been used before by Ford and between 1997 and 2002 it was on an unusual model, a compact three-door coupe. That was based on the latest Fiesta and ironically the new car is also derived from the current Fiesta. Built in Romania and slotting between the EcoSport … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Ford Kuga ST-Line X 2.5 PHEV
After the Coronavirus lockdown Ford is in full delivery mode with the all-new third generation Kuga SUV 5-door range, writes David Miles. That’s good timing as pent-up demand by UK customers saw overall new car sales increase by 11% in July but sadly remain nearly 42% down for the year-to-date. The Kuga is crucial in Ford’s sales performance as it is their third best selling model range … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Ford Puma ST-Line X hybrid-petrol
Ford revealed its new 5-door Crossover – you could call it a compact SUV – towards the end of last year with UK deliveries scheduled in January, writes David Miles. However the COVID-19 lockdown derailed delivery to over 7,000 early adopter customers awaiting this new addition to the market place and more than 90% have chosen the petrol/hybrid 48V mHEV models. My initial test drive programme … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Ford Fiesta Active Edition 1.0T Ecoboost
Ford has put a lot of eggs in its family car basket as it seeks to build sales in difficult and highly competitive times. The best-selling Fiesta has been given a new name at the top of its range, a crossover series called Active, which is probably more widespread in appeal than the stablemate and slightly dull EcoSport suv. Now, not so many years ago the Active would have been a regular version … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Ford Ranger Double Cab Limited 2.0-litre
In the UK the award winning Ford Ranger sold 16,458 units in 2019 retaining its top sales position in a market sector of 53,055 sales, a 1%fall over 2018, writes David Miles. Europe’s, and the UK’s, best selling pick-up range received major changes towards the end of last year plus the addition of new variants to the line up which includes 2-door 2-seat Regular Cab, 2-door 4-seat Super Cab and … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Ford Kuga 2.0 diesel auto 4WD
The very popular Ford Kuga mid-sized SUV first launched in 2008 is now in its second generation which was launched in 2012 and continues to be very popular with UK customers, writes David Miles. It remained in 2019 the second best selling SUV of any size just behind the British built Nissan Qashqai and ahead of the South Korean Kia brand’s Sportage. In the Spring of this New Year the all-new … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Ford Mustang 450ps 5.0V8 GT
At first you may not see a similarity between San Francisco and Barry, South Wales but I’ve found a connection, they are both good places to test the Ford Mustang GT. With its burbling 5.0V8 underfoot the roadtest takes on a new aural significance and the Welsh town’s steeply sloping streets horizontally split by connecting roads are reminiscent of the dramatic backdrop for the film Bullitt and … [Read more...]
Midweek motoring: MS-RT Ford Transit Connect
A Welsh vehicle builder is bucking the trend with a successful new model programme, boosting jobs and home-grown skills. MS-RT of Pontypool secured Ford approval for its bespoke Transit Custom Conversion last year and has now followed with its version of the smaller Transit Connect. Later this year a long wheelbase version and double cab will be added to the line-up, and there are still more … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Ford Focus Active X estate 2.0L EcoBlue
Ford has added a new member to its Active family, writes David Miles.The Focus Active is available as a five door hatchback or estate and joins their Fiesta Active and Ka+ Active line-up. Ford Active models are termed crossovers models combining mild SUV styling whilst retaining the brand’s strong driving dynamics. Active specification includes raised ground clearance and driving … [Read more...]