‘Little Limpopo’ in Te Popo – an African adventure in deepest Taranaki

Ford’s latest Escape is an appealing touring vehicle. The ST Line X flagship is taken on safari.

TE Popo Gardens was established 45 years ago in hill country east of the central Taranaki town of Stratford.

Over the years it has been developed so it now covers 13 hectares, has a café and camping area, and offers bed and breakfast accommodation.

In recent times current owners Les and Amanda Heynie have taken it all to a new level – they have placed a series of life-sized galvanised iron sculptures of African wildlife throughout the gardens.

At the entrance you’re met by an antelope. Further along the driveway there’s a rhino quietly grazing. Close to the café a jaguar is chasing down a wildebeest. Nearby there’s a hippo in a pond. Two adult elephants with a youngster. A giraffe family. Two sparring gemsbok.

It’s all very impressive. The Heynies’ hail from South Africa, and during a visit there a couple of years ago they discovered a street vendor offering the sculptures for sale. So they purchased the lot, and had them put into a shipping container and sent to New Zealand.

And now they populate Te Popo Gardens, which is about 13 km east of Stratford along winding country roads through Taranaki hinterland. It all goes to show how international the world is becoming – a South African couple working to put their country’s touch to an iconic regional garden in Aotearoa.

Motor vehicles are totally international these days too, and the Ford Escape ST Line X we used to visit the gardens is a classic example.

The first Escape, which was launched in 2001, was a joint venture between Ford and then Ford majority-owned Mazda, essentially marrying the underpinnings of the Mazda 626 sedan with a range of Ford powertrains.

 That model was sold as the Ford Escape and the Mazda Tribute in many parts of the world including New Zealand. But then the nameplate disappeared in this country - Mazda went its own way and began developing its own CX range of SUVs, while Ford concentrated on selling the larger Aussie-built Territory.

It wasn’t until 2013 that a medium-sized Ford SUV returned, but this time it was sourced from Europe and therefore carried the European name of Kuga. That name remained until 2017 when the model underwent a heavy facelift and the decision was made to revive the Escape badge.

Now a brand-new fourth-generation model is on sale, and it maintains this convention.

It also retains a few other things too, all of which underlines the international-ness of today’s motoring – it continues to be sourced from Valencia in Spain, and it is still powered by a 2.0-litre four cylinder turbocharged and direct-injected EcoBoost engine that is also made in Spain.

And that means this model continues a tradition of being one of the most powerful medium SUVs on the market. That’s particularly the case with the model we used for our visit to that New Zealand garden with the South African touch; the paint hue being called Rapid Red seemed appropriate as it certainly made good use of the 183kW of power and 387Nm of torque on tap.

This Escape is al-wheel drive and runs on big 19-inch alloys shod with 225/55 R19 tyres, and the suspension is sports tuned. The Ford offers selectable drive modes which includes Sport, and if you hit an M button on the vehicle’s rotary gearshift you are able to operate its eight-speed automatic manually by using paddle shifters.

So the latest Escape has the ability to scoot along, with excellent low-down torque thanks to its turbocharging, which in many respects belies outward appearances that, while more swept than the model it replaces, are still quite conservative. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, perhaps?

That isn’t to say the new Escape isn’t attractive, because it is. It is longer, wider and 83mm lower than the previous model, and that helps make it one of the best-looking medium SUVs on offer. Actually it looks very much like an enlarged Focus hatch, which makes sense as both vehicles are built off the same platform.

The interior is well-designed and quite Focus-like, too. That makes it significantly different to the Escape it replaces, with the major features including that rotary shifter instead of a traditional gearshift, and at the ST-Line X level a 12-inch full LCD instrument cluster.

Escape also features some design elements that I really like because they give a point of difference between the Ford and most other choices in the burgeoning medium SUVs segment.

For example, I really liked the little rubber arms that pop out of the doors whenever they are opened, which helps protect paintwork in places such as supermarket carparks. I also appreciated a sliding rear seat that can be moved back and forward to provide a choice of more cargo room or more rear leg room.

Another example of good industrial design is a tonneau cover that is attached to the rear glass so it moves out of the way when the rear hatch is lifted up.

The new Escape carries a very high level of convenience and safety specification too, particularly at the ST-Line X level which carries a retail price of $55,990. Just about every state-of-the-art safety, security and driver assistance item is aboard this SUV, which helps give it a five-star Ancap safety rating.

But there are some downsides with this latest Ford.

One is that, like the Escape it replaces, its fuel economy is quite high. The vehicle is rated to run on 95 octane petrol, and while its official combined fuel economy is 8.6 L/100km in actual practice it is higher than that.

Another slight downside is that despite the sportier intent of the ST-Line X version of the Escape, it’s not really a sporty SUV. Not really.

That begs an obvious question as to whether family-oriented medium-sized SUVs are meant to be sporty anyway. No they are not, just as these days such vehicles aren’t designed to be off-road capable. I mean, there’s no way I’d want to take this Escape, with its 18-inch low profile tyres and 178mm ground clearance, across too much rough ground.

But what the new Escape is, is a spacious and comfortable SUV full of convenience and safety aids, all there to help provide a very good motoring experience. Just the ticket to cruise New Zealand and visit surprise attractions such as those gardens at Te Popo with all its African animal sculptures.

Ford Escape ST-Line X: Staking a solid claim

This medium sports utility goes heavy on spaciousness, specification and sizzle, but a touch more character and driver appeal wouldn’t go amiss.

Price: $55,990

Powertrain and economy: 2.0-litre turbo petrol four cylinder, 184kW/387Nm, 8-speed automatic, AWD, combined economy 8.6L/100km.

Vital statistics: 4620mm long, 1666mm high, 2178mm wide, 2710mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 556 litres, 19-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Hefty tech implementation, improved interior space over Kuga, strong powertrain.

We don't like: Lacks the Puma’s charisma, some iffy interior plastics.

MEDIUM and compact sports utilities have been all the rage for the past couple of years and with more adding in-vogue electric-assistance to their fossil-fuelled drivetrains, what’s to bet against strong demand continuing this year. 

Conceivably, then, Ford New Zealand has timed its run nicely with the new Puma and next-size-up Escape.

Respectively aimed at the small and medium sectors, these are new models based off well-respected hatchbacks – the Puma off the Euro-centric Fiesta, Escape off the more globally-sorted Focus – landing with the attraction of fresh stylings and strong specifications.

 Though they are not quite sister ships in different sizes, they certainly arrive as a double act opportunity with good chance of drawing interest from SUV-hungry customers keen to venture beyond the usual Japanese and South Korean opportunities.

We’ve already tested the Puma and found it hugely likeable. Now the Escape comes under the spotlight. Same again in a larger serving?

Well, to a degree. Think of these less as blood brothers and more like slightly estranged cousins. There are various reasons why the larger model delivers a different ambience, mainly relating to the DNA. Escape, like the Focus, is more of a Ford for global consideration than Fiesta and Puma; the latter really being engineered and designed for Europe, within that market. Whereas Escape, like Focus, has felt the hand of influencers within the make’s home office, in Detroit.

So, regardless of high commonality in general design flavour, they do take different paths in all sorts of ways, well beyond the obvious disparities of North America’s favouritism for shiny leather, wider and less form-fitting front seats and allowance for some harder plastics than you tend to find in Euro fare.

Beyond that, there’s the on-road feel. Puma is very driver-centric and fun-focused; as much as compact crossovers often tailor to appeal as urban hard-roofed couples-suited sports cars, this one really does raise the bar. 

The Escape is more circumspect in how it delivers on that front. Some of this is probably due to it being a more family-minded product, but you cannot help sense that the car’s attitude is also reflective of it having to find acceptance in a place Puma doesn’t tread, North America.

It’s not as laidback as the even larger and now-departed (yes, after just two years here) Ford Endura, which came to us from Canada, yet neither does it have the Puma’s energetic vitality and, if measured against the Focus, might seem less involving. 

That’s a bit of a shame, but it doesn’t scupper the Escape’s changes, and not just because it’s highly probable the targeted customer might not really care about sportiness so much as good spec, spaciousness and sensibility.

If those are more important boxes to tick, then the Escape does look very worthy of further investigation. It has good chance of establishing coherent crossover competence because it avails in useful formats across a reasonably wide price span and has the option – across all but the base specification - of an all-wheel-drive element.  

While the relevance of this has to be tempered with the reality of how that will be used – frankly, it’s a provision more useful for on-road aptitude than in enhancing any ability beyond – it does at least give this model a degree of additional usefulness.

Beyond that, the attractions are that it builds, just as the preceding Kuga did, off the underpinning and mechanicals of a popular car with a good reputation, that it is usefully-sized – having grown 89mm longer and 44mm wider than the Kuga, yet becoming lithe (6mm lower, up to 80kg lighter) – that it shares strong styling similarity with the donor Focus and that it is stacked in respect to the specification.

The latter deserves consideration. As much as we’re used to ‘modern’ cars now coming out with features that were hardly a given for high-priced prestige products less than a decade ago, the Escape really does provision richly across a lineup representing in base (just called ‘Escape’), ST-Line and ultimate ST-Line X level that’s on test here.

At face value the base $42,990 car seems good enough to make the more expensive variants seem unnecessary, given it delivers with 17-inch alloy wheels, wireless phone charging, embedded satellite navigation, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, a reversing camera, traffic jam assist, traffic sign recognition.

It also features Ford’s embedded FordPass modem, which provides data connectivity to the car, and enables remote unlocking, a find-my-car feature, fuel level checking, and remote start with air-conditioning function, all from your smartphone. Not a function we could enable for this test, unfortunately, yet one that will be useful in genuine ownership expertience.

The additional expense of the ST-Line ($47,990 in front-drive, $50,990 with AWD) buys in a 12-inch digital instrument cluster that is a mine of information, plus it achieves ambient LED lighting, rain sensing wipers, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, keyless entry, tyre pressure monitoring, a rear spoiler, roof rails, an ST-Line body kit and 18-inch alloy wheels. Again, a really complete suite of sweet stuff.

So you’d go to the $55,990 ST-Line X because …? Well, basically to establish a ‘top trumps’ status.

The only edition that occasions without the front-drive option, it alone also achieves partial leather upholstery, clever “dynamic bending” LED headlights, a power tailgate, a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with heating/memory for the front chairs, a panoramic sunroof, a 10-speaker B&O audio system, full self-parking ability and 19-inch rims.  

Worth the extra or simply over-egging an already rich recipe? You decide. Ford NZ concurs the flagship probably won’t be the biggest volume edition and, personally, though it is certainly handsome at the kerbside, there’s nothing here that I’d absolutely want. 

Whichever model is chosen, you’re sitting behind the same engine – a 2.0-litre petrol turbo four that produces 184kW of power and 387Nm of torque, hooked up to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

There’ll ultimately be an alternate choice plug-in hybrid version set to furnish across the mid and highest grades and offering 50km or so of pure electric propulsion. It’s a car Ford NZ is very eager to lay hands on, but unfortunately that’s not going to happen for some months yet; NZ hasn’t the priority status of key markets where such technology is incentivised and required to avoid emissions penalties, and now there’s an issue with the battery being subject to overheating issues.

In the here and now, then, it’s the ST-Line X carries the title of tech king and also stands as the best dressed of the family, having been loaded with all the body design enhancements.

Apart from having the largest diameter and best-looking alloy design, it achieves body-coloured plastic side cladding, which helps create the visual effect of a lower stance. Black window strips in lieu of chrome items, square-tipped exhaust shrouds are another element that lifts its perceived quality. 

Notwithstanding the iffy quality of some of the plastics, the cabin looks and feels well considered. That 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is abetted by an 8.0-inch central infotainment screen, which features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (usefully, the Escape has both wireless and USB-C device charging) and has crisp resolution and good colour. You get a head-up display that, unlike many, remains clearly visible through polarised sunglasses.

The Jaguar-esque circular gear selector, also a feature of the Puma and Focus, is a bit of a love-or-hate item; yes, I agree that it is brilliant for freeing up room in the lower console (and thus creating space for a large, open storage tray and decent-sized cupholders) but, as in those other recipient cars, over a week’s driving I never found it intuitive. I constantly found myself having to check that I’d engaged the correct drive mode.

Fortunately, the greater part of the technology provision isn’t so challenging. That’s a great thing to say, because this car really delivers excellent focus on driver assistance features, even beyond the … erm … Focus.

 Adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, traffic sign recognition, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert all feature as standard. As a colleague pointed out it would be even better with a 360-degree camera, but overall you have a host of useful assists that are easy to understand, operate and adjust to suit your preferences. It’s just a shame a touch more effort wasn’t put into making the cabin aesthetic as smart as the tech. Even though the materials feel durable and hard-wearing, it lacks the quality seen in some rivals. 

Kuga proved to be a good choice of car for family use but Escape might be even better; the doors open that little bit wider and there’s just so much more room in the back – considerations that will appeal to those who need to fit in a couple of child seats.

In terms of adult occupant space, it’s also good. The back of the front chairs has been scalloped to provision optimal legroom and the boxy roof line allows for decent head room. While I just couldn’t get the front driver’s chair quite low enough for my taste – that’s a major change from the Puma, which offers much more adjustment - had I been sitting behind it I would not have complained about the generous foot room that results from the slightly high-set placement.

Rear seat occupants also achieve access to a fast-charging USB-C and regular USB port but might wish for more storage options. The rear door pockets are far from generous and the absence of a centre armrest means no cupholders or ski-flap.

The boot’s storage space varies between 412–526 litres depending on how deeply you adjust the sliding second row. The cavity is wide, though the load sill is high. 

Driven with four aboard or simply with a driver, the Escape doesn’t lack for power. It’s a strong engine from the get-go and has decent mid-range torque attributes; the elasticity of the delivery means so rolling on the power in higher gears doesn't always require dropping a gear. All in all it evidences as a brisk SUV.

The transmission gear changes are positive and the all-wheel-drive goes about its business unobtrusively, primarily sending power to just the front wheels, decoupling the rear axle for fuel saving until it is required. This setup means that for the vast majority of day-to-day driving it’s a front-wheel drive SUV, but should you hit a slippery surface – not just mud but even seal affected by torrential rain - drive is instantly sent to the wheels with the highest grip levels. Most drivers will never notice the system operating as it does so seamlessly, and it is always active, so there is no particular need to select a particular mode, though some are provided.

In Ford-speak, the ST-Line designation is only expected to signal ‘sporty’ in look rather than feel; if you want the full-out performance experience, the idea is to look to the ST model line, which means either a Fiesta or a Focus.

With that in mind, the ST-Line crossovers shouldn’t be expected to come across as hot hatch alternates. And, yet, for all that … well, the Puma in that form really could.

It’s a different story for Escape. It’s not too bad, but even with a firmer suspension setting than the base edition, there’s no Puma-esque corner-challenging cheekiness to be found here and, all in all, the chassis feels less polished.

When you slip into the Puma, it takes very little time to discern that everything about how it drives has been very carefully calibrated. You can drive it quickly, and appreciate the fun factor, but it can also be operated entirely normally and you’ll still come away thinking it’s just a bit special.

The Escape lacks that element and so struggles to be memorable in the way the Puma does, largely because it just doesn’t communicate anything like as coherently through the chassis and the controls.

The ride quality is an awkward subject. Obviously, with the lowest-profile tyres and the largest wheels, the ST-Line X is set to be most prone to being beset by road noise and even jitter from our notoriously unforgiving coarse chip surfaces. And, sure enough, those factors are evident. Yet, even on smooth tarmac ride quality seems a bit hit-and-miss.

Given the performance pep, it’s a pity the Escape wasn’t a bit more intuitive and interesting. You sense this factor could well undermine the pluses, not least that great packaging and tech credentials, which would be a pity. Yet, as is, if you pitted this car against the likes of the Toyota RAV4, a car which has really stepped up considerably in respect to driving character, and the Mazda CX-5, it’d deliver less driver enjoyment.

Still, in overall terms, even though it lacks the Puma’s spunk, the Escape is very much a good consideration for crossover and SUV fans. If the ST-Line X seems a bit rich – and it might be, unless you intend to cross-ship against the VW Tiguan and Volvo XC40 – then the $5000 cheaper ST-Line would be a decent choice.

Once the PHEV includes, Ford’s hand will be all the stronger, notwithstanding that it is set to carry a $11k premium over the ST-Line X. There’s always a stern price to pay for savings at the pump when batteries are included, sadly.

Even so, having this car and the Puma at least gives Ford a chance to divorce from being known for selling Rangers, some Mustangs and little else. As much as the ute and the Pony car have done the Blue Oval proud, there’s nothing wrong with having a properly full house hand.

Ford Puma ST-Line: Back in the good books

Blue Oval’s latest small crossover mainly rights every EcoSport wrong – and should scare the heck out of category rivals. Shame it wasn’t a little cheaper.

Price: $37,990.

Powertrain and economy: 1.0-litre turbo petrol three-cylinder with 92kW/170Nm, 5.3L/100km, 7-speed dual clutch transmission, FWD.

Vital statistics: 4207mm long, 1805mm wide, 1570mm high, 2588mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 468 litres, 17-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Equipment level, effervescent engine, great chassis.

We don't like: Slightly uncomfortable price zone; no 1.5-litre option.

A POOR drivetrain, second-rate finish, outdated infotainment and design awkwardness … for anyone holding conviction that crossovers, especially small ones, are the motoring equivalent of gunge on a shoe, the Ford EcoSport made for an easy target. 

It was terrible, delivering way too little, staying in the market way too long and serving only to make everything in the sector look great by comparison.

Unloved and unlovely, it demanded to be called out and I slept all the better for doing so. The best thing to be said about that car is that, as years of desultory sales suggest, it didn’t sucker too many cash-carrying consumers. 

Anyone who wondered how much embarrassment Ford felt about foisting that car on us for almost six years will find the answer in the replacement.

If ever a vehicle feels as though it’s here to make up for past wrongs, it’s the Puma: It’s the gift that’s required after you’ve made a total mess and need to do something truly extraordinary to put everything to rights.

After a week of driving, the only reason I don’t feel compelled to call the Puma a trump card is, well … America, right?

Like the preceding product whose name deserves no further mention, the Puma is a quasi-sports utility built upon on Fiesta underpinnings. Only this time the genetic modification required to create a crossover has maintained, if not actually enlivened, all the good DNA.

When thinking Puma, it’s only right to also consider how it stands with the Fiesta given both are so closely related. They could be closer – I’ll get back to why in a moment – but it’s fair to suggest that if you know the hatch, you should know what to expect from the Puma: A mixture of good looks, incredibly sharp, engaging handling, and sensible old-school Ford practicality and mechanical simplicity.

Our market only takes the Fiesta in its ST hot hatch format, and has also selected the Puma with a less fiery drivetrain, yet perusal of the pricing sheets shows this hasn’t been enough to cause clear separation between the cars.

Regardless that the entry Puma has been launched with a tasty sub-$30,000 price tag (albeit a temporary inducement, the full RRP being $10 short of $34k), there is challenge with the alternate flagship ST-Line format as tested, in that it costs another $2500 over the $35,490 Fiesta ST. 

That premium would be easier to swallow had they common powerplants. Yet that’s not the case. The Puma delivers with a smaller capacity and lower output version of the three-cylinder petrol specific to this class of car; so, a 1.0-litre with 92kW and 170Nm against a 147kW/290Nm 1.5-litre.

Imagining a Puma with the larger unit? It does exist, as the Puma ST, a sister ship to the Fiesta flier, even more pumped for pep with another 30Nm but also tuned for similar dynamic result. I’d like to see it here. Perhaps you feel the same. Don’t hold hope.  

It’s the gearbox. Puma ST is in the same camp as Fiesta ST; it’s manual or nothing. And while that non-choice is apparently fine for Fiesta ST cognoscenti, Ford NZ reckons it would be cold-shouldered by Puma buyers. Hence why we restrict to the 1.0-litre. It marries to a seven-speed dual clutch auto (a new gearbox with a wet clutch, not related to Ford’s previous and problematic PowerShift).

More relevant to the price premium a Puma ST-Line has over the Fiesta ST is the difference in equipment. As much as the Fiesta ST always seemed well-sorted, Ford has chosen the Puma to be a showcase for its best driver assist tech, so it picks up additional features that aren’t yet available to the hatch.

These include evasive steering assist, a more advanced (as it has pedestrian and cyclist detection) evasive steer assist, automatic park assist, all-round parking sensors (Fiesta is rear only), adaptive cornering lights, a power liftgate, a wireless phone charging pad and Ford Pass connectivity with an embedded modem, which allows remote checking, lock function and engine pre-start from your phone.

Standard across both Pumas are cruise control with adjustable speed limiting, emergency brake assist, a rear-view camera with 180 degree split view, speed limit sign recognition while the ST-Line adds black exterior detailing, paddle shifters on the steering wheel, auto high-beam, upgraded interior trim, full digital instruments, auto climate air, adaptive cruise and automatic parking.

The end result is that even though it hasn’t the punch to match a Fiesta ST, it does rather out do the hatch for panache; in the SUV, there’s a nicely quasi-premium air.

So, there’s that to look at. Then there’s the look itself. A shape that suits some shades more than others was hugely appealing in the test car’s silvered grey metallic, which Ford calls ‘solar’. There’s just something about how this car sits and the smiley front end is a friendly element that’ll do no harm.

It's good inside, too. Yes, there's a lot of familiar carry-over from the Fiesta and the Focus as well, yet as much as that means a fair swag of dark plastic, and not all of it is soft to touch, it does deliver well for ambience and ergonomic quality, with a somewhat youthful aesthetic (check out the USB-C outlet next to the usual USB slot).

An analogue instrument cluster is complemented by a 4.2-inch TFT driver display nestled between the tacho and speedo, providing a host of information including speed sign recognition, fuel consumption and a digital speedo. It all works well enough and is intuitive to use and scroll through. 

Comfort is also good and though the cabin will not pass the Tardis test in respect to space in the rear, that section will be tolerable for children up to and including tall teenagers, as much as anything because there's plenty of head room. The front is plenty roomy. The boot is decent, by both the standards of the class and when compared to the Fiesta. It’s also highly practical, thanks to its clever height-adjustable floor and useful 80-litre MegaBox, a plastic-lined storage tub under the floor. Other storage options are also well considered, including a large central bin with two layers.

And now comes the bit where the engine gets bagged, right? Actually no. It doesn’t. For sure, it’s a wee thing and, yes, the outputs aren’t terribly amazing, but it really works hard to convince that a one-litre is well big enough for the kind of car it sets out to be.

The car was no sooner in my hands than it was put into a six-hour open road drive through which it was shown no particular mercy. No ignoring the lawful limits but certainly running right to those, particularly over the last 90 minutes after my wife phoned to say one of our dogs had decamped to a neghbour’s farm on a rabbit hunting spree and was showing no willingness to return (it all ended well).

It needs to be rowed along, no argument, and you need to ready to manually stir the gear changes because sometimes the box can be a slow to react, but the effort it worth it. These tri-cylinder EcoBoost engines are really special and this one is eminently likeable. The higher it revs, the more effervescent it seems and though it doesn’t have the muscularity of the 1.5-litre – the 0-100kmh time is nowhere near as athletic, nor the cited top speed – it is a very willing, sweet, little engine, with surprisingly strong spurts of acceleration and a gently fruity exhaust note, too.

The overall abiding memory from our time together is that, even when given the stick and lots of redline-heading hand-shifting, it simply sips petrol; Ford’s claim of 5.3 litres per 100km was never touched, but on the big run alone it sat on 6.1, which I thought was pretty fare given the driving condition. The only reason I was almost out of petrol by the end of the run was that it has a small fuel tank, just 42 litres.

It’s not just this engine that makes the Puma a rewarding drive. The steering is just wonderful, communicating all the time and allowing you to feel every nuance of what the car is up to. 

The rest of the chassis keeps up, too. It’s the car the EcoSport never came close to being. The widish wheeltrack lends something a settled feel in cruising, but it’s only secondary roads with loads of twists and turns where Puma really becomes deeply impressive; it really makes the most of the Fiesta’s gifted chassis and its agility and confidence through bends is truly immersive. It’s a more involving and engaging experience than comes from Ford’s other newly-released SUV, the Escape, and surely that’s a result of the different genetic compositions, the latter being rather less Euro-centric.

If there’s perhaps one bugbear, it’ll be the ride quality. Those 215/55 17-inch tyres offer great grip, and from an aesthetic perspective the rims look decent, from the comfort perspective, there’s some cost, with a degree of jiggle and fidget over coarse chip, where tyre roar also becomes evident. Drivers might not mind, but passengers do tend to comment. 

All in all, though, this is a car that deserves consideration. The small-compact crossover category is very much a shoppers’ paradise at the moment, and the Puma has some stern opposition from all the over place. The year began with the surprisingly engaging and strong value Kia Seltos making a play and since the Puma came along Toyota has introduced the Yaris Cross.

 This version would be better if it had price equality with the Fiesta ST; yes, with Puma you get a bit more kit, but it’s not easy to argue why a smaller, less power engine should carry that premium. And while latest European design and build clearly comes at price, let’s not forget it also sources out of one the cheapest places to build cars, Romania.

Nonetheless, the ace cards are that it is strongly outfitted, has an interesting styling and drives and handles far better than it ought to. It’s the complete antithesis of the EcoSport in that regard – and, so, also proof that Ford now at least understands a small crossover needn't be a cynical marketing exercise, and can actually be as entertaining as it is practical, and that neither of those need be a compromise.

Ford Focus Active: I’m not an SUV, OK?

Here’s a hatch that likes to stick to its knitting as a passenger car– even if it has pinched a few SUV design elements.

Price:  $37,990
Powertrain and performance:  1.5-litre three cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, 134kW at 6000rpm, 240Nm at 1750-5000rpm. Eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive. 6.4L/100km, 148g/km CO2.
Vital statistics: Length 4398mm, height 1502mm, width 1979mm, wheelbase 2700mm. Luggage 443 litres. Wheels: 17-inch alloys with 215/55R17 tyres.
We Like: Sparkling performance, particularly in Sport mode. Nice ride and handling. Higher ride height for ease of entry and exit. Excellent safety specification. Give the bird to SUV pretenders.
We don’t like: Automatic gets a little confused at times. Vehicle competes in a shrinking market.

ONE of the more under-reported events of New Zealand’s 2020 motoring year has been a substantial reduction in the choice of a long-serving nameplate – the Ford Focus.

We first saw that name close to 22 years ago when the first-generation model was launched here to replace the Mazda 323-derived Laser. Since then, the Focus has regularly been a solid competitor in the small car segment against the likes of Toyota Corolla and Mazda3.

But times change, and the advent of the small SUV is having a massive effect on the ongoing viability of small front-driven hatchbacks and sedans. Year to date to the end of August this year, what are known as compact SUVs have commanded 18 percent of our new vehicle market – while small passenger cars have reduced their share to a measly six percent.

So what to do? Ford New Zealand’s response has been to make some members of the Focus lineup redundant. The entry Trend hatch and Trend wagon have gone, and the Titanium level of specification has disappeared.

Instead, there are now just three members of a Focus lineup that Ford New Zealand has dubbed the 2020.75 selection. And interestingly, they’ve all moved away from being standard hatchbacks – instead, the focus (ahem) is on them being a bit special in different ways.

At the top there’s the Focus ST, a 206kW 2.3-litre turbocharged hot hatch that has entered the Kiwi market at $59,990. Then there’s the ST-Line X, which at $42,990 essentially replaces the Titanium but which has a greater driver focus (ahem again) via such things as lowered sports suspension, and sporty interior detailing.

And the entry model is now the $37,990 Focus Active, a hatch which gives the bird to those darned SUVs by pinching various design elements off them, such as increased ground clearance and extended wheel arches with protective cladding, and still claims to be a hatch.

I love it. As a motoring journalist I’m always banging on about how silly it is for some small vehicles to be described as SUVs when they clearly aren’t. They might have jacked-up ride heights, but they’re also front-wheel drive and with hatchback body shapes – and to my eyes that makes them small passenger cars, not sports utility vehicles.

But with the Focus Active, Ford doesn’t suite describe it as an SUV. Closest the brand goes is to describe the vehicle as having an SUV-inspired design. And that’s great, because it leaves the real Ford SUVs, such as the upcoming Escape and the smaller Puma, to market themselves as SUVs.

I’ve just spent a week behind the wheel of a Focus Active, and it’s a great compact car. It’s jacked-up ride height – 30mm at the front and 35mm at the rear – means it is easier to get in and out of than a traditional small hatchback, but in just about every other respect it operates like any hatchback should.

Just about. The latest Focus range has a selectable drive mode system that normally offers Normal, Sport and Eco. But in the Active, this has been extended so the system also offers a Slippery mode for low-traction conditions, and a Trail mode for soft surfaces. So that’s another difference that underlines the ‘active’ intent of the Focus Active.

But it still doesn’t make it an SUV.

Powering the Focus Active is a 1.5-litre turbocharged three cylinder EcoBoost engine that develops 134kW of power and 240Nm of torque. The engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic that is operated by using a rotary gearshift dial, which was something that I simply couldn’t get used to.

The dial is simple enough to operate – you turn the dial to select Park, Reverse, Neutral or Drive – and there’s a central button to push if you wish to operate the transmission manually using paddles on the steering wheel. But I discovered that I must spend a lot of my driving time with my left hand resting on a gearshift lever, because the lack of one in the Focus felt a bit strange.

It’s a very good engine and transmission combination though. I was fascinated to learn that the little triple engine has cylinder deactivation technology that automatically shuts down one cylinder at times when torque demand is low, such as cruising along a motorway.

Sometimes it feel as if the transmission got a little confused when the Focus was operating in the Normal drive mode. I felt things were much better in Sport, with the auto able to extract quite sparkling performance from what remains a small capacity engine.

A major selling point of the Focus Active when it was first released here was that it has independent rear suspension, whereas the likes of the Focus Trend had a torsion beam setup. But with the 2020.75 rationalisation, all three Focus models now have the IRS.

The Active’s multi-link setup remains a little different however, because the suspension is high-riding to give that little extra ground clearance. But don’t think that translates to any lessening of ride and handling ability, because this vehicle drives really well, helped along by the stability of 17-inch wheels.

The Active theme is carried through into the interior, with all seats featuring an ‘A’ on the seat backs. It also has rear privacy glass, an eight-inch colour touch screen, Ford’s Sync-3 in-vehicle communications system which includes Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone compatibility, wireless smartphone charging, and satellite navigation.

The vehicle also now has the FordPass Connect embedded modem which features an array of remote vehicle functionality and connected services such as remote vehicle lock and unlock.

Perhaps if there is one downside to the Focus Active’s claim to offering the benefits of being a crossover vehicle without calling itself an SUV, is that it doesn’t look like an SUV – and given New Zealand’s current fixation with that vehicle type, it might be a disadvantage.

I hope not, because the Active really does appeal as a vehicle that spans the boundary between a small hatchback and a small SUV. Best of both worlds, you could say.

Stinging mettle – so, you're looking for a performance hatch

In alphabetical order, here they are – the Abarth 595 Competizione, AMG 45 S and the Ford Focus ST. Oh, and just for good measure, a surprise mystery guest.

ON the right roads, in the right conditions, there’s nothing to touch a compact car packing a big punch – so here’s a big ‘yeah boi’ for that fantastic creation, the hot hatch.

Here’s an acknowledgement, too, of how far that formula has gone. The four cars on test today very much remind just how elastic the genre has become. 

Today’s ilk present across a span of abilities, from instruments of cost-effective fun to full-out, spend up large small-sized supercar slayers.

The common connect? Easy. All aim, of course, to deliver the base attraction of being driver’s cars of pedigree performance purity. Compelling zest, eye-popping pace, keen handling and an easily exploitable chassis … often, too, an ability to provide the most amount of laughs for the smallest amount of money. It’s right here.

Hot hatches – a category anything packing a tailgate of some kind fits into, even when the body stylings otherwise diverge – have been in our blood for 40 years now, but that’s not to say they’re here to stay. At least, not in the banging and burbling format we’ve got to know so well.

In case you still didn’t know, purely fossil fuel-reliant engines are on the way out. Cold hard fact, in the distant future, the hot hatch will follow every other passenger vehicle in having to ultimately abdicate its internal combustion engine entirely in favour of being completely electric.

Stricter emissions standards are already increasingly putting pressure on car makers to reduce their average CO2 emissions across their fleet of models or face hefty financial penalties; which puts pressure on low-volume but high CO2 producing cars like hot hatches. 

That’s why Ford cancelled plans for the next-generation Focus RS, why Peugeot, which has a long and illustrious hot hatch legacy, has reportedly added electric impetus into the formula for it next 208 GTi and why Volkswagen, arguably the inventors of the hot hatch with the 1975 Golf GTI, has committed to battery-assisted impetus for all almost all its performance fare. The new GTi coming next year will be spared, but anything from now on with an ‘R’ badge won’t.

 So, if you’re convinced petrol purity is an essential element of this concept, it’s potentially time to act fast. If you’re out to ‘get ‘em while they’re hot’, the following should all be considered.

ABARTH 595 COMPETIZIONE

 Base price: $42,490

Powertrain and economy: 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder, 132kW/250Nm, 5-speed automated single-clutch transmission, FWD, combined economy 5.8L/100km, CO2 133g/km.

Vital statistics: 3657mm long, 1627mm wide, 1485mm high, 2300mm wheelbase, luggage capacity185 litres, 17-inch alloy wheels.

For: Giant-killing spirit, design’s longevity, sounds fantastic.

Against:  A touch too mad to be a daily driver, that gearbox!

BACK in 2007 I had the amazing good fortune to travel to Italy to drive the hot Ferrari of the moment, the 430 Scuderia.

In addition to that Michael Schumacher-tweaked model, we also had opportunity to drive a Fiat that, while highly familiar in teensy ambience and look, was then so new to the scene it was still months from being exported, let alone being built in right-hand drive. 

The ‘Scud’ was a fab but fleeting thing; a treasured veteran now, so increased in value most are no longer driven. 

The Fiat 500, on the other hand, has kept going … and going … and going. Thirteen years is sometimes two complete production cycles these days, yet the 500 endures. It’s more than just the life cycle; the design’s longevity is also something special. A very modest facelift in 2015 aside, it’s been completely unchanged.

The only version still around now is the 595 Competizione from Abarth, which has been spinning out heated versions of Fiat’s supermini since 2008. 

Really, the 595 is a reheat. You might recall that the most bonkers limited-edition Abarth 500 ever was a limited count tribute car to Ferrari issued in 2012; the maddest, most extravagant version of this bad-ass baby ever. 

Would we ever see the likes of it again? Yes. It’s this car.  Okay, the 595 isn’t a complete reissue, but only in sense that there’s less carbon fibre and there are no Prancing Horse badges now. 

But when it comes to the essentials and even some ingredients such as the steering wheel … well, I’d suggest there’d be an excellent chance of interchangeability. The turbocharged 1.4-litre powertrain, single clutch automated manual transmission, suspension, tyre type and wheel sizes are all as first rolled with that Fezza-aligned funster. Which, by the way, at $80,000 a pop, cost basically twice as much as a 595 does now.

At half the price, Italy’s smallest streel brawler obviously becomes a much better pitch against its most obvious competition - mainly the auto-only $39,740 Volkswagen Polo GTI and the manual-only $35,490 Ford Fiesta ST.

Well, in theory. In reality, it is a harder road to take. The Tom Thumb size, a transmission that’s the work of the Devil; the skateboard ride, Mack-like turning circle and dated ambience.

And yet, as an ultimate format of a car designed as 500s always were – as cheap, friendly choices for the cash-constrained masses. – it’s an impressive feat that, for all the annoyances and constraints, gets under your skin. 

Race seats, a fat-rimmed, flat-bottomed steering wheel. alloy pedals, leather-trimmed shifter, a boost gauge cum shift light, plonked boy racer import car-style atop the dash, a back seat that’s more a low-set parcel shelf … all ludicrous, I know, but superb to see. Likewise the 17-inch alloys, fat sill extensions, twin exhausts and Brembo brakes with red calipers.

Even if anything fails to draw your eye, it’ll certainly turn your head on strength of sound. Of the cars gathered here, it was by far and away the loudest for exhaust note. And bravo to whoever tuned those twin pipes to deliver such a barking - dare I say Ferrari-esque – stridency.

Does it go? Does it heck, though everything tends to be brought down to scale. A 0-100kmh time of 7.4 seconds and top speed of 215kmh isn’t hugely hot, but when the setting sites just centimetres above the road and in a wee capsule everything is somewhat ‘amplified’. Karters know what I mean.

Somewhere between extra-nippy and surprisingly rapid, it’s certainly busy enough at 100kmh to warrant your full attention, the engine being spirited and rev hungry, especially in Sport. This activates the turbo’s overboost function and makes the exhaust note raspier and is, of course, mandatory, as driving it like a loon is operating at ‘Italian normal’.

That “Competizione MTA automated manual” delivers with four buttons: 1, N, R and A/M translating to ‘first’, ‘neutral’, ‘reverse’ and ‘auto/manual.’ You need to start out in first and then either allow it to self-shift through the forward gears or go into manual, which requires you to change up and down with paddle shifters.

Auto mode is the default but hardly good; the shifts tend to be lurchy and ill-timed. Manual is far sportier, snappier and much more in tune with the engine’s effervescence … once you learn that the path to smooth, slick upshifts is to snap off the throttle just at the point of upshift, then smack down on it again as the gear engages.

Basically, it’s a wild wee ride …that (and you knew this was coming) due to the wee wheelbase, light weight and limiting strut front, torsion beam rear suspension, feels that way, too. Jauntiness evident around town becomes the primary attribute that will make or break long-distance travel at open road speed.

The patron saint of tyres is a saving grace; it relies hugely on the 17-inch Michelin tyres providing plenty of sticky grip (they do). Also, you’ll find those brakes are much more than titillation and the go-kart-like direct steering means it points faithfully. Yet bumps that would be shrugged off by larger, heavier fare cause it to jump and crash about and it’ll accomplish hard cornering with untidy, inside rear wheel-lifting brio.

There’s nothing to suggest there’s a lack of sincerity in its engineering yet it’s also a car challenging you to accept that, in its world, things are different.

MERCEDES-AMG A 45 S

Base price: $111,000

Powertrain and economy: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol inline four-cylinder, 310kW/500Nm, 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, AWD, combined economy 8.9L/100km, CO2 204g/km.

Vital statistics: 4419mm long, 1796mm wide, 1440mm high, 2729mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 355 litres, 19-inch alloy wheels.

For: Exquisite engineering, astounding engine, surprisingly flexible.

Against: So pricey, can we have the gear stick back?

WHEN the A45 first launched it was packing 265kW and, once the Audi RS3 achieved a touch more, AMG pumped it up to a class-leading 280kW, enhancing the torque by 25Nm to 475Nm for good measure. And that was enough to reinstate as the world’s most powerful 2.0-litre hot hatch, never to be troubled since.

Now there’s this while new generation. Which conceivably could have kept all the good bits of before and still been class king. Except, of course, it hasn’t. AMG was probably bothered, for one, that the old car was just 0.1 seconds faster to 100kmh from a standing start than the Ingolstadt worrier. Also, this is a brand whose credo is based on continual improvement.

Accordingly, with transference to a new platform, they’ve gone and redone all the performance hardware. Comprehensively. Power climbs to 310kW, torque to 500Nm, 0-100kmh falls to 3.9 seconds and … well, life with this wee smasher becomes even more of a blaring blur.

Well, that’s how it looks. In reality, there’s potentially a point where fast is fast, and faster doesn’t really feel it. I’d imagine that were all editions to be brought together, I guess you would have little trouble rating their respective blast values and picking the one that has, on the hot hatch scale, just gone into the equivalent of a thermonuclear zone. 

But among A45 constants is that it has always been so much about the thrusting rush. Every predecessor has offered what this one delivers so easily; the kind of heart-jolting accelerative excitement that normally only associates with roller coasters when they free-fall off the ride’s highest point.

So it keeps doing that. Just as it keeps on setting the mark for being a car that seems almost over-qualified for the job it undertakes. 

As a rule of thumb, you can generally take it for granted that any carmaker, when heating up any family car – which this still is, being an A-Class by birthright – will approach the process with some extra consideration and enthusiasm. But the AMG is more than that; the processes that involve here are astounding exacting, perhaps not to the point of overkill, but certainly to a level where the word ‘perfection’ seems to translate as ‘borderline acceptable’. 

Assuredly, some owners will wonder why it needs as many performance functions or even why it so patently factors in performance abilities that, let’s agree, are well beyond reach in our driving environment, even on some racing circuits, and perhaps even the average level of engagement.

Fair point? Well, maybe, though I think the colleague who reckons it has somehow become so good as to be sanitised is missing the point. 

For sure, it is a car that enforces you’d have to be driving like an utter loon – and then some - to reach beyond the point where it cannot cope. There’s a massive zone in which it will behave at a level that is as intoxicating as it is incredible, to the point where it will make you question all you thought you knew about physics. 

And yet as much as it does all that, it also gives greater acknowledgement to the probability that some drivers haven’t the skill level to meet its capabilities, and accordingly gives them a better chance when they mess up. Yet on the other hand it also plays to expectations of those who do have the talent.

You imagine it already very devilish in the daily drive modes, which reach to Sport, but turn the dial further into Race and it assuredly so much more evil evidences that you realise PDQ that with this car, there’s extreme and there’s EXTREME. 

The throttle sharpness is so much greater, every bit of the grunt is availed, it revs more readily to 6750rpm, which is where peak power occurs, and anything beyond light throttle translates into extremely quick forward motion. The latency is obvious when pegged at a standstill as the car positively quivers.

The exhaust note, too, finally releases the pop-bang, so reminiscent of Group A rally cars of old, that used to avail so easily in the first-gen car. Enforcing the seriousness here are the bonus facilities of launch control and drift modes; each open on presumption you already have a handle on the basics of their technique. Chucking an all-wheel-drive car into a slide is still a tricky business. 

As always, it isn’t shy in announcing the insanity. The test car’s special yellow paintwork, which is all part of the Edition 1 treatment, is barely necessary, because so much more about the car’s appearance draws attention anyway.

Those 90mm diameter quad exhaust pipes sitting either side of a diffuser marked out by two vertical twin fins, there to help to suck the rear of the car down – also the job of the big angled spoiler on the top of the boot lid and the dive planes jutting out of the DTM-ready front spoiler - the huge 360mm cross-drilled front discs and accompanying six-piston callipers sitting all too obviously behind the fat tyre-shod 19-inch alloys, plus all the performance shop stuff inside – in this case, including heavily-bolstered front chairs that are a no-cost option to wider, more roadcar-style types, plus the requisite flat-bottomed and flat-sided steering wheel in Alcantara and complete with yellow twelve o'clock marker on the top  … all lend very obvious clues to it being intended for rather more than a shopping run.

Those used to the old cars will find easily acquaintance with the new, save that they’ll search in vain for the stubby central gearshifter.

Notwithstanding that the new approach - shifting, when things get busy, by way of the now larger, alloy paddle, one on each side of the steering column, and then fine-tuning adjustment with chubby multifunction switchgear on the wheel hub – presents a more appropriate tie-in with  Mercedes’ F1 involvements, and definitely delivers good result from the new AMG Speedshift eight-speed dual-clutch auto, I do miss the shifter, if only because it looks far more ‘pro’ than what we get now: The Mercedes’ 101 of a plastic column wand to engage Drive, Reverse, Park and Neutral. 

The dials you’ll play with most are the shortcuts that can be set up for the damper settings and active exhaust, or something else should you prefer and another that lets you toggle through the different drive modes. Elsewhere, the broad double display setup of the MBUX infotainment system stretches across the top of the shallow dashboard and it’ll also impart loads of performance-specific info, in addition to undertaking all the everyday functions dedicated to infotainment and the like.

The active and fully variable 4Matic Plus all-wheel-drive transmission with its AMG Torque Control is a thing of beauty. Power is distributed between the front and rear axles, with torque vectoring by brake on the front axle and a more advanced twin multi-disc clutch setup on the rear. These electronically controlled clutches offer total variability in power distribution across the rear axle.

So it’s good to go. And go, and go. And though it can accommodate drivers who are compelled to keep it in Comfort mode and tootle within the posted limits, to the point of offering a reasonably cosseting ride and even some decent degree of comfort – notwithstanding those sports seats are probably only good for a couple of hours – it’s really designed to drive. Hard.

The most rewarding section of a two-hour final run was the quite country road section that was done and dusted in 20 minutes. On that piece, the reward was intense: The car was all but telepathic.

It’s really hard to see how the A45 could be improved. Except, of course, they’ve already managed to do just that three times already. So, undoubtedly, it will be.

Shame the price has to be so stratospherically high, though the one consolation is that A45s are among those AMGs that seem to hold remarkably good residual value. Surely that’s as much a nod of acknowledgement to their special qualities as anything else?

Ford Focus ST

Base price:  $59,490
Powertrain and performance:  2.3-litre four-cylinder DOHC 16-valve turbocharged petrol engine. 206kW/5500rpm, 420Nm/3000-4000rpm. Front-wheel drive. Fuel consumption 8.6L/100km.
Vital statistics: Length 4388mm, height 1492mm, width 1825mm, wheelbase 2700mm. Luggage 273 litres. Wheels: 19-inch alloys with 235/35 ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres.
For: Best Focus ST yet.

We don’t like: A manual option wouldn’t hurt, cheap interior plastics, RS fans need look elsewhere.

NEW Zealand’s association with fast Focuses (or should it be Focii? You decide) has been a wild ride through history.

Beginning with the 127kW/196Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder ST170 of 2003, the adventure really fired up with the thrilling and hugely characterful 2.5-litre 166kW/320Nm five-cylinder XR5 Turbo. Everything became all the more exciting after that when Ford doubled the mix; keeping a front-drive firework but also offering a more honed higher-tier model that, by adding in the ingredients of four-wheel-drive, tricky differentials and even more explosive power – initially in a five-pot format that performed sensationally and sounded superb - and then as a four-pot that kept everything on the boil, even that amazingly evocative burble, really shook things up. 

And now it’s … different, with all bets hinging on the lesser of the two formulas.

Which makes things interesting, when you consider that two letters have always explained not just why the ST has previously been sporty to a certain point, but still is. 

Ford ditching the RS was a late action. One that occurred well after the ST now acting in its stead had gone into production. You’d have to think that, had the determination to axe the previous flagship occurred before ST had been signed off, the latter might have been made even more sharp-edged than it is. But that’s not how it played out.

So the point is? Well, just this. Don’t hung up about how well this car compares to the RS. It was never designed to be an alternate so doesn’t deserve consideration as a stand-in now. How can it?

The only Focus it needs to be compared with is the previous ST and that’s an exercise in which the outcomes are pretty much entirely positive – it’s a major step forward.

Obviously, there’s significantly more fizz, though in spending time with it you quickly realise that’s not the only pull. Also adding to the value is the shift in transmission choice – yes, it’s a shame it no longer has three pedals, but an automated manual now is crucial for ongoing (and elevated) success. The car’s on a much better platform, the latest styling is more attractive and the ST equipment level is finally properly sorted. That previous ST was too ‘lite’ for comfort features and driver assists. 

Simply, what we get now is something that feels less a product of marketing hype than engineering can-do. Even though it retains rather more of the basic bits that go into a standard Focus than the RS ever would, it uses those shared parts well. And all the special extras are … well, more special.

 For instance, while the suspension components are basically the same, it takes adaptive dampers, which stiffen and soften according to which buttons you've pressed. There’s an electronically controlled differential, which uses hydraulically operated clutches - and a myriad of sensors and inputs - to shunt as much as 100 percent of the engine's power to the wheel that can handle it best. And to help keep it on the boil, the engine gets an anti-lag system, distantly related to that used by Ford's rally cars, which keeps the turbo spinning even when you've lifted off the throttle. 

While the body kit isn’t overly rakish, it takes Recaro front bucket seats – which, for the first time ever in a performance Focus, are properly low-seat - and the grey-finished alloy wheels are treated to the same, very grippy Michelin Sport Pilot tyres Benz puts onto the A45.

If you have to pick immediate allures, that’s easy. One is that engine, the other is the chassis.

It’s not just that it has 22kW more and another 60Nm; the more crucial element is that the new outputs are a lot more honest. The old car’s oomph unrolled in in intriguing fashion; it was an engine that felt faster than it potentially was, as evidenced by a claimed 0-100kmh sprint time that put it in the dust raised by the Golf GTi, the RenaultSport Megane and Subaru’s WRX manual back in the day.

The new is far less likely to feel the sting of sand in its face. An increased displacement is handy, but really this engine shines because it is of better pedigree, being basically the Mustang's 2.3-litre, turned sideways, and detuned just a little. Its maximum power output is more than you'd get in all but the most expensive versions of the Golf GTI, the same as from that Megane RS and a just a little bit less than a Honda Civic Type R. The big torque and that clever anti-lag system ensure it's sure not slow, that 5.7-second 0-100kmh time confirms it, though really it’s the wide slug of oomph that really seals the deal. This is an engine that feels robustly muscular all through its rev range.  It also sounds good, almost like the old five-cylinder engine, with some nice pops and crackles on the overrun. 

Such a gold medal effort for a car that previously struggled to find a podium place holder deserves the silver lining of a terrific transmission. Which the new seven-speed is … in the main. 

A six-speed manual alternate still exists – in other markets. Ford NZ has chosen not to bother, in belief the volume sales potential rests with the auto, so it wants to concentrate on a single variant. 

Logic suggests that’s going with the flow – for instance, almost all hot Golf buyers prefer direct shift and the Renault Sport Megane’s status has lifted by going this way. Ford’s box delivers pretty good shift quality. It’s as snappy as you’d want into the Sport and Track settings, smoother in the Normal you’ll revert back to for everyday driving.

However, there are irks. For one, as Colin Smith pinpointed in his own test, the gearing is slightly out of step with Kiwi speed limits; an irksome indecisiveness between sixth and seven incurs around 100km. Also, the rotary dial gear selector is a bit budget - as indeed are too many plastics within the cabin – and a bit underwhelming for a performance model while the  steering wheel buttons that initiate the sports functions could be more logical – why two, separated by a third that has nothing to do with going faster? The one closest to the wheel boss allows a primary access whereas the other opens into a sub-menu for the fully fun stuff that very much widen the car’s character. Track – which comes with the usual ‘circuit only’ nonsense advisory – very much amps up the engine note accompaniment and delivers pronounced throttle blipping down shifts. 

There’s some steering tug when you floor it, but with an electronically controlled limited slip differential assisting with power application, it’s nothing like the wrist-stretching torque steer that used to affect old-school types. The ST also achieves sharper steering than the regular Focus, too, so there’s less swivel.

Another high-end aid that delivers positively is the Continuously Controlled Damping, which monitors suspension, steering and braking inputs at 2 milli-second frequency to adjust damping responses. It’s a very responsive and clever system.

Ford has good history insofar as chassis development goes and the ST doesn’t let the side down. It’d be intriguing to put this model up against the ST Fiesta to judge which was the more athletic; potentially the smaller car has a touch more deftness, but it’d be close.

The Focus definitely has an ace card with the multi-link rear suspension it gains in place of the torsion beam axle used in mainstream Focus hatches; that it rides closer to the tarmac than the standard car also is a positive.

Basically, it has an exciting stick-like-glue feel, is hugely confident attacking corners and is rarely significantly rattled by ruts and bumps. How could it be improved? Well, there is a way … but it involves provisioning the enhanced traction that is delivered to the AMG 45. An all-wheel-drive ST would be a heck of a thing, but it’d also be a lot closer to being the kind of Focus Ford says it no longer wants to build.

All the same, it’s this greater … ahem .. focus on hardcore dynamism that really makes this ST more impressive to drive than any before it. A touch more effort on cabin quality and perhaps a bit of a rethink about how to improve the gearbox’s actions and involvements and this direct, agile and purposeful model would be the best thing out there in the sub-$60k sector.

HYUNDAI VELOSTER 1.6T LIMITED
Base price: $52,990
Powertrain and economy: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol, 150kW/265Nm, 7-speed dual clutch transmission, FWD, combined economy 7.1 L/100km, CO2 163g/km.
Vital statistics: 4240mm long, 1800mm wide, 1409mm high, 2650mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 303 litres, 18-inch alloy wheels.
For: Second generation car is so much better sorted than its predecessor.
Against: Too closely priced to the massively harder-edged i30 N and who needs this weirdo design?

THIS was, quite literally, the car in the background.

If not for a change in testing date, the Hyundai would not have been on the scene. And, truth be told, it wasn’t expected to be part of the scene when it did turn up. The intent was to leave it parked up and totally out of the picture until the ‘fast’ stuff story had been signed off.

Except that proved impossible. During those days there were occasions when the Veloster had to be driven. And, every time it was, it took opportunity to strive to impress that it, too, had a right to be considered picked for play. So should it?

Well … maybe. In truth, there are hurdles beyond the first and most obvious one; which is that asymmetric body styling. It’s not for me.

Frankly, I never warmed to with the first generation of this car and still see no point to with the second. Mostly, it’s because I’m just a person who enjoys the neatness of symmetry; so the Veloster’s ‘two doors on one side, one on the other’ approach straight away irks on that level.

But it also fails to convince because it lends no particular benefit in respect to practicality. If anything having front doors this long simply makes it awkward when you’re parking, because in angle slots especially you are always aware of the requirement for additional space in which to swing them, else it’s hard to get in or out. Beyond that, it just looks weird. So, yes, as much as I acknowledge that it’s always good to have a USP, basically any standout ingredient only becomes a plus when it has a purpose. And this doesn’t.

Anyway, putting all that aside – impossible, I know, but let’s try – the Veloster will have to convince that it’s basically as good as the established Hyundai hot hatch that is very good indeed; the i30 N.

Surprised it comes closer to the car the South Korean mega-brand hired former BMW M Division engineering supremo Albert Biermann to help make, and then poured huge R&D resources behind? Yeah, me too.

The Veloster in previous form has never been anything like that sporty. And, truth be told, it still isn’t feral enough to take on the N product in a straight-up fight, because outright performance still isn’t on par. And yet it does at least feel a lot sportier now than it previously did. Transference to a more competent chassis (the same platform as the i30, which brings a new multi-link rear suspension) seems to have inspired the development team, but perhaps they also began to spend time with Biermann’s group as well.

Whatever has happened, the Veloster has a lot more fighting spirit than previously. It has a nicely snappy version of the direct shift transmission – which, of course, the N has yet to get and very much needs – achieves much better suspension tuning than before, is given some decent brakes, is treated to good tyres (no points for guessing these being Michelin Pilots) and even has better seats. All of which makes it much more memorable.

Even that the colour range now includes the shade seen here, a dull metallic grey finish that seems identical to the hue that was once a very expensive option on very high-end performance cars (Ferraris and AMGs especially) and was so special care it couldn’t be hand-washed with anything other than an expensive solution … well, it adds to Hyundai taking this car in a route that was previously too hard. What’s always been a sports car by definition has, at least become sporty.

Mind you, that’s possibly just the version on test. An entry level model with Hyundai's 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is available, but you know it’s highly unlikely to be as sharp or as involving as the flagship Turbo Limited. 

This one is powered by a 1.6-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder. It’s the same size engine that does the i30 N such good and, though not as highly tuned here – with 52kW less at optimum - assuredly it has decent verve, particularly when you tap into the turbo over-boost though kick-off enthusiasm is reasonably good, too. It even manages a snarly exhaust note from time to time. 

It’s in marriage to a seven-speed dual clutch transmission whose character is in theme with the engine’s improved nature. Sure, it demands a moment to sort itself when transferring from forward to rearward motion – but, then, all transmissions of this type tend to ask for this. But if you’re pressing on and expecting swift, accomplished up and down changes, it’s really in the mood. 

The car’s ride is the most cosseting in this group, no arguing about that. Yet grip is good and the car now has a far more positive attitude, at least with just a driver aboard, than it previously demonstrated. The nose-led attitude has been vanquished for a sharp, responsive turn-in. The torque vectoring control system doubtless helps keep it tidy, but it doesn’t seem too intrusive.

It’s all good, if only to a point. Frankly, this is still the car that will struggle to keep the others in its sight; there’s not quite enough wick, for a start. But does deserve kudos for a demonstrating more tenacity than it appears capable of. 

If more madcap, it still stays sensible on safety grounds. In typical Hyundai fashion the car is loaded with assists. The SmartSense suite now standard on every Veloster incorporates driver attention warning, forward collision warning, forward collision-avoidance assist, blind-spot collision warning, rear cross-traffic collision warning, adaptive cruise control, high beam assist and lane keeping assist systems. Some can be a little over-zealous, but it’s all for a good cause.

The second-gen cabin has a more affluent feel now and of course it has a large touchscreen with provision for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a heap on in-house developed functions. There’s wireless phone charging, too; on a decent-sized pad to boot. Heated and ventilated front seats, a head-up display, a full-width glass sunroof and an 8-speaker Infinity premium audio system are provisioned, plus the kind of leather that never convinces as being from a bovine.

So, all in all, it’s an intriguing car, albeit not one that ultimate sells itself easily. It’s become bigger, which helps free up more interior room – though not to the point of making it four adult friendly - and while the design proper doesn’t work for me, I’d have to agree the shape has become more attractive, particularly in silhouette.

Realistically, if any Veloster has a chance of getting into your life, it’s this one. But it’s probably only an outside chance. Especially with the family opus i30 N costing just $2000 more. Still, it was interesting and if you’re an absolute fan of ‘out of the ordinary’ …. well, it’s certainly that.

Ford Focus ST: Kicking butt in the new performance hero

Will an underdog be accepted as king of the kennel? More specifically, can a 206kW front-drive hot hatch fill the boots of a far more hyperactive four-wheel-drive big brother now out of the picture?

Base Price:  $59,490
Powertrain and performance:  2.3-litre four-cylinder DOHC 16-valve turbocharged petrol engine. 206kW/5500rpm, 420Nm/3000-4000rpm. Front-wheel drive. Fuel consumption 8.6L/100km (claim), 8.8L/100km (road test).
Vital statistics: Length 4388mm, height 1492mm, width 1825mm, wheelbase 2700mm. Luggage 273 litres. Wheels: 19-inch alloys with 235/35 ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres.
We Like: Genuine hot-hatch turbo performance supported by highly competent suspension tuning, braking capability plus superb steering. Appealing sub-$60K price point delivers a cohesive mix of performance, five-door hatch practicality and a generous equipment level.

We don’t like: No manual transmission availability for NZ market. Gearing of auto is not quite suited to 100kmh highway cruising.

SAY hello to Ford’s half-RSed new hot-hatch.

That’s both a cheeky journalist quip and a compliment to the Ford Performance engineers’ achievement with the new Focus ST.

For three generations the Focus has offered warmed-up ST and properly hot RS models. However, it was recently confirmed there isn’t going to be a gen-four Focus RS.

That’s bad news if you like insanely quick AWD hot-hatches with $80K price tags but good news if your situation allows a seriously quick car with a sub-$60K window sticker.

The ST becomes a more serious performer with the first clues to its progress found on the specification list.

There’s increased engine displacement with the new 2.3-litre four-cylinder being a close relative of both the Mustang Turbo and gen-3 Focus RS engine.

In ST tune it features twin scroll turbo plumbing, electronic waste gate control plus anti-lag system and develops 206kW at 5500rpm (up from 184kW from the previous 2.0-litre unit). A 60Nm increase hikes peak torque to 420Nm between 3000-4000rpm. 

In perhaps the biggest change the ST becomes exclusively a two-pedal experience for Kiwi buyers to rival the likes of the VW Golf GTI and Renault Megane RS and differentiate from the manual-only Hyundai i30N and Honda Civic Type R.

The new seven-speed automatic with paddle shifters will broaden the buyer appeal of the Focus ST. Other markets – including Australia – offer a six-speed manual version as well but Ford NZ believes the volume sales potential rests with the ST auto and wants to concentrate on a single variant.

The ST can deliver punchy acceleration and has high-torque part-throttle response. The transmission shifts quickly and smoothly but the gearing is slightly out of step with Kiwi speed limits - at 100km/h it settles in sixth gear at 1700rpm and doesn’t make the final upshift till about 107kmh.

The new ST performance hardware doesn’t end with the engine and transmission.

An electronically controlled limited slip differential assists with power application through the front-drive chassis and a Continuously Controlled Damping (CCD) system makes its debut.

CCD monitors suspension, steering and braking inputs at 2 milli-second frequency to adjust damping responses. It’s a very responsive system that gives a much more supple ride than you might expect at lower speeds but provides taut damping control when it’s required.

Along with the e-LSD the new ST gains revised steering and front suspension geometry along with a multi-link rear suspension rather than the torsion beam axle used in mainstream Focus hatches.

It rides 10mm lower and the power-down confidence even on damp surfaces is impressive with excellent 235/35 ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres working alongside the new geometry and electronics. 

Well defined Normal, Sport, Track and Slippery selectable drive modes further widen the character of the ST. Sport and Track add some throaty amplified engine note accompaniment and throttle blipping down shifts. For quicker access to Sport mode there’s a button on the steering wheel rather than scrolling through modes.

But perhaps the very best attribute of the Focus ST is the quickened steering ratio and the consistent feedback that it offers. 

It’s just 2.0 turns lock-to-lock and the level of assistance and road feel is very impressive. The car communicates its confidence and grip level whether it’s on city streets, the smoothest of highways or a lumpy and twisty rural road.

Ford New Zealand has launched the new Focus ST with a $59,490 price-tag. It’s smartly appointed with highlights including the firmly bolstered, leather and alcantara trimmed Recaro front seats, a Head-Up Display and excellent LED headlights with auto high beam control.

The ST exterior theme includes unique dark grey mesh grille and lower frontal treatment, side skirts, 19-inch alloy wheels, an extended rear spoiler and lower rear diffuser. 

There is a reasonably large diameter flat bottom steering wheel provides substance to the driving experience and ST detailing includes instruments with red needles, Ford Performance sill plates and silver stitch seat trim.

Standard equipment includes dual zone climate control, heated front seats, keyless entry and start, an electric park brake, auto park system, the latest generation SYNC3 infotainment system with Navigation, Apple Car Play and Android Auto accessed by the 8.0-inch touchscreen.

In terms of practicality the Focus ST shares the longer wheelbase benefits with its mainstream stablemates including improved rear passenger legroom and offers a 60/40 split fold rear seat. 

The ST carries a space saver spare wheel but there is room to stow a full-size tyre if you remove the plastic spacer.

This half-RSed strategy has achieved a substantially heightened level of performance and capability for the Focus ST. It’s exactly where the wisecrack suggests – neatly between previous ST and RS excitement and is made all the more attractive by remaining close to the prior ST price point.  

Ford Fiesta ST – celebrate the madness

Ford’s smallest hot hatch hasn’t cooled its heels in the time taken to get here.

Base price: $35,490.
Powertrain and performance: 1.5-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder, 147kW/290Nm, 6-speed manual, FWD, fuel economy 7.0 litres per 100km (source: WLTP), 0-100kmh 6.5 seconds.
Vital statistics: 4068mm long, 1469mm high, 2493mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 311 litres, 18-inch alloy wheels with 205/40 tyres.
We like: Characterful engine and chassis, so much fun.
We don't like: Recaro seats better for short distances than long, chintzy interior.

 WHO wants a sensible, straight-laced small car?

Yeah, not many hands are being raised these days. Understandable. For better or worse, the models that used to be pick of the litter are now struggling to be noticed.

So, it’s really not that surprising that the latest Ford Fiesta won’t be emigrating. If too few bought the old one, why bother bringing in the new, right 

Except that’s not quite how it goes. Ford NZ hasn’t left the party entirely. For fans of the hotshot ST, it’s still very much Fiesta time. In fact, from now on playlist entirely fixates on the performance model.

Which is … well, a ‘fascinating’ strategy. No dissing the ST, it’s a great car. A really great car. But if this is a pitch to pep up the model’s sales pace …. well, history suggests it’s not going to work.

Hot hatches are select choices. Hot hatches with manual gearboxes all the more so. Ford learned as much with the previous ST. Though the best of the bunch, it also pulled in the fewest registrations of all the variants.

So, clearly, Ford here has been affected by some sort of madness. And, personally, I hope they never find a cure. If they’re happy to sell simply it on the strength of vivacious verve and not give a thought to actual volume, then assuredly their risk is your gain.

As oxymoronic as it might seem, the ST is all the better for being tailored to the tastes of a maniac few than to the mainstream many.  In saying that, this car is so tailored to the push-on enthusiast you wonder how on Earth its development team got away with achieving sign off. Quite potentially, they might never get to do so again.

All power to those motorsport genes, right? Erm, actually … no.  One of the ST’s naughty secrets is that the marketing pitch lending impression of firm association between this hot hatch and the machines that fly the Blue Oval flag in rallying is not quite true. In fact, it’s barely credible.

This ST wasn’t in circulation when the full-out WRC and R5 Fiesta cars that gravel smash for Blue Oval glory were developed. Malcolm Wilson’s M-Sport crowd, which isn’t so much a works outfit as a works-supported one, developed its wee titans off the Fiesta ST-Line. Basically a standard car in sports shoes. 

Not that it matters one way or the other because, on technical grounds, the race and road products clearly rally to different causes. Good luck trying to buy from a dealer a Fiesta with a tricky sequential gearbox and four-wheel-drive, let alone enough horsepower to frighten Ferraris. You can’t. Indeed, if any production Ford comes even remotely close to that formula, it’s the Focus RS. Which has just been axed.

No matter. It’s not as if the ST has been neglected under the bonnet. True, the 1.5-litre three-cylinder is the smallest engine ever committed to duty behind the ST badge, but it’s no shirker.

If anything, actually, this is exactly the right ingredient for these times. If you want a fast, agile, eager powerplant that hits the target for requisite social responsibilities in regard to economy and emissions, yet still manages to feel properly old-school raw edged and loud at all the right times, then this engine is it.

The outputs are a very senior and serious 147kW and 290Nm of torque, which is 15kW and 50Nm more than the predecessor’s 1.6-litre created, most of which is thanks to a new, bigger, turbo and some fuel injection and exhaust manifold trickery.  Power peaking at 6000rpm suggests you’ve got to work it, yet that’s not quite case – yes, it loves a good rev, but with torque laying out from 1600-4000rpm, it also delivers very broad pull.

And though thrift is potentially going to take a back seat to its thrust, it is quite clever in hitting good economy thanks to a clever fuel-saving cylinder shut-down system, which can reduce this to a two-cylinder car. That trick occurs only under light throttle loads so, you know, will probably be something many owners only get to read about rather than actually experience, yet it’s a tweak that keeps it on the right side of Green worriers. 

But, anyway, it’s a real tribute to the three-cylinder programme that all began with a 1.0-litre that also debuted in Fiesta and was also a fantastic thing. Like that one, the 1.5 only occasionally betrays its odd-numbered cylinder count with a curious thrum. Generally, though, you'd otherwise never guess it's been down-sized. There's minimal turbo lag, it pulls strongly right throughout the rev range and also snarls and gurgles and gets a bit deep-throated.

Could it do with a direct shift gearbox with paddle shifts? Assuredly that kind of tech would straight away broaden the car’s appeal and undoubtedly a good one would elevate its attractiveness for push-on driving. And, yet, the ST is also all the more of an experience from having a hand-shifted snappy, slightly meaty, six-speed in marriage with this gem of an engine. Manuals demand dexterity, but if you’ve got the talent, this one just really ‘engages’ with the experience.

And wow, what an experience. Drive hard and the ST becomes, as a colleague put it during a pre-coronavirus lockdown run, “effing quick, with a capital eff.” All the more so when slotting into the Sport or ultimate Race mode – which, you can use quite easily on a decent road despite being warned it’s really just for tracks (mainly that’s Ford covering its butt because the traction control is disabled). In either mode it really rockets. So much so that the time of 6.5 seconds to 100kmh almost seems understated. It certainly feels faster through the gears. For all that, I dunno if it really needs the Launch Control. Yes, it contains the wheel-spinning hooliganism on hard-out releases, but also seems to somehow sanitise the take-off experience.

Read up on this car and you’ll find different opinions about the steering. It has become lighter and has a slightly artificial feel now. Is this Ford trying to broaden the car’s appeal to a wider audience? You’d have to think so. You’d think that’s also why the the ride, while still very firm, is definitely softer and, for all its  the ST is, overall, more refined.

Yet only within the parameters of what it is. Outside of those, it remains a very feral and involving car, requiring more dedication to driving duty than your average Fiesta. Which, as I say, is what makes it great – and yet, of course, is what will make it too much for many. 

Anyway, the steering gains real feel and feedback when you’re hoofing and, in fact, the car’s whole attitude changes. For one, it has decently good balance. That's helped by the Quaife differential, which can help you tuck the nose into a tight corner. And it also has suitably decent tyres, with 18-inch 205/40 Michelin Pilot Sports, though those on the test car – an Ireland market model they nabbed to raise interest ahead of release of actual NZ-market models – were pretty close to being shagged. And, yes, the four-disc brakes are excellent, too.

I suppose you can argue that this car sells on its family-minded practicality, and sure enough the cabin is roomy for the class and the boot is big enough to make it practical. Yet the provision of Recaro front seats is a pretty telling indicator in its own right about this being the most driver-centric Fiesta by far.

As much as all the spending on performance bits likely makes this model a bottom line burden for Ford, it is hardly matched by attention to broader design detail. I’m not saying the car feels cheap but, on the other hand, it’s apparent Ford has a different approach to ambience and detailing than VW does with the Polo. There’s no sense of ‘premium budget’ here. Too many cheap plastic parts inside for that.

Might that pin it back? Only if you take the wrong attitude and try to measure it against others in the category that are similar sized and specced, but haven’t the same shove. Against them, the Fiesta will seem something of an extravagance. Yet if you can view it for ewhat it actually is – a performance model foremost – then it surely positions in a pretty sweet spot, given everything else that ticks the ‘fun’, ‘agile’ and ‘truly fiesty’ boxes all cost more.

There’s just one annoyance about this car and it’s this: The time it’s taken to get here. Basically, we’re being introduced only now to a variant that has been cutting up UK and European roads since 2018.

Fair dues, it’s not Ford NZ’s fault. The delays in getting the car here are all down to Ford Australia. As is so often the case, Ford head office considers our two countries as one yet, when it comes to determining spec, it’s the larger of the two that has all the say.

In this instance, the whole delivery process has been grievously held up by specification quibbles. The Aussies wanted as standard an active safety kit that’s optional overseas. This all meant a first quarter 2019 launch became a Q4 2019 launch, which in turn became a Q1 .. sorry, make that Q2 … 2020 launch.

Okay, it’s a good news story in the end, because it means the car is loaded. In Europe, Fiesta STs are available in ST-1, ST-2 or ST-3 guise, with an optional Performance Pack on top of that, but our cars get the lot.

So, keyless entry and start, an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with smartphone mirroring and SYNC3 connectivity, a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo, heated leather steering wheel, heated Recaro front seats, auto headlights, auto emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, forward-collision warning, lane-keep assist and more. Plus the big wheels, the diff, launch control and shift lights, all of which constitutes the Performance Pack that’s an option overseas. 

So it’s all worked out well in the end. But what a palaver! Now all Ford NZ has to do is buy it. Were the allegiance so far sworn by every motoring writer who has so far sampled the test example to turn into actual sales – and it won’t, because I’m in the minority within that group as being an actual new car owner – then the ST would have its best year here yet. Something to think about.

Ford Focus ST-Line: No sweat going to sports-lite version

The new generation car has plenty of appeal, but this version is a low-temp warm-up to the ST.

Base price: $36,990.
Powertrain and performance: 1497cc three-cylinder turbo petrol, 134kW/240Nm, 8-speed automatic, FWD, Combined economy 5.3 litres per 100km.
Vital statistics: 4398mm long, 1454mm high, mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 375 litres, -inch alloys.
We like: The drivetrain, strong spec, appealing to drive. We don't like: Too-dull interior ambience, fiddly gear selector.

REMEMBER when a Ford car was a New Zealand best seller?

Bad call, all who answered ‘just last year’. Family use favouritism regardless, utilities are defined as commercial vehicles. So, exclude Ranger from this exercise.

In respect to a pure Ford passenger car? It’s been a while. Best evidence – because this precedes current industry record-keeping process - suggests the year was 1982 and the titleholder the Mark V Cortina, a rare sight now. There’s a cracker on display at Southward Museum.

 Anyway, market realities will assuredly keep the Focus from making history. So what that Ranger cruised to the top. With cars it’s harder. Fleet penetration is key. Ford had it 40 years ago. Toyota does now and so completely nothing else achieves a decent look-in.

So everything comes down to private buyer interest and Focus has been tailored accordingly. It’s also made tastier by being more ideologically European in dynamic attitude and driver engagement than its predecessor.

An arresting styling, an intriguing and very forward-thinking drivetrain technology and a talented chassis that gives a big thumbs up to a fresh and more rigid platform are also core to achieving appeal.

That new C2 platform delivers a larger, more practical basis. The increase in cabin space is particularly noticeable in the back, the changes are less obvious in headroom (well, the silhouette demands compromise) but certainly delivers in legroom and the wide cabin means there’s decent shoulder room. Three people across the rear bench? It’s possible.

The boot is a decent 375 litres, and the load lip to lug heavy items over is modest. The rear seats drop to extend capacity to 1354 litres, with an almost-flat load floor.

The Focus has been awarded a five-star crash test rating by Euro NCAP. You can see why, too, with automatic emergency braking, electronic stability control, hill start assist and a system that locks the brakes on after an accident to help prevent any further impacts. 

Updating to a head-up display (HUD) is timely and lane departure warning, lane keep assist and a parking aid (smart enough, now, to do gear selects and braking) are also the norm. Evasive steering assist helping drivers steer around stopped or slower vehicles, night-time pedestrian and cyclist detection, a rear wide-view camera, an adaptive front lighting system with its predictive camera-based tech that pre-adjusts headlamp patterns for improved visibility by monitoring bends in the road and road signs are premium features nice to find here.

With dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, and wireless smartphone charging as standard, it really is smartly-specced.

A shame, then, that Ford’s struggle to match best rivals for interior quality continues. The materials should prove fairly hard-wearing, but most of the surfaces don’t have the tactility, texture or colour tone to cut it with the best. In this case, the Mazda3.

The dashboard has a fairly sensible layout and though the touch-screen infotainment system demands some playing about, it’s worth persevering, as the technology is impressive. Sync3 infotainment system, satellite navigation with live traffic, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, Bluetooth connectivity, voice control and Wi-Fi hotspot …. again, that’s pretty much at the leading edge.

Ability to deliver a solid, comfy driving position is a cinch as there’s lots of adjustment and visibility is pretty clear in every direction, with no major blind spots. Controls locate sensibly though there are operational niggles. One is with the weight of the switchgear: it’s so light as to make it very easy to overshoot the intended selection. Another is the rotary dial to operate the eight-speed automatic. Ford’s following Jaguar down this route but nowhere as pleasingly, with piddly, loose-feel controller. 

For all that, the gearbox itself works well and the engine works even better – it’s the best element.

Three-cylinder engines are not new, but turbocharging and precisions unachievable 10 years ago having done the trick for refinement and flair and Ford is a proven leader with its EcoBoost mills. The one-litre in the previous Fiesta was a breakthrough but the 1.5 in this Focus is better still; very responsive to throttle inputs and providing good acceleration, yet also going easy on the juice. It also engages really positively with this transmission and, on top of all that, there’s a lovely exhaust note.

Such a willing, energetic and characterful engine surely deserves a chassis of equal quality.

On that note, the Focus now isn’t the car it used to be, having traded off some nimbleness for a more grown up attitude, not least in respect to the ride, which is compliant, comfortable and well-controlled. Another example of its improved sophistication comes with the reduction in mechanical and exterior noises. They’re not wholly eradicated, but are better isolated.

The attitude change isn’t wholly total, though. While more grown up in how it deals with poor surfaces and fiendish bumps, it’s still a fun car if you want to let the reins loose. 

Trademark Focus impishness reveals especially well on secondary routes. It flows really nicely through bend to bend, with lot of grip, impressive agility and steering that could be a little quicker yet is lovely for feel. It’s not so sporty as to leave thinking something spicier is unnecessary yet is nonetheless so well tied-down in its body movements to raise a smile and leave impression that, by any normal hatchback measure, it is well-sorted, not least for damping and control.

In summary, it has winning qualities in good looks, a roomier interior, tons of useful tech and lots of on-road character. All factors that should keep it sweet with anyone seeking a nice niche mainstream five-door.

Ford Mustang Bullitt: Gunning for greatness

It’s a closed case. This IS the best factory-delivered edition of the current Pony car.

Base price: $93,490.
Powertrain and performance: 5.0-litre petrol V8, 345kW/556Nm, six-speed manual transmission, RWD, Combined economy 13 litres per 100km, 0-100kmh 5.15sec.
Vital statistics: 4789mm long, 1382mm high, 2720mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 408 litres, 19-inch alloy wheels.
We like: The best distributor-delivered Mustang yet, just 50 on the road. We don't like: Just 50 on the road … and they’re all spoken for.

A Ford Mustang GT 390 Fastback driven by Lieutenant Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) duels with a Dodge Charger 440 driven by a pair of assassins down the jagged hills of San Francisco to the soundtrack of squealing tyres and howling V8s.

Actually, there’s more to the plot, but it’s this 10-minute epic duel that lifts Bullitt above being just another 1960s’ lone-wolf-cop-fights-for-justice-in-a –world-gone-bad flick. It still captivates today, despite amusing continuity gaffes: The Charger loses six hub cabs and hugely misses the petrol pumps that trigger a fireball; without wing mirrors getting to the car wash, the Mustang departs with one. And the same green VW Beetle is overtaken repeatedly.

You shrug this off because … well, it’s just so epic, so raw.

The same can be said of the Mustang Bullitt who release is supposedly to celebrate 2018 being the 50th year since the film issued. Could a film in which the most memorable line had McQueen telling a superior “you work your side of the street, I’ll work mine” be THAT crucial? Actually, to Mustang’s image, it was.

Even so, there’s surely a touch of Hollywood to the release timing of this reprise. The Mustang nameplate holds the record for the fastest-selling model in history, yet the latest generation, a white-hot showroom performer when it kicked in, has now starting to drop sales pace. Moreso in North America than places revelling in seeing the Pony Car in right-hand-drive for the first time. Still, this seems a good time for a quick buck blockbuster.

From my time with it, I’d say if any edition can reprise the ‘I want one’ feeling for Ford’s little pony it has to be this Bullitt.

Being based off the best variant, the V8 manual coupe, is an excellent start; I know the shifter’s ‘measured’ action puts off many, but a ‘stick’ is utterly in keeping with the car’s theme.

The car does a great job in announcing itself. Ford NZ only ordered Dark Highland Green, the same colour as McQueen’s ride. It looks amazing, better than the alternate Black (‘as a hitman’s heart?’) they could also have chosen.

The tribute also includes 19-inch aluminium wheels, reminiscent of the original’s Rostyles, and though it bows to the modern in having navigation, all the usual safety assists and air conditioning, it also sharpens fast road (or track) readiness with semi-active suspension, Recaro seats, red, painted Brembo brakes, and a new induction system, specifically the intake manifold from the Shelby GT350. This doesn’t alter the 5.0-litre’s torque and only elevates power output by just 5kW, but it’s nonetheless quite enough to lift the top speed and, just as crucially, make the engine sound meaner.

The only crime against good taste is perpetrated by a swag of Bullitt emblems Stakeout discretion was never likely but the largest - on the steering wheel boss and the tail, mimicking where the original model had its fuel filler – are just too much.

Even emblazoned it’s not a given everyone understands why this car exists. I’d always imagined Bullitt would never misfire, yet I met a few from the Mustang’s traditional 50-plus customer base who honestly had forgotten all about the link. Then there was a mate, too young for the era yet a serious film and car buff, who stunned by fessing he’d heard of, but never seen, the pic. 

Of course, visually the car has enough of what would, back in McQueen’s day, be called a ‘badass’ ambience to achieve kerbside cool. Yet what makes it really worthy is a factor that, admittedly, comes from left field.

Namely that the Mustang in latest form has turned into quite a decent driver’s car. Yes, it’s big and wide and a touch hefty. Yet just this generation being the first with an independent rear suspension is a huge positive. Beyond that, the Bullitt’s calibre is improved by all sorts of further refinements. You might not want to chase Porsches, but it is genuinely good enough to utterly blow apart perception of American cars being wallowy, ponderous and prone to fall off corners.

Here control weights and steering in particular impress, the power is thrilling - you tend to ‘hit the gas’ just to hear it roar - and, though the weight and size are never fully disguised, it is a refreshingly honest car. One that makes you feel connected and happy to be alive. I just loved every minute with it. Even when it rained.

You’d expect nothing less from a ‘special’.  Yet, on that note, another twist. Even though Ford New Zealand has decided to cap the order to just 50 units – all spoken for, sorry – and says it will deliver no more, in theory it could. Because, from what I can tell, the build plan allows the Flat Rock factory to knock out many as it wants for as long as it sees fit.

The Bullitt is not perfect – you’ll not be surprised that it drinks hard and, though I don’t doubt the sincerity of the window sticker attesting to the plant being staffed by world class people, that’s not quite a descriptive that sticks when discussing assembly. However, the fuel burn and the occasional trim rattle are not in any way plot spoilers. They’re just … well, character.

You wonder, of course, what the man himself would think of it. Being a petrolhead, you’d think Terence Steven McQueen – who died in 1980, aged 50 from a rare cancer – would have ultimate interest in Shelby’s 2020 GT500. But hey, that’s not likely set for NZ screening, so best not dwell.

It’s hard to think of any reason why he wouldn’t also enjoy the Bullitt, nonetheless.

One thing everyone who knew the man, not least some big name race drivers, tend to testify is that McQueen loved a fast car and knew how to handle one,

He intended to do all the driving in the film, but a crash rattled McQueen’s wife so much she implored director Peter Yates to bring in stunt ace Bud Ekins. McQueen was furious. (Check the interior shots: When McQueen is driving, the rear view mirror shows his face. When Ekins is driving it is up, so his face is hidden).

Final film fact. There were two Mustangs used for the film; one went to the wreckers’ just after shooting was over but the other – even though it was used for the remarkable hill driving stints - is still around and looking good.