Auto Express 1541

YOU won’t read a more important group test in the pages of Auto Express this year than on Page 34. The Focus is a staple of Ford’s range, always in the UK’s list of best-selling cars, and in the Golf and Astra it faces two other titans of the market. I’ll leave you to read our definitive verdict yourself, but I think it’s safe to say the new fourth-generation Focus shows Ford is back to its absolute best. It’s an excellent family car that packs value, practicality and genuine driving enjoyment into a hatchback. In the Focus and Fiesta, Ford has two exceptional cars, both designed and engineered in Europe for European customers. But walk into any Ford dealer and you’re faced with a rather conflicting picture, because the rest…

● BMW X5 rival to make debut at next month’s Paris Motor Show ● Will launch with diesel and petrol engines; hybrid to follow Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram MERCEDES’ product onslaught continues: a week after the firm revealed its Tesla-rivalling electric EQC, the wraps are off its all-new GLE SUV. Making its public debut at the Paris Motor Show next month, the new GLE will go on sale in early 2019 with a range of four, six and eight-cylinder engines, as well as plug-in hybrid powertrains. Externally, the GLE is still recognisable as the brand’s mid-size SUV. The new rival to the BMW X5 and Audi Q7 takes an evolutionary approach to design, with a big, bold front end, large grille and sharp LED lights. The back end gets a subtle update…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler “Fully electric cars will make up 15 to 25 per cent of our range by 2025”DIETER ZETSCHE Chairman of the board, Mercedes THE new Mercedes EQC is only the beginning in what will be a whole family of electric cars as the German brand confirmed its intentions to launch a total of 10 new EVs in the next four years. The multi-billion-pound investment will see Smart launch three all-electric models with hard and soft-top versions of its ForTwo, plus an all-electric ForFour, and Mercedes is expected to follow the EQC with a smaller EQA hatchback, previewed by the concept (above). Mercedes’ board member responsible for research and development, Ola Källenius, confirmed that there will be “several sedans in the EQ family”. Auto Express understands a small van and…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler “This is a good-looking car that drives well, too – suspension tweaks give it a real GT feel” KIA’S posh push to become a premium mainstream player continues apace with the arrival of a sleek new ProCeed model next year, and Auto Express was invited for a first taste of an early, camouflaged car. The ProCeed follows on from the concept of the same name unveiled a year ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show. As well as dropping the ungainly underscore and apostrophe from its predecessor’s name, it has transformed from three-door coupé into five-door shooting brake – comparisons with the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake are unavoidable. Kia has done a fair bit of number-crunching to realise people spend more on their CLA Shooting Brakes than regular A-Class…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn BMW has bookended its SUV portfolio with two new additions: a performance version of its X2 crossover and a plug-in hybrid version of the new X5. And both models will arrive in UK showrooms in the coming months. First up is the X2 M35i, which acts as a flagship variant in the crossover range and the first ever M-branded model to feature a four-cylinder engine. It’s powered by a 2.0-litre petrol turbo developing 302bhp and 450Nm of torque. This sends power to BMW’s all-wheel-drive system via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. When fitted with launch control, it can sprint from 0-62mph in a claimed 4.9 seconds. Alongside the performance upgrade, chassis and suspension revisions are said to have sharpened the handling, while a tweaked steering system aims to deliver…

DEPOSIT holders and potential future customers were invited to take a closer look at the new Tesla Roadster last week when the electric supercar made its first public appearance in Switzerland. Following a surprise unveiling last November, the display at Grand Basel in Switzerland was the first opportunity to take a closer look at the model, which Tesla boss Elon Musk says will “give a hardcore smack down to gasoline cars”. The Roadster on display is still a prototype, but is representative of the car that will go into production in 2020. Instead of an electrically retractable hard-top, the car will have a glass section of roof that has to be removed by hand and stowed in a dedicated compartment. The Roadster’s cabin was off-limits because the US firm is…