If you can’t get...
If you can’t get on with a hands-free headset, then this clever alternative is perfect. The Jabra SP5050 replaces the firm’s SP500 – the recommended choice in our Issue 945 test – and combines the practicality of a portable Bluetooth solution with the ease of use of a factory-fitted kit.
The stars came out to...
The stars came out to unveil the new Focus at Detroit ò€“ with executive chairman Bill Ford pulling the covers off the new compact family car! He was joined by Ford CEO Alan Mulally who told the assembled crowd at the Cobo arena that the new Focus had been "designed and engineered to meet the needs of millions of buyers around the world".
With a radical new look, it promises to be the most ambitious evolution yet of
the nationò€™s favourite car. Entry-level editions could cost from
Ò£15,000 despite a raft of improved equipment. What"s more thereò€™s a new range of turbocharged petrol and diesel engines,
advanced automatic transmissions and a more driver-focused chassis.
Sitting on an all-new compact car plaform that will underpin 10 new Ford models ò€“ of which the new C-MAX is one ò€“ Ford promises that the new Focus will be better to drive than ever and more comfortable. It features torque vectoring, which improves agility and stability, a new electric power-steering system and, for the first time, dynamic cornering control ò€“ a
set-up that helps the driver make the most of the carò€™s handling.
Ford
will offer engines from its new family of turbocharged EcoBoost petrol
units. These will include a British-built 1.6-litre four-cylinder
delivering between 148bhp and 178bhp, as well as a high-performance
2.0-litre giving up to 203bhp. A new
2.0-litre TDCi diesel motor is also in the pipeline. This is likely to
be offered in two states of tune, delivering 134bhp or around 160bhp. A
choice of six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes will be available on
all variants.
As well as these models, Bill Ford revealed that a new zero emission Focus electric car would be
built at the firm"s Michigan plant, going on sale in 2012, and that a
hybrid version would arrive next year too.
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