Business Class Motoring James Stinson

Peak Petrol

The Fiesta ST underlines the joy of petrol motoring, writes James Stinson.

You never know the value of what you have ‘til it’s gone or so the saying goes. And when we look back at these years in a decade or so, we’ll likely lament the passing of the last of a great breed of petrol-engined cars.

The fuel that’s powered cars for more than 140 years is giving way to electric. The process is slow at the minute, but it’ll gather pace and in a few years’ time, zesty performance-driven cars like this Ford Focus ST will be a thing of the past. And we will miss them!

Sure, electric cars are awfully futuristic and on-trend but they are by no means the best of way of getting from A to B. Range is still a worry for many. They are heavy, because of those batteries, and relatively expensive while performance versions are thin on the ground.

By comparison, this Ford Fiesta ST (Sports Technologies) can be had for around £22,000 – a whopping £5,000 less than the electricpowered and, by comparison, somewhat limited Vauxhall e-Corsa.

If anything, given the relative capabilities and desirability of both cars, the prices should be the other way round.

The little Fiesta is light, powerful and handles like it’s on rails, the product of years of honing by Ford engineers. Powered by a terribly efficient three-cylinder 197bhp 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine, it delivers spritely numbers. From a standing start, 60mph comes up in around 6.5 seconds… and with some fanfare.

The engine is raucous and bassy, a key element of the ST experience along with the low-slung driving position, weighty steering and a notchy six-speed gearbox.

It’s also rather good at putting that performance on the road. The Fiesta’s steering is sharp and nimble, providing plenty of feedback as you make your way along winding B-roads, where the car is at its best.

The suspension is necessarily firm but not uncomfortably so. Still, you shouldn’t be expecting a quiet, elegant ride. It’s a mechanical experience, albeit one aided with lots of electronic driving aids, that connects you to the car and the car to the road.

How quick you want the car to go is determined by which of the three selectable drive modes you choose. These enable engine, steering and stability controls to be configured to Normal, Sport and Track settings, shifting the vehicle’s character from flexible everyday hatchback to trackfocussed sports car at the push of a button.

Indeed, if you have one of these hot hatches and wish to extract the most pleasure from it safely and enjoyably, you should probably use it for track days, where you and others pay for the privilege of being able to drive on a proper race circuit.

If you don’t, you can still just about pass it off as an everyday runaround. There are three and five-door versions while the cabin boasts a decent amount of room. Up front, driver and passenger will find plenty of space, and visibility all around is good.

The rear is a little more cramped thanks, in part, to the Recaro sports seats in the front but it’s hardly limiting and does include things like ISOFIX fixings. At 311 litres, the boot is useful and easy to lift stuff in and out of.

There are three versions to choose from: ST-2, ST-3 and ST Edition. The ST-2 comes fitted with 17-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, cruise control selectable drive modes and an 8-inch SYNC3 touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.

More expensive versions add things like bigger wheels, leather trim, more colours, better sound systems and performance enhancing gadgets like a limited slip differential and launch control function.

In whatever trim, the little Fiesta ST is gloriously driver focussed with smileinducing performance and you can’t say that about a lot of new cars these days.

Agnew Fleet Manager

18 Boucher Way, Belfast, BT12 6RE W: agnewleasing.com T: 028 9038 6600

VW’S ELECTRIC DREAMS

VW didn’t become one of the biggest car makers in the world by sitting on its laurels… So while the likes of Tesla are making plenty of headlines for being electric car pioneers, VW and others aren’t going to let them have it all their own way.

VW Group alone, which also includes Skoda, Seat, Porsche and Audi, plans to sell more than three million electric vehicles (EVs) a year by 2025 with 50 fully electric cars across all its brands.

The new VW ID range is built on an entirely new platform that will morph into multiple, possibly dozens, of new model shapes and styles in the years ahead. Last year, we were given the first of these, the Golfsized ID.3, and here’s the new ID.4, the first SUV-sized EV from VW.

The ID.4 comes with two battery pack options – a larger 77kWh unit, which VW calls ‘Pro’ and a smaller 52kWh ‘Pure’ option. The battery size determines your range. The smaller Pure battery offers a claimed range of up to 213 miles while the pricier Pro version raises this to 323 miles.

There’s also a choice of electric motors. The bigger Pro battery comes only with a 201bhp motor while Pure can have either a 146 bhp or 168bhp version. So, the more you spend, the further and faster your ID.4 will go. The Pro version is capable of 0–62mph in 8.5 seconds while top speed is sensibly limited to 99mph.

Charge at home with a 7kW home charging unit and it will take around 11 hours to fully charge. There’s also a quick charge option using a rapid charger though these are thin on the ground in Northern Ireland. If you do find one, you can put around 200 miles in the batteries in around 30 minutes.

As with the ID.3, the ID.4 has a rear-mounted motor, single-speed transmission and rear-wheel-drive.

Though similar in size to the Tiguan, VW insists clever packaging and the benefits of an all-electric drivetrain means it has more interior space along with that all-important lofty driving position. The ID.4 is also the first electric VW that can be fitted with an optional tow bar, suitable for trailers weighing up to 1,000kg, while a four-wheel drive version is also in the pipeline.

Prices start from £32,150 for the entry-level City Pure version after the plug-in vehicle grant is applied. The longer range, higher-spec Pro performance versions start from £41,570 with features like a 10-inch infotainment screen, wireless phone charging, LED headlights and heated front seats as standard.

E-POWER FOR THE NEW QASHQAI

Anew version of the ever-popular Nissan Qashqai has gone on sale. The market for high-riding, family-friendly SUVs is a little more crowded these days so there’s a raft of improvements to keep buyers rocking up at Nissan showrooms including a novel new E-Power version. The new Qashqai is a little longer, wider and taller which means more head and legroom, with Nissan saying this is particularly the case in the back seats. Boot volume has grown by more than 50 litres to 504 litres. For now, a 1.3-litre mild-hybrid petrol with either 138bhp or 156bhp is offered. The more powerful engine can be specified with four-wheel-drive and an automatic transmission. The exterior has seen only minor tweaks, with the addition of LED headlamps contributing to a sharper looking front end. Standard Qashqai trim levels start at Visia and rise through Acenta Premium, N-Connecta and Tekna to Tekna+. Prices start at £23,535. The new E-Power version that will follow will likely generate a lot of interest. This uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine, battery and electric motor combination but it’s not a traditional hybrid. The petrol engine doesn’t drive the wheels but generates electricity for the battery with the wheels driven by the electric motor only. Nissan says it means the engine can always run within its optimal range, leading to superior fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions compared with a traditional internal combustion engine. It means drivers get the electric car experience without the range anxiety drawbacks of fully electric cars. Prices for this version haven’t been released yet but it’s sure to be more expensive.

Agnew Fleet Manager

18 Boucher Way, Belfast, BT12 6RE W: agnewleasing.com T: 028 9038 6600