Noticed a lot of posts recently on the lines of "this will be my last Ford", I'm not buying another Ford" etc.

Just wondering what people will be going for instead?😀 

 

 

 

There are plenty of alternatives. All have a zero emissions rating and the propulsion unit can be charged overnight.

 

If i had the finances to run one then it would be my dream Range Rover mk1-2 or 3 the 3 being the HSE version

This seems like a can of worms thread...

 

I'm probably gong to get an EV when my Mondeo comes to the end of it's life (or very near end), so a few years away at least. Looking at the EV's currently available out there, that are similar to a Mondeo, then it won't be a Ford. And if I can help it not a SUV either. Of course this would also depend on getting a driveway put in too.

I don't know. I normally keep my cars for at least 10 years, which might be optimistic now given the complex electronics on modern cars but having just given my car a service I was shocked at how much surface rust there is on the underside including the front subframe and exhaust.

And that is just the bits that you can see, there are so many plastic shields and covers on the underside that I'm afraid to remove because I don't want to see what is under there.

I don't know if other manufacturers newer cars are the same. 

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

This seems like a can of worms thread...

 

Lol, that wasn't my intention.

Quite a few people seem pretty sure they don't want another Ford. Just wondering if anyone has a clear idea of what brand(s) they do want instead,or if everyone else is just as confused by the current situation and/or disillusioned by apparent all round decline in quality and increase in (often legally required) complication as I am!

I was having the same conversation last week with a friend who has spent his whole life in the motor trade. Current vehicles are Range Rover Sport, Audi A1, and a Subaru (one of the last WRXs). He was clear he wouldn't buy a current model of any of those makes, but hadn't a clue what he would buy!

 

 

My newest car (Focus ST) is 14 years old - probably still have it because I do not know what to buy, so echo the statement in the last post!

All the SUVs look the same to me, and the styling does not appeal, but I did get passed on the M27 by a Kia Stinger in a nice shade of blue that I thought quite attractive!

   

 

 

A Chevy El Camino

 

......or a Ford Ranchero! 😎

Think about it, it's already been built, so no extra carbon footprint to extract any components needed for construction of car and batteries.

Spares are relatively cheap to buy and easy to fit. No computers needed just to change a battery for instance 🙄

 

And, more importantly, they look and sound Damn Cool 😎😀

 

 

Lamborghini Countach LP5000 🤞

1 hour ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Lol, that wasn't my intention.

Quite a few people seem pretty sure they don't want another Ford. Just wondering if anyone has a clear idea of what brand(s) they do want instead,or if everyone else is just as confused by the current situation and/or disillusioned by apparent all round decline in quality and increase in (often legally required) complication as I am!

Wondering what will happen if I mention VW in here...

If I had to buy something brand new right now (assuming the Mk4 sold) it'd be a Mk8 Golf Active.  1.5 TSI 150 manual. 

https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/en/new/golf/golf-active.html

Not because I particularly want one, just because it's the closest current model to my old Mk6.

I'd 'like' something full EV but can't plug in at my current address and have no idea if my vertigo would adapt to it.  I'd 'like' something auto with sports styling but my body can't manage those (as proven with the Leon).  Thought something with a higher seating position would be useful, but the Mk4 proved that wrong too.  So basically, whatever I think will be suitable, probably won't be!  Thinking about it now, some of the best cars I've had were bought in a rush with very little prior research (Mk2.5 Focus, Fiesta ST, Mk6 Golf) so maybe I shouldn't overthink it!

Obviously my situation is different to most, so my input is largely irrelevant here lol.

My plans are. As soon as myself and my Gf have our house (hopefully in the next few month), my fiesta st line is going, and i shall get a Fiesta St. My plan would be to keep it until i have to go electric.

Either a BMW 240i if I have enough money, if not then an X2 or even a Corolla 2.0 GR Sport.

Never buying another Ford again.

As soon as this nearly 6 yr old Focus turns 8 yrs old, it's gone

Just waiting for Ford to make a decent EV then I'll buy it. I've had Fords for the last 55yrs so I'm not going to change now.

5 hours ago, billyboy said:

Just waiting for Ford to make a decent EV

As they've done a deal with VW Group to use their EV platforms there's a fair chance they might be decent.

I wonder if Ford will get the smaller version of the EV platform - the Cupra Urban Rebel concept looks as if it would be a good basis for an "e-Fiesta":

https://uk.motor1.com/news/590754/2022-cupra-urbanrebel-concept/

I don’t change my cars very often ( except in my head ) and l must say my focus mk3 2012 estate is the best car I’ve had to date.. only problem it’s a diesel and since l retired l only do about 8000 a year.. not enough to warrant the oil burner and l worry about the dpf etc. l look at the cars out there on auto trader and convince myself this is my next car ,Hyundai ionic, Audi q2, Lexus ct200, all about £17000 + secondhand but then l think while ever my titanium x is running well why spend the money.. all these vehicles have their own problems and if you believe the reviews of all these vehicles then quite frankly there is no perfect car out there even now.. will there ever be..

Not driven the Focus for around 3 weeks now and have been walking to work instead of using the Picanto due to the  nice weather.

It sits on the driveway unless her indoors decides to go shopping.

It might be a different story when the cold frosty mornings are back with the use of heated screen and seats.

I almost pressed buy on a Hyundai i30n Performance… but I made sure I took both that and the Focus ST on a test drive not only in the dry but also the wet…

Needless to say, after the wet test drive… I stuck with the ST… 

I dunno where I’d go next, I briefly looked at the AMG line a250e, but it doesn’t handle as well as the ST… 

I guess I’m just a Ford but thru and thru 

10 hours ago, TDCiST said:

I almost pressed buy on a Hyundai i30n Performance

I looked into that too. I actually preferred the "basic" version with a few less bhp, smaller wheels and a more forgiving ride on our rubbish roads. They discontinued that version just after I'd had a test drive. 

Looked at the smaller i20n also as a Fiesta ST alternative. Dealer promised to get in touch when their demo appeared - that was last June! Seems from n-cars.net that customers in all markets are suffering the same sort of waits that we see on this forum. I've only seen one on the road and that had Hyundai UK on the plates so I'm guessing a press car.

Before EVs take over the world, I was looking at one last (manual) car Fiesta or Focus size with a bit of go, but basically apart from the Fiesta/Focus/Puma STs there's not much to go at:

Hyundai - as above

VW - Golf R DSG only, hate the "everything on a touchscreen" dash. Golf GTI same comments, can get manual (apparently - my local dealer has never seen one). Polo GTI DSG only.

Audi S3 - DSG only

Skoda Octavia vRS - far too big for our needs

Cupra Leon - DSG only (promised Cupra Ibiza never materialised)

Merc AMG A-class- auto only

BMW 128ti/M135i - auto only

MINI Cooper S - only taking orders for auto at present, never got past the looks of the current generation anyway

All seems pretty unimportant in the big scheme of things at present of course!

Audi A3 with enough BHP oomph as my current one.

BMW 1 series is too tiny, otherwise I would have gone for a BMW 1 seris M sport edition.

Found this tucked away in the spam emails....

Revised Kia Xceed including a 1.6 204bhp for those that like a little umph.....

https://www.kiapressoffice.com/en-gb/releases/1474

4 hours ago, Wino said:

Revised Kia Xceed including a 1.6 204bhp for those that like a little umph.....

Am I missing something? Just looking through the blurb could only see mention of 158bhp 1.5. They used to do the 204 bhp 1.6 GT Line S with both manual and auto, then it became auto only, then disappeared altogether

The Ceed is on my "possibles" list so I was hoping the 204bhp motor was back, but couldn't find it anywhere in the press pack info?

Edit: Ah, spotted it. I was hoping to find it on the regular Ceed hatch but it looks like X-Ceed only. It's a bit confusing - mentioned in that press release but it's not shown in the full press pack.

38 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Am I missing something? Just looking through the blurb could only see mention of 158bhp 1.5. They used to do the 204 bhp 1.6 GT Line S with both manual and auto, then it became auto only, then disappeared altogether

The Ceed is on my "possibles" list so I was hoping the 204bhp motor was back, but couldn't find it anywhere in the press pack info?

Edit: Ah, spotted it. I was hoping to find it on the regular Ceed hatch but it looks like X-Ceed only.

Yes Eric, only on the Xceed. I'm still not certain its available in manual form over here though.

17 minutes ago, Wino said:

Yes Eric, only on the Xceed. I'm still not certain its available in manual form over here though.

Yes, further searching through the press release (they haven't made it easy to find stuff!) indicates dual clutch auto only, and only on the Xceed, though the press release also says:

 " A high-power 1.6-litre T-GDi engine, the same unit found in Ceed and ProCeed GT models, is also available for the most powerful XCeed variant. With a 204 ps power output and 265 Nm of torque across a broad range of engine speeds, the muscular 1.6-litre T-GDi engine perfectly matches the car’s ability to thrive in a variety of driving situations. It can accelerate from 0-to-100 kph in 7.5 seconds when equipped with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. "

but there's no actual mention of it in the blurb for the Ceed and Proceed. I'm intending to pop into the Kia dealer next time we're at the M&S Food store which is nearby, so I'll see if I can get any info out of them. 

I can tell you an EV will never sit on my driveway, I'd rather take the bus.  Thankfully I've always driven 10-30 year old cars and will continue to do so, so for me not much will change.

My only wish is that we had 1 political party in the UK who would stand up for our rights to buy petrol and diesel powered vehicles and buy the fuel for said cars, but sadly all have gone climate mad.  It's a real shame.