Eric Bloodaxe

Ford have stated their aim to sell only cars with a plug in Europe by 2026, so we soon won't have a choice anyway!😀 https://www.ford.co.uk/experience-ford/ford-blog/electrification-2030

And (assuming your Ford dealer participates in the scheme - most do) with a Ford service you get the Ford Assistance breakdown cover which can be of value.

Yes, I think it's all down to individual choice/circumstances. If I was still doing big mileages on crowded motorways I might well consider adaptive cruise and AEB. Unfortunately when I was doing that, they hadn't been invented!😀

Hi Leah, welcome! I suppose the answer to that depends on whether or not you personally would value the included features. I'm a bit puzzled by that pack as, as far as I can see from the price list, it includes features that are standard on an ST-L anyway (Traffic Sign Recognition and Intelligent Speed Assist). So you get adaptive cruise instead of normal cruise, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Drivers Impairment Monitor.

Well, looks like I was wrong there - the Saj is just on air now announcing no compulsory masks from next Thursday. We'll have to see what that means in practice - I'm guessing businesses such as shops and transport operators will be free to impose their own rules as before.

Yes, as already said, it sounds like an unlucky experience there. I've had a lot of cars in the last 50 years and unfortunately in my experience these things can happen with any brand, "premium" or otherwise. Fwiw, mine has been trouble free for 4 years, no rattles, friends of mine have had a 100ps automatic for the same period, absolutely love it and again no problems. My neighbour's just bought her third Fiesta in a row after loads of issues with MINIs, ours is our fifth Fiesta, I know other members have had more than that.

Yes, it's a bad time to be buying a car generally it seems. Used prices are getting silly, new cars are being stripped of spec and delivery times are lengthy. The spec thing seems general across manufacturers. I've revisited the configurators for several cars that I might be interested in, and found myself thinking "Funny, I'm sure that had climate control (or whatever) when I last looked"!😀

Rear screen only. Iirc, all Mk 8s had heated mirrors when launched, unlike the facelift it seems.

Yes. They come on with the heated rear window.

The message seems to be don't assume that the features you have on your current car will be present on the new model. And check the specs VERY carefully before ordering.

Lol, we wondered that. Bearing in mind at the moment it's probably easier to get to see Vladimir Putin than your GP!😀

Looking as if England might see everything dropped next week - apart from the face masks. I reckon they'll try and cling on to that as long as possible, otherwise there's a chance we might suspect they're not as effective as we've been told. As an aside, I rang my GP practice yesterday on a routine matter. Immediately an answerphone message came on saying "All the GPS have tested positive and are self-isolating, if you have a serious issue go to the hospital"!

Yes, that is the case with our 2018 models, but not later cars it seems. What I found interesting here is that I certainly hadn't switched it on, but it was already on when I hit the starter button, so my wife must have accidentally pressed Eco either when she got in the car, or when she last got out. In either case, the key was in the car, but the ignition was off. So it seems you can enable Eco even with the ignition off, as long as the key is in the car. I have found the same with start/stop - if I press the button to disable it before I start the car, it is "off" when the car starts.

I find the bus pass very handy for a form of id. Not having changed address for 30 years, I don't have a photocard licence yet but presumably will have shortly when I have to reapply. The issue, as I've heard it reported, has not been so much with personal votes at polling stations, but with postal votes, particularly in communities where many people (mainly women) have poor command of English and are told how to vote by others in the household.

This thread might be of interest: