Car review

Track-bred performance enhancements make the Focus even more gratifying in ST Edition guise It has been just over a year since the loss of the Ford Fiesta ST, one of the all-time great hot hatches, but its big brother, the Ford Focus ST, is still going strong. For now, at least. The Ford Focus will go out of production in 2025 to make room for the Blue Oval's electrification efforts, but the firm has been hard at work to make sure the hot version goes out with a bang.Available as a hatchback or an estate, the Focus ST has been a part of the Ford model range since 1998. It's now in its fourth generation, having first gone on sale in 2018 before receiving a mid-life update in 2021. Since the rally-tuned Focus RS was axed after the model's third generation, the ST has been the pinnacle of Ford's hot hatch armoury, and the Edition, a sportier, more dynamic variant, has newly arrived for 2024.It's good timing: the Volkswagen Golf GTI got an update in 2024, while the more hardcore Honda Civic Type R received a new look and a power hike earlier in the year. But can the Focus ST still hold its own? Read on as we find out... Ford Focus ST range at a glanceAs of 2024, there are two variants: the regular ST and the special ST Edition. Both are powered by the 2.3-litre petrol engine producing 276bhp, as the diesel ST is no longer available.VersionPowerFocus ST276bhpFocus ST Edition276bhp

The refreshed, French supermini turns on the style with a new look, but how much substance lies behind it? The Peugeot 208 was Europe’s biggest seller in 2021 and 2022 - no small feat, it must be said.Admittedly, it dropped to fifth last year with the top spot taken by Tesla Model Y and its Renault Clio arch rival beating it to fourth. But still, it’s clearly a well-liked car - and Peugeot will be hoping to build on its success with this facelifted model, launched late last year. Even with the longstanding top dog, the Ford Fiesta, departed and small cars generally becoming harder to justify in the boardroom, the 208 still has its work cut out. As well as the Clio, the Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai i20 show that this remains a competitive field.Range at a glanceThis mid-life refresh includes introducing 48V mild-hybrid models with 99bhp and 134bhp. A conventional turbo petrol, making 99bhp, and the electric e-208 remain too.

Bentley's first SUV is getting into the realms of affordability, is now the time to take the plunge? A used Bentley Bentayga is now a more attainable used SUV, with some 2016 and 2017 cars teetering around the £50,000 mark.Of course, you must add running costs to that. How about, for the popular 6.0-litre W12 petrol version, £700 a year road tax and 19mpg, plus servicing?Still, read Autocar’s summary of the 600bhp W12 and you may still be tempted: “The 6.0 W12 must simply be acclaimed as one of the most complete and compelling luxury products in the world.”Launched in 2016, this version was the first Bentayga out of the traps. The 2.4-tonne SUV, which has four-wheel drive, dispatches 0-62mph in 4.0sec. Standard-fit, adaptive air suspension, active anti-roll control systems and a range of driving modes ensure it rarely feels flustered, although it can get a little unshapely near the limit.The following year, a 4.0-litre V8 diesel version arrived. If our road testers liked the W12, they loved the Bentayga Diesel, awarding it five stars. The Audi-sourced engine produces 429bhp and develops the same torque as the W12, only sooner. The result is even better in-gear acceleration and towing ability.Thanks to its extra weight and bespoke air suspension settings, it rides slightly more comfortably than the W12. It’s more economical, too, of course, returning around 35mpg, and, at just £190 per year, is cheaper to tax.Fewer were sold than petrols, but today a used diesel Bentayga is around the same price as a W12, even though they were about £25,000 cheaper originally.The twin-turbo 4.0 petrol V8 was the next Bentayga to be launched, in 2018. Its engine produces 543bhp and 568lb ft and it can do 0-62mph in 4.5sec. Thanks also to cylinder deactivation, it can return 24.8mpg. Road tax is just £180.It cost £30,000 less than the W12 and we reckoned it rendered that model redundant. It was certainly popular, such that today there are almost as many V8s for sale as W12s. The sporty V8 S version is rare but worth seeking out.The later, 443bhp 3.0 TFSI V6 plug-in hybrid of 2019 wasn’t much admired, and there are few for sale today.It was followed by the 626bhp W12 Speed, generating sufficient thrust to earn it the title of ‘fastest production SUV ever’ at the time.The facelift came in 2020, which is where this guide stops.A Bentayga could be ordered with four, five or seven seats, the extra seating coming at the expense of boot space (for example, 484 litres on five-seat cars and 215 litres on seven-seaters).Obviously the model is extremely comfortable in any form and beautifully constructed.The first 608 examples (that number refers to the W12’s output in PS) were produced in luxurious First Edition spec, while the equally plush W12 Mulliner arrived in 2017.Otherwise, there was only one well-equipped trim level, but the options list was long, so compare cars carefully. Popular packs included Touring (adaptive cruise and night vision), All-Terrain (skid plates and surround view) and City (additional safety kit).As we've already noted, a Bentayga is expensive to run but worth it for the sheer experience of owning and driving something that totally confounds your expectations of what a big, 2.4-tonne SUV feels like.

EV importer introduces obscure Chinese firm’s mid-sized crossover to UK market Say hello to the Skywell BE11, a rather unusual new electric crossover from China that’s due on sale in the UK imminently.The Skywell brand emerged in 2017 as a joint venture between consumer electronics group Skyworth and electric bus maker Nanjing Golden Dragon, and its cars are being brought here by Gloucestershire-based importer Innovation Automotive – which has sold DFSK electric trucks and vans for a while now and will soon also introduce a smaller and cheaper electric crossover, the Seres 3.Skywell apparently sees itself as a rival to Audi and Mercedes-Benz, which is pretty ambitious, to say the least.The BE11 is its first ever car, and you can have it with either a 72kWh battery offering 248 miles of range or a 86kWh battery that yields 304 miles. Both are mated to a single front-mounted motor that makes 201bhp and 236lb ft of torque.

The MG HS enters its second generation with a redesign, interior revamp and more technology In its century-long history, MG has launched several cars that changed the face of the company.Cast your mind back to the MGB, deemed by many to be the first ‘modern’ MG, and to the MGF, which revitalised the brand’s sporting image.The MG HS SUV hasn’t quite institutionalised itself in quite the same way, but now the Chinese-owned is pinning its hopes on the model’s continued success here in the UK.It has even described this new, second-generation version as the most important car it has ever launched.Arriving six years after its predecessor, the new HS brings a complete exterior design overhaul, a heavily updated interior, and a suite of technology updates – all of which MG hopes will cement the car’s position as an alternative value option in the ever-competitive b-segment.MG sees the HS as a rival to the more expensive Ford Kuga, Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Qashqai. It usefully undercuts those cars, with a starting price of £24,995. MG HS range at a glanceVersionPowerHS SE168bhpHS Trophy168bhpHS SE PHEV258bhpHE Trophy PHEV258bhp