Car review

Ford's Swiss Army knife gets the electric treatment If the large Ford E-Transit is the electric van for the environmentally conscious Amazon delivery drivers of this world, then the Ford E-Transit Custom is the small business equivalent.The Ford Transit Custom is the medium-sized van in Blue Oval’s range, and this new all-electric version is more than just a box-ticking zero-emission offering. Before long, this will likely not only be Ford’s best-selling electric van but in the years to come its best-selling model, replacing the diesel-engined Transit Custom that has become a favourite working tool for everyone from plumbers and builders to huge multi-national Blue Chips.The importance of the E-Transit Custom cannot be overemphasised. Getting this right is make-or-break stuff for Ford – a question of not only maintaining market dominance but blowing competitors out the water with a new era of engaging, versatile and connected electric vans.

Clever new platform allows new electric supermini to be the same price as a petrol one For a car that’s now entering its fourth generation, the Citroën C3 is remarkably short of a noteworthy model in its history. Try Googling the second-generation car, in particular, to see if you can remember it. The Citroën C3 is a bit like the Nissan Micra in that regard, a notable name with some real longevity yet not ever having associated itself with a car that’s particularly memorable, despite Citroën having shifted some 5.6 million of them over three generations and 22 years on sale. Perhaps no more, because the C3 badge is at last being used on a car with a real story attached: an EV called Citroën ë-C3 with a meaningful of 200 miles that, at under £22,000, is on cost parity with electric supermini rivals. Could this be a watershed moment in the evolution of the electric car?

The jostling to fill the supermini void left by the Ford Fiesta continues with a model that's all about comfort The Ford Fiesta may be dead, yet its rivals have taken the initiative by trying to make a new supermini that becomes the default choice in the class.New Renault Clio, Suzuki Swift and MG 3 models have all been launched in recent months to try to take the Fiesta's crown, and now the new Citroën C3 is making its bid.The C3 is a visually identical petrol-powered sibling to the new Citroën ë-C3 that is being launched at the same time, the two also sharing a new architecture called ‘Smart Car’ that’s designed to keep costs down.And it does just that: the new C3 is generously equipped and a newer model still manages to undercut the entry-level Renault Clio.

MG's commercial sibling branches out with a luxury seven-seat electric MPV Fashion can be so capricious. Not even two years ago, MPVs looked a dead cert to join two-door estates and mid-market coupés on the format scrapheap, yet now the class is bursting with activity. Apparently we have Chinese businessmen to thank(or otherwise). Don’t get rid of your skinny jeans just yet, then, I suppose.Following the airport-bound Mercedes-Benz EQV, nostalgia-fuelled Volkswagen ID Buzz and limousine-challenging Lexus LM into the UK is the Maxus Mifa 9. Maxus is a brand that may be familiar from its eDeliver range of electric vans and tippers and the T90EV, the first electric pick-up truck offered in the UK, albeit a very poor one. It has a complex heritage, as evidenced by the fact that the Mifa is sold in Asia as an MG and in Australia as an LDV. Yes, as in Birmingham’s deceased maker of spit-and-sawdust vans, itself formed when the respective truck divisions of British Leyland and Dutch firm Daf merged in the 1980s. Its assets were bought by Chinese giant SAIC after its 2009 bankruptcy, joined two years later by MG. South-east Asia also gets an MG version of the T90EV, by the way, called the Extender. Righty-ho…Anyway, it’s now a significant player in the UK, albeit through a concessionaire, Harris Group of Ireland, with a technical centre in Liverpool and more than 60 dealers. Sales rose by 46% last year and are expected to do so again by 60% this year, as evidenced by a sales total of more than 1250 vehicles already. It told me it will sell the Mifa to families, chauffeurs, hotels and taxis, although I’m doubtful about that first claim, given that it’s playing in the £70k arena. 

The Focus ST once held its own against the Golf GTI, but does it have the edge on your second-hand shortlist? At its launch in 2012, the Ford Focus 2.0T ST-3 was around £1000 cheaper than the Volkswagen Golf GTI manual that arrived the following year. Used examples now cost up to £2000 less than the Volkswagen.Which one has the edge? The Focus, with 247bhp, or the Golf, with 217bhp? In the opinion of Autocar’s road testers, the Ford was a four-and-a-half-star car while the Volkswagen scored four stars, and the team praised the fast Ford’s poised, interactive handling and responsive and flexible engine.It was offered in multiple guises: five-door hatch and estate, a choice of 2.0-litre Ecoboost turbo petrol or, from 2015, 182bhp 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engines, and in three trims, called ST-1, -2 and -3. Here, we’re zeroing in on the petrol hatch.Before anyone got their hands on the new ST, there were unflattering comparisons made between its turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and the 2.5-litre five-cylinder unit that powered its Mk2 predecessor. But once behind the wheel, critics were soon won over.Apart from its slight reluctance to begin spinning at low revs, the engine impressed our testers with its performance as well as its noise, which is piped into the cabin. It’s also more economical than the 2.5, in Autocar’s hands returning 40mpg on a touring run.Indeed, low running costs were one of Ford’s goals with the Mk3 ST. Others were to design a hot hatch for weekdays and not just weekends and persuade buyers to accept one designed for world markets rather than just for Europe. We judged the firm had succeeded on both counts.The ST rides 10mm lower than regular Focus models and has uprated dampers and anti-roll bars. It also has extremely quick and direct steering. Despite all 247bhp being directed through its front wheels, the ST doesn’t suffer unduly from torque steer. Certainly our testers had no complaints, but in the wrong hands and in the wrong conditions, it can be a handful.Looks-wise, the ST is certainly no lairy Vauxhall Astra GTC VXR, but it does have a sporty bodykit with a rear wing and centrally located exhausts. For more visual drama, you need the facelifted Mk3.5 from 2015, with its even lower stance, bigger alloys, narrowed headlights, larger grille and sharper creases. Under the skin, it has sportier shocks and new front springs.Inside, pre- and post-facelift cars build on the hot hatch theme with Recaro seats, a chunky wheel and a bank of gauges that includes boost pressure. It looks good, but a Golf GTI’s cabin is of a higher quality. At just 316 litres, the ST’s boot is quite small, too.Very few ST-1 cars exist, so let’s move on to ST-2. This trim level brings 18in alloys, dual-zone climate control, a heated windscreen, coloured seat panels and an uprated version of Ford’s Sync 2 infotainment system.With the 2015 facelift, Sync 2 was upgraded to Sync 3, offering better connectivity. ST-3 trim adds leather seat facings, bi-xenon lights, rear parking sensors and keyless entry, which is convenient but makes the car more stealable by relay theft – one reason why it’s in a higher insurance group than the GTI.The Focus ST and Golf GTI appeal to different buyers, but if you want that bit extra engagement and a trifle more visual impact (Tangerine Scream, anyone?) a facelifted 2.0T ST is the way to go.