Review
A warming cup of tea, Terry Wogan's middle-of-the-road musical offerings, thick socks and – as I recently found out – Ford's Quickclear heated windscreen. It is brilliant.
It saves a good five or 10 minutes in the morning, valuable time when your journey into work is going to be a slow one anyway. And it's standard on our long-term Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi Ghia.
On the subject of slow journeys, will at least one reader please make a note to remind me to spend next January locked away indoors.
For several hours last year I sat on the M11/A14 as the country's transport system ground to a halt in treacherous weather. A few evenings ago I was in much the same situation – it took six hours to travel from Gaydon in Warwickshire to Peterborough, a journey of just over 70 miles.
Three Fleet News staffers occupied the Ford Focus and as we made slow progress, impromptu games of I-spy were played and several CDs given an airing.
Although six hours spent in any lower-medium sector car is unlikely to be without its niggles, the Focus proved comfortable enough and back twinge moans were few and far between.
It also gave the fuel consumption a bit of a battering as the engine was left on to keep us warm.
Should the journey have taken even longer, another game we could have played is one I share with my four-year-old daughter. As we test different cars she likes to point out the same models she sees out of the window. It proved a tad uneventful in a Renault Vel Satis but the Focus provides plenty of opportunity for her excited shouts of 'there's one, Dad'.
That's not surprising as the Focus is Britain's best-selling car and sales last month alone totalled 12,630 units.
The Focus is an enjoyable car to drive, its high seating position commands a decent view of the road ahead, its durable interior is showing no signs of wear and tear despite several months with us and it is plenty roomy enough. It's simply a great fleet car and we look forward to the all-new model next year. Mike Roberts
Company car tax bill 2004/05 (22% tax-payer): £56 per month
