Publications
Partners
Tourneo Connect 1.0 EcoBoost Trend
Price range: R381 900 to R421 900
Ford Focus ST
Price range: R381 900 to R421 900
---
‘How long until we get there?”
It’s 3.30pm on a Monday afternoon in early July and it feels like we’ve been driving forever.
I’ve decided to treat my two teenage sons and their girlfriends to a weeklong holiday on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast. And now, on the last leg of our eight-hour journey, with tempers blazing, it feels like it’s me and four teenagers trapped in a Tourneo.
The tension coming from the back has nothing to do with space though, because thankfully that’s the one thing this multipurpose Ford panel van, the five-door Tourneo
Connect 1.0 EcoBoost Trend, has plenty of.
With seven suit-cases, loads of board games, cooler bags and a guitar, we’ve managed to fit it all in with ease. With the seats folded, it can swallow a massive 2 600 litres.
The escalating war in the back has everything to do with what music to play through the Sync Bluetooth system.
All four of the teens have managed to link their phones to what is probably one of the most sophisticated and intelligent infotainment systems designed to date.
Now there’s a veritable war for air play between Kanye West, Sam Smith, Rihanna and Coldplay.
I decide to throw a few grenades into the mix and sync my Samsung to play some Johnny Cash. Amazingly, Johnny seems to heal the rift and we safely arrive at our destination with all our limbs intact.
With the many pit stops along the way, getting in and out of the R279 000 MPV is a cinch – because it’s not excessively high off the ground, you don’t need to break your back clambering in and out of the vehicle, plus the front doors have a 180-degree opening, and the rear sliding doors are quick and easy to operate.
The claim by Ford that this sturdily built van will only use 5.6 litres/100km on the combined cycle looks mighty impressive on paper. In reality, our consumption figures are more like 7 or 8 litres per 100km. But that’s a small gripe about this vehicle, whose bigger brother, the LWB Transit Connect, was voted the 2014 International Van of the Year.
Amazingly, I’ve only been kicking back on the beach for less than 48 hours when Ford tracks me down to test the new upgraded Ford Focus ST at the nearby Dezzi Raceway.
The local performance hatch segment is a hotly contested one, with the Focus ST rubbing metal with the likes of the VW Golf GTI, Renault Mégane Sport and the Opel Astra OPC.
Each one of these vehicles has great merits in both the looks and performance departments, but the ST really tops the table with its value-for-money trump card, undercutting its peers considerably.
Although the exterior changes are subtle, true ST groupies will spot them with ease, like the more streamlined front and rear headlights, as well as the revised front bumper. The twin hexagonal centre exhaust is probably the ST’s most notable new styling signature.
Superficial as it sounds, colours are always a top priority in my books and, along with my personal favourite – the enigmatic Tangerine orange – I am also seduced by the new rich grey Stealth, which mesmerises onlookers by changing hue in the sunlight.
There are two trim levels to choose from: the ST1 and ST3.
Under the bonnet, they are pretty similar, but the ST3 ups its game with add-ons like gorgeous Recaro leather seats, dual-zone climate control and rear parking sensors.
But it’s really on the track where the new ST shows its impressive prowess. With stiffer suspension brushes, anti-roll bars and a recalibrated steering system, the ST flies into its true driving element with an impressive 184kW and 360Nm, reaching 0-100km/h in 6.5 seconds.
And having the Sync Bluetooth system all to myself – with an ability to obey 250 voice commands, like play John Coltrane, play previous track, play Summertime – for a few glorious hours, I can Focus on the ST all by myself.
