Bucket Seat: 2018 Ford Focus - First Impressions

Ford yesterday showcased their latest Focus range which included the much loved hatch, sedan, station wagon and for the first time, a Focus based cross-over. With the C-Segment market hotting up over the past few years, there have been a few front runners in the market, with VW still being firm favourite going just by purchases. No doubt the Golf has a mighty heritage and many have tried to out do the German's with their own variants. While consumers might have blind faith in one company, its always worth a look at what competitors are doing. Ford have been one of the stronger few over the past decade or more, with their Focus proving to be stiff competition, both in their guise and their sport offerings in the ST and RS models. Built in several plants around the globe, the Focus still remains a predominately UK based model from the American Motor giant. So a lot of this car is molded to the European market and needs. 

Looking at this new model, the design is fresh but still resembles the outgoing model. The car is more sleeker than the older shape, more straight lines and smoother curves, the rear more is elegant and protruding bumper and diffuser gives it that sporty look. In the hatch, it looks like there are two option packages to chose from, the ST Line which offers the customer a sporty look, with blacked out trapezoid front grille, winged type molds at the fog lamps, large five spoke rims, blacked out rear diffuser and twin chrome exhaust pipes. This will definitely be a hit in the local market, as trends show our consumers to opt for the sports packs when it comes to buying new cars. The other option being the Vignale, which is sort of their "Luxury" package, key features are the chrome front grille, silver and chrome trimmings throughout the car, multi-spoke silver rims and dual chrome exhaust pipes on the rear. For some reason I'm preferring this Vignale over the ST Line, both look great but maybe it's the old man in me that is opting for luxury over sport.

Ford also showed their other variants of the Focus range, the Sedan, which in the pictures sports Chinese plates, not sure if this is an indication that the model will only be available in China, seeing that certain manufacturers opt to do this, as seen with BMW and their 1 Series Sedan. The Focus station Wagon is another model that I'm not sure will come to South Africa, for some reason Wagon's don't sell in the local market, most of the time these models make more sense to have but I guess purchases have to do with appeal and Wagon's lack that. 

The interior looks great and whilst similarities might be drawn to competitors models, there are some distinct differences in the Focus. The large 7" infotainment screen takes center stage in the cabin, which comes loaded with Ford Sync 3, which has Apple Car Play and Android Auto capabilities. There is a jog shuttle selector for those who don't want to touch the screen, also depending on the options you chose, there seems to be a host of other buttons below that, I'm guessing its for comfort modes and turning the stability control on and off. The Focus steering wheel has multifuction controls, and an optional heads up display. The interior upholstery has a few options for your fancy, with both leather and cloth on offer. 

There's a new model to get the Focus badge and that's the Ford Focus Active, which is their cross-over model. Looks wise, it looks superb, it's basically the Focus Hatch with some beef! It's height has been raised, given large rims, some brushed metal accessories and scuff plates giving it that rugged look. It's a model that will appeal to the adventure seeker, would have looked cool with some roof racks on it but not quite sure if Ford have plans for that. Also not sure if the car will be AWD, it would be cool if it was. Overall Ford have really upped the anti to this model segment, with VW planning to unveil the Golf 8 soon and with most of the world already surprised at Toyota's new Auris/ Corolla Hatch, it only adds more competition to this important sector. The Focus is set to be launched towards the end of 2018 in South Africa, when we get more details on the models, engines and pricing available here, we will let you know. 

Bucket Seat: KIA Cerato - First Impressions

The compact sedan market is hotting up as the luxury sedan segment pricing seems to be rocketing up, consumers, especially the middle class earners are looking for affordable family vehicles but also should look good and have most of the bells and whistles that you would expect from a compact sedan. For years Toyota have dominated this aspect in the market with their Corolla, and to this day remains one of the best selling vehicles in its class, worldwide! But over the recent years, the Korean's have come to the fight and they got the weapons to match. A little over 10 years ago I watched an interview and interview of the President of Toyota, of which he was asked if he fears the competition from VW, and he replied, no, its the Korean car-makers which he worries about .Fast forward to present day, and you will see what he was talking about. The likes of Hyundai and KIA have stormed the market with their variety of vehicles and exceptional service and guarantees. 

This week saw KIA launch their 3rd generation Cerato sedan, a car which has done reasonably well in SA, well not so much the actual sedan but rather the variants with the hatch and Koup being the popular ones from the line-up. Not sure what the reason for that was, maybe the styling? If that was indeed the case, then this new Cerato shouldn't have the same problem as it looks great! Unlike the Rio and Picanto we tested last year, the design of the front is more on the lines of the new Sportage with a similar angled grille and elongated headlamps. The rear ties in quite nicely with the car as well and also similar to the Sportage rear with the straight-line tailgate linking the both rear lights. From the pictures, it looks like they're LED lights as well. 

Moving on to the interior, it is very similar to the Rio, slightly more spacious though. Interesting to note is that it comes standard with the 8" touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as this was an optional extra or model dependent in the Rio and Picanto, it however for the US market, I'm hoping it also applies to the local market. I did mention in my review of either car that it is a must as it integrates so well with your smart phone, from navigation, to phone calls, it even reads out sms's and whatsapp messages to you. The Cerato has some nice options for the interior, like a wireless charging tray and a 320-watt sound system that has been developed with Harman Kardon! I'm liking this car already. In terms of safety, the car comes with the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) which is offered in many of the other premium models and now is featured in the Cerato. It has blind-spot collision warning, lane keeping assist, it also comes with forward collision avoidance assist and smart cruise control which maintains a specific distance to the car in front of you. 

Performance wise, the new Cerato comes powered with a 2.0L Nu four-cylinder engine that benefits from Atkinson Cycle technology and cooled EGR system. They have eliminated the CVT transmission and developed the IVT with adaptive style shift logic with a chain-type belt instead of a push belt, which is a first in the compact class.They have also reduced engine noise by wrapping the transmission case in a sound-insulated cover to help minimise the "drone" associated with this technology. The engine pushes out the same figures as the current Cerato, with 110kW and 179Nm of torque but efficiency levels have been bettered with an approximate 6.7L/100km. KIA's have some of the best Eco figures from the host of cars I've test so I can only imagine this must be just as good. 

Overall this looks like a very exciting new addition to the compact sedan market, certainly has a more premium feel to it than its competitors. While the battle for the top spot may be dominated by Toyota with its Corolla, Hyundai's Elantra might have some good competition with the Cerato for the battle of second place.

love this cheeky little advert from KIA comparing the Cerato to the Aventador 

Bucket Seat: BMW Concept 8 Series

When BMW AG broke the news that the 6 Series production line had stopped, it meant one two things, we were never going to see the super luxury coupe again or something new and better was coming. Thankfully it was the latter, late last night the German manufacturer lifted the covers on its long awaited return of the 8 Series Coupe and, its magnificent! With rivals Mercedes Benz taking the market by storm with their S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet, BMW knew they had to do something to persuade their current clientele and new prospective buyers with something equally great or better than what the competition has. 

And suffice to say, they didn't just do that but they hit the ball out of the park with this one. The BMW Concept 8 Series is something to behold. It's bold, its sleek, it's something that personifies what BMW has planned for the brand in the coming years. Whats even more great about it, is that BMW say that this concept, is very close to what we can expect in the production car next year. Yes, this car will be made and much of what you are seeing here will be in it! 

The design is something completely new from them and BMW say it will influence their product range going forward in terms of design and technology. It also signals BMW's interest in making a move to a higher market in terms of their offering. Being the new range topper from the stable. the Concept 8 Series takes a swipe at luxury sports cars such as Porsche and Aston Martin, so it will be very interesting to see what the final product is and how close it is to the concept. 

The Concept 8 Series also has a new user interface which will follow in the brands lower segments. It see's a new interior layout, which is clean, sleek and very much driver focused and super luxurious while still maintaining key elements that made their simplistic but rational design great in the past. The driver has a full digital cockpit with the ability to view almost any information on it, including the navigation map. No word on whether the car will have the XDrive system which is offered on other high end sports models from them but there is no doubt this one will be fast!