New Toy - hot hatch

When I got this current car, it was in fact suggested to me by my (petrolhead) boss that I should go for a 350 E or even a 350 ML ( or whatever the big 4x4 Merc is called now ) but the bik on either of those was too steamy for my liking, so I chose the 220 "with all the toys" model. Sometimes I think I'd like a bit more oomph, and in fact even the difference between my old 250 and the new 220 is noticeable, particularly when accelerating uphill.

However, most of the time it's just fine and it does get very good mpg. Over its life it's showing better than 48 mpg and often on a long run, it can get into the medium to high 50s to the gallon. Large stretches of the motorway network I use are now "smart', or are about to be, and the A roads around here are infested with cameras, so the opportunities to "press on" are pretty limited. Not to say I wouldn't enjoy a bit more power now and then, but it has become less useable, and as such, less of a priority to me. It's not a slow car by any means mind you, and never feels all that compromised in the UK anyway.

My priorities these days are comfort, reliability and loadspace with enough power to cope while not costing a fortune in tax.

Sadly maybe, but that's the way it is.

I've mentioned before BPG, that in some ways, not all of course, but a lot of the time, I find it as much fun to hoon about in my son's Aygo, getting at least close to its limits of performance and adhesion etc without being too much in danger of licence immolation. However, given the chance of a shot of car like yours, I'd take it in a heartbeat, but just not as my daily driver. Different where you live of course.

You wouldn't want me driving over your extension lead. 

It's a tether.  *sniff*

Do you think they'd still fly with all those batteries on board? If it was a purpose-built electric sleigh, with a lightweight carbon fibre chassis, then maybe. But simply jamming a crate of lithium into a structure designed for plain old ungulate propulsion? It's compromised, at best.
😈

Having spent some time thinking about this I can say it really is different.

I know you're a driving god as are we all to greater and lesser effect or amount. The limits really are different. I find the difference between the R-design Volvo setup and the Focus quite remarkable. The R-design just stiffens everything up while still washing out at the front end at fairly low speeds especially on winter balloon size tyre options. On its own it really is an amazing car to drive. With torque vector braking it will go round corners on its door handles but when you hit the limits, you hit them, and hard.

I guess the Focus will be the same in comparison to expensive exotica but you will need cojones the size of an elephants to find that limit.

It's not just the speed, it's the togetherness. Where you can have fun in a small hatchback with low power it has a disconnected feel I find. I'd like to have a go in a Caterham just to feel the difference but the Ford is just so tight, forget the power, forget the speed, the chassis is just "tight". You think around corners you don't have to drive them. At 253€/tyre (I looked yesterday during a slack time) you expect there to be oodles of grip but it goes beyond the tyres and the steering rack. It's the complete car, there is no looseness or baggyness. 

Only to avoid bore wash from a cold start of course, good call !