Limited edition all-rounder

Ford have chosen the setting of the current AutoRAI in Amsterdam to unveil the Focus X Road. This has taken the motor world by surprise. The plan is to build just 300 units and sell the whole lot via showrooms in the Dutch host nation, starting in July 2009. The basic price of the X Road will be 25,175 euros (equivalent to 23,000 GBP), for which you get two and a half vehicles rolled into one: in terms of volume, an estate car; as regards looks, an SUV and yet – because it runs on either petrol or bioethanol – also qualifying as semi-green. A quick look at the gallery should be enough to persuade us all to book a single fare for a round trip to the Netherlands.