Long term test drive: Ford Focus 1.6 Ecoboost

There were a number of reasons for us choosing to run a Focus as a long-term test car. Most obviously, the mark three Focus is brand new and it is likely to become Britain's biggest-selling car, so it is a pretty important model.

However, there are two other reasons for being particularly interested in this car. Firstly, it is Ford's first genuinely global car, designed to be equally appealing in both Michigan and Manchester. Sure Ford has attempted this before, but never with any conviction: the first front-drive Escort (this car's great-great-grandfather), was intended to be global, but hardly any of the panels were actually interchangeable, while the first Mondeo was a basically European car that looked small and expensive to American eyes.