Ford Focus Estate review

The Focus Estate is about £1,100 more expensive than hatch, regardless of spec. Prices start at under £20K, but an ST-Line car with our suggested 1.5-litre engine will set you back £23,500 before options. On PCP you’re looking at around £260 a month over three years, assuming you put £5,000 down and limit yourself to 36,000 miles.

Trim levels start with Style and Zetec. Then things get a bit more complicated, with three ‘branches’ of specs. There’s ST-Line and ST-Line X, which are the sporty ones, then Titanium, Titanium X and Vignale, which are the posh ones. Then there’s Active and Active X - the ones with a bit more ride height, some black plastic cladding and a slippery/trail drive mode (we haven’t tried one yet, but think Audi A4 Allroad far as philosophy goes).

All Focuses get loads of active safety tech, including pre- and post-collision braking and lane-keeping assist. Zetec gets the 8in infotainment screen, plus Ford’s worthwhile heated windscreen. Then it’s whether you want something schporty, the luxe one or the off-roady one. We’d stick with ST-Line, as indeed most people will. It’s the best-looking, best-handling and doesn’t cost a fortune.