Luxury brand Bentley...
Luxury brand Bentley is simply flying at the moment. Not only has it recently unveiled its new Brooklands flagship (New Cars, Issue 999), but the hot Continental GT Speed is making waves, too. The only downside is that even the entry-level Flying Spur costs a huge ÷£117,500.
Undercutting the competition...
Undercutting the competition on cost was clearly the blue oval"s intention, because the basic model costs í‚á£1,500 less than Vauxhall"s Astra VXR and is an astonishing í‚á£2,500 cheaper than the comparable Volkswagen Golf GTI.
The hot Ford will be available in three guises: the basic ST; the more luxurious ST 2, priced í‚á£18,495, and the flagship ST 3 costing í‚á£19,495. Crucially, all of them share the same 222bhp 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder powerplant.
Although both the VW and Vauxhall are better equipped, the entry-level Ford"s price is an impressive feat. The base model features huge 18-inch alloy wheels, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and a six-speed manual gearbox as standard.
With 320Nm of torque arriving at 1,600rpm, the sprint from 0-60mph takes only 6.5 seconds on the way to a top speed of 150mph. And the ST"s claimed combined fuel economy figure of 30.1mpg is competitive with hot hatch rivals. Ford is promising to offer both three and five-door models, with the order books scheduled to open on 1 October.