Faults:

* One tyre pressure warning (nothing).

* Lambda sensor replaced at 19000.

General Comments:

A lease car from my wife's company. Pretty basic version with the smallest diesel engine (95 HP), "Trend" execution which means not a lot of options available on the car. It drives well though, the small diesel is surprisingly quick off the mark... a lot quicker than my old Scenic. Another good point: the excellent gear box and the sharp steering.

On the downside however, the seats are less comfy than the 2008 Renault. There's also less clever touches, likes stowaway boxes e.g. under the seats, etc. The dashboard looks very 90's and nowhere near the Renault's clear instrumentation. In general also a bit less roomy than the Renault.

Not sure if I'm gonna buy it from the company after 4 years, especially now with the lambda sensor failing after only 19.000 km. Will wait and see.

Faults:

Repeated issues with the fuel filter, meaning the car goes into limp home mode - the only cure is replacement every service! Thankfully it's a lease car, so I ain't paying!

Stupid tyre inflation kit - a puncture left me stranded on the A1 in a blizzard for 6 hours. The tyre inflation kit only inflates a DEFLATING tyre. If your tyre's flat, forget it. Then after being relayed home, you can't get to a tyre bay BECAUSE THERE'S NO SPARE, so it took me 3 days to resolve and get a new tyre on the rim.

General Comments:

Comfortable, well equipped, decent MPG (48 overall).

The dealers try, bless them, but in execution it's very poor. I am told at the dealers the fuel filter issues are endemic with the Ford 1.6 diesel engine across all its applications - just poor design. A car should be able to go 12500 miles between services without the filter clogging with water surely?

As for the tyre - Ford aren't alone in this dodge, and AA and RAC men are now all too familiar with having to piggy back cars home that have suffered nothing more drastic than a flat tyre. And I remember when a puncture was just an inconvenience.

Oh and by the way - order a space saver on a new Ford at the point of sale - cost £80. Decide the inflation kit is a bad idea so you go get a spare - cost £350!!?? Go figure dudes!