ChrisSussex

unless your girlfriend works at a dealer that has one, where there is a nice large, quiet carpark!! im gonna try my luck :)

tbh, I've only just noticed it but its definitely 'there' (Ive not contacted the dealer or Ford UK about it tho.

hold that thought.. i just went to the forecourt section where id posted some pics and on closer inspection, the match aint that great, tbh ive never really noticed it until now tho :( - erm - see this pic : http://img.photobox.co.uk/17799861dc647 ... 51b836.jpg I'll have another look and post again - it seems to be the angle and light you look at the car in - cos as I say ive not noticed it before..

yeah sure, its raining at the moment, but when it stops and the car is dry ill get some posted up. c

hi, ive seen a grey one in 5 door and imo it looks a bit too heavy for it, it certainly doesnt wear it as well as the old style did (imo). ive got a jeans blue and personally think thats the best colour, but having said that, the black does look good (but lots of cleaning). the machined silver looks ok too. for the record, took del of my jean blue 3 weeks ago and the colour match is perfect. :)

the diesels and the 2.0 petrol all have "Electric Hydraulic Power-Assisted Steering (EHPAS)" so as stated above there is no fluid reservoir :) wendsleydale - yeh ive got a 2.0 tdci and im loving it, 1st gear is not amazing, but in second if u floor it (and engaged the t/overboost) it flies, great pull through the revs to just under 4k, great pull in 3rd, 4th and 5th and it even keeps going in 6th actually! - though the turbo is more noticeable in 2nd and 3rd imo. you should love it when you get it - I do!

the steering should be super light at low speeds even in sport mode. its sort of above 45/50 it weights up?

mine so far with 1150miles on gives between 42 and 46 if I drive it reasonably swiftly. if i slow to about 45mph - and keep it constant, when in 5th gives 52mpg, and in 6th, if I can just keep the revs at their min but as close as poss to 45mph gives 61mpg!!! at 100mph, (private roads) it does 39mpg and a more responsible 80/85mph gives about 39-41mpg. im pleased with that (2.0tdci zetec cl). i basically put in £25 a throw and tend to get 265 miles from that.

hey, two more jeans blues! yaaay. mine is same but 3 door zetec climate. ive not heard about that recall tho - had mine a week and a half... definitely getting quicker in the gears. handling is excellent, im impressed, and that is coming from a puma!

ford say be gentle and vary engine speeds but not excessively for the 1st 1000 miles. the whole 'running in' debate is one of those things where about half of people say 'rag it' and half say, be gentle!

ive got my new 2.0 TDCi and Im, sorta being gentle with it, but I am taking it up to 4k revs tho, seems fine. With my prev car - Puma, I ragged the living crap out of it from day one and over the 98k I ended up doing in it, Im almost positive that it has - well had more power / was more responsive that the "next" puma.

zetec climate does have heated (windscreen) washer jets - as I understood it, it was the actual sprayers that were heated - as oppossed to the water - i.e. theory being that if the jet 'eyes' are heated, they dont freeze up and hence let the water through? if you have Xenons (like mine! yaaaay) then you also get headlight washers - they are hidden in the bumper beneath a small square of body coloured erm, well bumper lol. they're grrrrrrreat as tony the tiger would say :)

where u getting it from ronaldo? mines dee's of croydon

I'll get some pics up when I get it - ooh and I went for the Infinity Rack interior - I know some people were intreagued as to what it looked like - should be interesting (hope I like it! lol)

Getting mine on Thurs 6th!!! 2.0 TDCi, Zetec Climate, 3 dr, Jeans Blue, 17inch wheels and xenons to blind every other road user! RAR!

i think the actual cost of Euro III versus Euro IV is about £400 on the list price

Mike, if its a company car make sure it is Euro IV diesel and make sure its registered before the end of December to qualify for reduced tax. If reg'd after (I think its 311205) then you don't get the 'special tax reduction' (about 3% I think) Waiting times on Euro IV's is apparantly more than Euro III due to demand from lease companies all trying to get their orders in, in order to qual for this tax reduction. Get ur skates on!

Mike. I just checked the options list and the Titanium comes with standard suspension (not sports) but you can have sport suspension (as per the Zetec) for £150 option. Note that ISN'T the ebachs tho... I ordered mine 30/07/05 and its been built on friday, so getting around mid Oct, but do remember some of that delay is due to Ford not building anything over August (I was told). Also though the car you TD was it low mileage, like under a few hundred? I td one with 600 miles and it wasnt as quick on overboost as the one I later TD (for fun) which has 4000 miles on it. that thing flew!

Hi Mike, As far as I know the only version with 'sports suspension' as standard is the Zetec/ Zetec Climate, I know the Ghia has really soft suspension comparatively, so I assume the Titanium would have softer susp' too? Ive got a 2.0 TDCi on order, its just been 'gate released' so its nearly here, but I went for Zetec Climate. I know what u mean about the turbo woosh, I td the Astra just before the Focus and it didnt sound as good either. Though I am suprised that you say the pull in the Focus isnt as good at full throttle because the Focus has transient overboost which gives an extra 20NM

Hi Ian, nice one, I have just had confirmation that they will be building mine on Fri 23/09 so I should get around 17/10... seeing as I ordered it on 01/08, that is a bloomin' long wait, tho partly due to Ford's factory shut down over august! can't wait!!!

looks great! i really love those alloys. i cant wait to get mine :)

each time i reset the mpg calc whilst on the move it rocketed to 99 then dropped steadily 1 mpg by 1 mpg as i carried on until it plateaued out at about 45

but 142.. a touch steep. its odd tho, cos the parts bloke at local dealer said u cant have the flippy key on the zetec - not even to buy the key and change over the chip.. strange

ah christ.. good point lol. who said that!?

ah nice one, i must be blind!