CAR CRAFT

This is the new Audi A6 Avant, the German company’s highly popular estate.

It is bigger than its predecessor in most dimensions and has a large luggage capacity with a total of 1,680 litres with the rear seats folded flat.

A range of petrol and diesel engines are available, all of which feature a mild hybrid system that uses a combined alternator/starter motor to recover energy during braking which is then fed into a separate lithium-ion battery. A Bicester Heritage, the classic car ‘craft village’ on the old RAF airfield of the same name is holding its first Sunday Scramble of the year this weekend. I’ve not been to one yet but mates who have say that these classic car gatherings are a lot of fun and completely unpretentious. Go to bicesterheritage.co.uk/ events for tickets and details. stop/start system is also standard and engine-off coasting is possible between 34mph and 99mph.

Four different suspension set-ups are available including an air-based system.

We’ll have more details including prices when we get the new Avant in to test.

The new generation Ford Focus will be with customers in September. Prices will start at £17,930 for the Style trim level. The good news is that this is £2,300 below the model it replaces.

Ford’s bosses promise a Focus that’s fun to drive and, equally importantly, one that’s crammed full with the technology that buyers expect these days. Infotainment in other words.

The car is built on an entirely new platform that increases the Focus’s length by 18mm while greatly improving interior space.