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Taking the new Ford Focus for a spin to the Peak District
Last week, I hired the new Ford Focus ST-Line X from Bristol Street Motors and took it for a spin to the Peak District. I fell absolutely in love with it, I honestly don’t have a single bad word to say. It’s such a beautifully sleek car, to look at, and to drive – here is what we got up to.
Collecting The Car
Collecting the car was easily the scariest part of this whole experience. I only passed my test 8 months ago so I have never hired a car within that time, or driven anything other than my own little Peugeot. You just get used to your own wheels too, don’t you? So anyway I took a drive out to Durham to the Bristol Street Motors Ford Dealership where I collected the car from. After getting the insurance all sorted out, I was given the keys and shown around the car, I got a bit nervous at this point as this car was SO different to mine. No hand break. 6 gears. Automatic lights. A keyless engine. Powerful engine. Loads bigger. But it was fine! The second I got in the drivers seat and actually drove the car away for myself, I realised that all my fears were for nothing. It was no different to driving my own car (just a lot smoother and less noisy!) – I took to it instantly. I remember driving my own car for the first time and it took me a good few days to get used to it, so this was amazing!

Before we ventured off to the Peak District later in the week, we had a good 2 hour drive back home after picking it up from the dealership, and it was late afternoon so I made the most of the opportunity to shoot the car on the quiet country roads just outside of Whitby. It’s such a nice drive towards Middlesbrough/Newcastle from where I live as you go across the North Yorkshire Moors.


What I Loved About The Car
Wow, where do I even begin? I love everything about this car. My car is incredibly basic as I feel it’s a bit of a ‘beginner’ car for new drivers like myself, so there are so many things in the Ford that I wish I had in mine. I love that the lights are automatic but also how simple it is to use the lights manually too. It has an auto a keyless ignition which is always handy. The best part about this car easily has to be the power though, it’s insane. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a fast car? I love a car that speeds up quickly and it’s such a smooth drive too – something I found lovely driving on all the country roads through the Peak District.


Some Of My Favourite Features
One of my favourite features is the sensors everywhere. I’m talking, front, back, sides, on the windscreen – the lot. Perfect for those like me who are constantly worrying about hitting things. I never have FYI, but y’know – anxiety. There is also a rear camera so you can actually watch your car reversing. It also has all the usual stuff you expect in a car like bluetooth, as well as the ability to plug your phone in via USB and carplay – as well as a navigation system with voice control. I don’t have any of that in my car so I took full advantage! Another cool feature is the intelligent speed limiter that keeps your car at a specified maximum set speed, which is very, very handy for those with a black box. I love the lane keeping system too, the sensors basically pick up the white lines in the road and help keep the car in lane. There is also a collision warning when it picks up that you are driving towards a car that has slowed right down or come to a stop, which was a loud alarm sound, something that could help prevent so many accidents on the roads so I think it’s an amazing addition to a car. Every car should have one.

Peak District Road Trip
I had to take the car on a road trip at some point during the week having it, not only to get a nice long drive out in the car itself, but to get some gorgeous snaps too. I planned on heading to the Peak District, but little did I know it had actually been snowing really heavily over that way. I didn’t think to check the weather forecast though did I? However… despite almost getting stuck in the snow, the trip was so, so worth it. I got some of the most gorgeous snaps, not only of the car, but of Ru and I too. Thankfully for us the car was so comfy and warm that the cold temperatures didn’t bother us in the slightest. We had the best time just cruising round and taking in the beautiful scenery and snow topped hills.
Cruising The Peak District
What I love about the Peak District was that there are so many gorgeous little villages to drive through. Even though we only got out of the car a couple of times, there were plenty of places to pull in and quickly get some snaps of the views. It was so well sign posted too, I didn’t really have an idea of exactly where I was going but we actually managed to find a little shopping village at one point. There was a gorgeous little toy shop there that we took Reuben into and he fell in love with a little camper van (two actually…) so I bought him one and he’s still obsessed with it now. I’m definitely heading back this way in the summer as I can imagine it’s even more beautiful when all of the trees are covered in leaves again and the sun is shining over all of the lovely little lakes. I think it will be such a lovely place to stay for the weekend and go on lots of long summer walks.

Overall Thoughts On The Ford Focus ST-Line X
Overall I can just say I honestly really rate the Ford Focus ST-Line X. It’s a 5 door and the boot is absolutely huge, it’s just so perfect for families and those with little ones. The back of the car has plenty of room for car seats. If you’re a bit of a shortie like me, the front seat also has a 6-way power adjusted seat which I personally found really convenient. I’m so fussy about how I sit to drive as I tend to get quite bad neck and back ache on long road trips. It has a dual temperature control at the front too so your passengers can choose to be a bit cooler or warmer, something I think is really good because I quite often get so hot driving but I don’t want Reuben to feel the cold. I could go on and on about the amazing features all day, we had such a great drive out to the Peak District in it! I’m very close to picking one of these up for myself.

Fancy A New Car?
Bristol Street Motors Ford are having an event between the 8th – 18th of this month which gives customers up to £1000 off a brand new car bought at their dealership, so if you’ve been looking at a Ford already or now have your eyes on one of these beauties, it’s an offer to take advantage of. I can safely say that if I hadn’t have bought my car just 8 months ago, I would 100% be looking into getting one of these. I’m absolutely sold on Ford cars now and I’m going to feel lost driving around without all of these incredible features.
What are your thoughts on the new Ford, she’s a beauty right?!
~ This post is a paid collaboration with Bristol Street Motors. ~