Rain. That incessant, unyielding kind that I thought only the Lake District could produce, has somehow made its way to London. And on the same weekend I have borrowed a Harley Davidson 48.

It’s only then, weird plastic murmur tapping on my half hat, that I realise it’s an odd argument as to why anybody would prefer to ride two wheels over four. It’s always colder, usually wetter, more dangerous, there’s no radio, no bluetooth for your phone, you can’t really chat to your passengers, you look a bit of a tool arriving at work and, as I recently discovered at an airport check-in, all the time you’ve gained on the road threading through traffic is lost having to strip off your multiple layers of kit.

But having grown up on the smell of two-stroke scooters, I just can’t seem to shake the habit. I value the perspective I get from a bike and, now I’m older, I can finally get insured for less than the price of a small house.

To my surprise, the Harley 48 has proved to be the most most remarkable town bike. The frame is compact and narrow enough to weave in and out of traffic. The chunky tyres, seat and suspension have been set up to make no drama out of potholes and the 1202cc engine has so much torque (98NM), you find yourself just burbling around in any of those five gears. It’s a massively infectious riding style and one that keeps your license in tact.

Equally surprising is just how useless the 48 would be on a trek to the Scottish Highlands. The forward pegs and wide bars get uncomfortable at prolonged high speed -  seriously, anything above 60mph and the vibrations hit you hard and the burly ‘potato potato‘ thrum becomes inaudible. All your ears pick up is the apparent ticking noise of an old cinema projector.

The most frustrating part would be that piddly 8-litre ‘peanut’ fuel tank. The range is supposed to be around the 100-mile mark, but in the city, I was seeing the fuel light flash on after half that. Come to mention it, I find it quite weird that a bike with an odometer and a trip computer does not also have a fuel gauge. I could imagine becoming quite paranoid if I was ever planning a route out of town. Keep this bike in the city however, and you will fall in love.

• For more discussions on the Harley Davidson 48, please listen to our Gas Station podcast at Podisode.com

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Now is not the time for the new Ford Focus III to drop a bomb. On those hefty shoulders of reinvention is a car that has been a ride and handling pioneer in the family hatchback segment since 1998, as well as the decade’s biggest unit shifter.

UK sales of the Ford Focus have exceeded 1.4 million units since 1998

Yet in Ford UK’s centennial year, the new Ford Focus is going global: one car, 120 different markets and 2-2.5million forecasted annual sales. BIG ask.

On the outside

The fact people haven’t been that receptive to the new car’s styling makes me think either (i) the quest for ‘global cars’ is forcing us into some sort of moribund design scene or (ii) we’re losing our ability to be impressed by the new. Judging by the new ‘global’ Nissan Micra, I want to say it’s them, not us.

The kinetic design language still offers obvious hints of Ford Focus -- see large trapezoidal front grille, zig-zag character line -- but there are some elements that look a bit fussy -- see back of car. Global concessions also mean that Ford isn’t making a three-door version of the new Focus, though a five-door hatchback and estate will be hitting UK showrooms in March.

Kinetic Design language continues in Ford Focus III

On the inside

Inside is more resolved and a significant step up in perceived quality over the previous generation Ford Focus, even though it does feel like a big Fiesta. There’s a rich mix of materials with both smooth and angular architecture that keeps this car firmly routed in the now. Unfortunately, the wrap-around dashboard does eat into passenger legroom, so taller peeps should take note.

Compared to the ergonomic but starch conservatism of the Volkswagen Golf, the Focus also lets loose with a baffling panoply of controls. Baffling only to someone (like me) unaccustomed to the masses of tech now being marketed at this price point. The most impressive gadget of which is the optional driver assistance pack which uses a forward facing digital camera to offer adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning plus intervention (see below), automatic high beam and traffic sign recognition.

Engines

The most efficient Ford Focus on sale in March will be the 1.6-litre TDCi Duratorq diesel that claims 109g/km and fuel economy of 67.3mpg. But the biggest talking point is Ford’s new 1.6-litre Ecoboost petrol engine. It’s an all-aluminium unit that’s been turbocharged to offer the performance of a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol but with better emissions and fuel consumption.

Focus uses the EPAS electric power assisted steering that also features in the C-MAX

There will be two power outputs available: a 148bhp version from launch and a 180bhp version I tested that follows in the summer. The 180bhp version has a surprising amount of fizz for a 1.6, with plenty of torque low down in the rev range which helps it accelerate from rest to 62mph in 7.9secs. Both versions will come fitted with Automatic Stop-Start, emit 139g/km and return an almost diesel-like 47mpg on the combined cycle.

The 2.0 diesels are the only models available with Ford’s new dual-clutch gearbox, but it lacks the responsiveness of Volkswagen Group’s DSG system. The bizarre rocker-switch that’s mounted on the gearstick for semi-manual mode (instead of using conventional wheel-mounted paddles) is also an invention the world has not been waiting for.

Dynamics & Verdict

How you benchmark the dynamics of the new Ford Focus will ultimately depend on its intended purpose in your life. Is it to rip up and down the Col de Vence comparing bump absorption and agility on 80mph right-handers? Or is it to provide rich memories of dull, interminable hours spent on the M6, driving to Tesco, the Trafford Centre and any other number of those indoor-outdoor shopping centres that like to architecturally imitate streets.

If the former fulfils your priorities, you may feel that the chassis isn’t so inherently well balanced as the previous generation Ford Focus, nor will you be able to steer the car on the throttle. So perhaps consider buying the Ford Focus II while you still can (it’s still on sale until September). Or perhaps something that isn’t a family hatchback?

For anybody else, the new Ford Focus offers a much more mature, refined and fundamentally better proposition than its predecessor while still being excellent fun to drive.

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The Nissan Micra has become such an integrated part of British culture, we’ve adopted it as ‘one of our own.’ Built at Nissan Sunderland since 1992, the cute supermini was the first Japanese car to win European COTY in 1993 with a focus on compactness, comfort, reliability and value for money. All of those traits still appear present and correct in the latest fourth generation Micra, but it now seems like it’s being exalted as some kind of hero to the bland.

The new Nissan Micra is uniformly competent but painfully featureless

Yes, you cannot question that the new Nissan Micra is cleaner and more fuel efficient and safer than the previous car, thanks to six airbags and a four star Euro NCAP rating. There’s more room in the back and the insurance group is lower, too. But in its application for 160 markets -- the Micra is being described as Nissan’s first ‘global car’ with production shifting to India, China and Thailand  -- this car has lost the 3dr model variant and some, no, most of its character, embracing mediocrity like it’s some kind of lifestyle choice. Unless you get excited by turning circles, that is -- 4.64m apparently. A Hackney Carriage does it in 8m.

That may be good enough for other car markets, but the UK is like bootcamp for the B-segment. With a £9k starter point, this car is pitching itself up against a fiercely competitive line-up that includes the Ford Fiesta, Fiat 500 and Hyundai i20.

Some cars behave like white goods. Their function is simple and clear cut, so it either does its job or doesn’t. The Nissan Micra is one of those cars. We know it will start, it will stop and odds are it will be reliable. At that very basic level, it will perform your tasks competently and dutifully. However, if you want a supermini with a bit of character, something that you can actually feel vaguely proud of or attached to, I’d be tempted to look elsewhere.

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The SEAT Ibiza Bocanegra has been strategically positioned to add lustre to the ‘Alfa Romeo’ of the Volkswagen Group. OK, so nobody at SEAT has actually mentioned the whole ‘A’ word since Erich Shmitt was president, but there is one man who seems pretty keen to keep up the tag line.

Design director Luc Donckerwolke (you may still know and love him as Lambo man) is working hard to give the Spanish carmaker some edge. After successfully reinventing Lamborghini, Donckerwolke moved to SEAT in 2005 and despite the broader palette -- think Tribu Concept, IBe Concept -- his designs remain sharp, high impact and with no sign of bloating.

If you don’t know the SEAT Ibiza drill by now, the FR is the fast and (relatively) insurance friendly one, while the Cupra is Renaultsport Clio rapid, albeit with much better running costs (44.1mpg vs. 34.4mpg; 148g/km of CO2 vs. 195g/km of CO2 respectively).

The mechanically identical Bocanegra version will set you back an extra 700 notes over a standard Cupra, ramping the price up to £17,245 (prices have been revised since my video). It gets 17in gunmetal alloys, black gloss treatments around the mouth (Bocanegra actually means black mouth in Spanish) and door mirrors, while inside gets appliquéd with lots of ‘B’ logos.

It’s certainly a very positive step in the right direction but SEAT’s engineers still need to be loosened up as much as the designers. Not being able to fully disengage ESP in a hot hatch, for example, is a massive no no, as is paying £700 for no engine upgrades. Not even a little chip, guys?

Also, the use of a lighter (and cheaper) XDS electronic limited slip differential is fine in the same way that Kanye thinks it’s fine to use voice synthesizers. It does a fine job, though we’d prefer it if he just had a decent singing voice to start with (read have a mechanical diff). Like I said, the SEAT Ibiza Cupra Bocanegra is a very positive step, but I’d still like to see a bit more rebellion. If you want to know more about the Bocanegra, why not have a listen to podisode six of The Gas Station.

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Brethren, my Peugeot 5008 video review can now be viewed on the Fifth Gear website or just below, if you prefer hanging out here. Im sure that, in recent years, even Peugeot zealots must have considered whether the French manufacturer would have been better sticking to salt and pepper mills. But I’m pleased to announce the Peugeot 5008 is a return to form. Nope, not to hot hatch fans, but to families. This is a well specced, well resolved family car that also doesn’t feel like you’re looking at it through a distorted lens. Fingers crossed Peugeot is finally sorting out its design language.

If you like this video review, then you may be interested in more car related vids on my personal YouTube account.

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You’ll already know that the Skoda Superb makes a damn fine taxi cab, but have you considered it as your own personal chariot? I borrowed one over the snowy festive period without requisite kebab wrappers or wooden beaded cushions and discovered one seriously under-rated vehicle, desperate to be recognised.

It may look like the designer’s creative efforts were expended before the day had even started, but isn’t understatement the name of the game in 2010? The UK economy has grown by a miserly 0.1% in the last three months, so it’s hardly the time to be flashing a new set of extravagant executive wheels to the neighbours, is it?

Observe closer and you’ll notice both semi-successful detailing (twin-door boot mechanism works a treat but rear light clusters aren’t well resolved) and totally unexpected luxury. This Elegance spec Skoda Superb on test came with full leather trim, VW-sourced touch-screen infotainment system, dual-zone climate control, MP3 hook-up and the incredible Park Assist: the only way to reverse park if you scraped through this exercise on D-day.

Plus, the Superb has a price that confirms its relevance: £16,665 for the entry-level 1.4-litre TSI petrol rising to £21,500 for ‘my’ 2.0-litre diesel with DSG (no flappy paddles included) gearbox. That is a humungous amount of car for the money.

But then everything about this car is big. The boot is big (565-litres compared to 528-litres in the all-conquering Ford Mondeo), the rear space is big (best in class, actually), and even the range of this 2.0 TDI offers more than 400-miles between fill-ups. And it is such a habitable sanctuary, the only thing I ever found myself stopping for was a wee.

I’d say the ride is a bit too firm to be described as luxurious, but the trade-up from this is that the nose offers a sharper turn-in. It feels well damped too and proved far-from-shabby in snow. The 2.0-litre diesel engine seems to loosen up on any long distance commute, constantly returning near 40mpg without using hardly any oil.

I understand, for a dwindling few, the Skoda badge may still be an acquired taste but trust me. Spend a few hours behind the wheel of one of these cars and you’ll get where I’m coming from.

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The latest Fifth Gear Web TV episode is live people, and it features my MINI E car review! The MINI E may not be officially on sale, but this extensive experimental project that is running in New York, LA, Berlin and London just shows how committed BMW is to developing a bespoke electric city car. And contrary to the rumours suggesting this car will be badged a MINI or even a modern-day Isetta, I’ve heard from the top dogs that it will, in fact, be a BMW.

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Remember the Bentley Azure T review I was telling you about last week? Well, I’ve just finished editing it and downloaded a YouTube Plugin, so you can all watch it from the blog. Enjoy! 

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