Faults:

When I took delivery of the car, the Bluetooth module wasn't working. This also stopped the voice control and Aux-in socket from working too.

The passenger side seat belt adjuster was also stuffed.

Supplying dealer fixed both faults without any fuss.

The car was hit by a freak hailstorm, resulting in over 150 dents, mostly on the roof and bonnet. A local dent repair specialist took them all out, and the car is 99.9% back to what it was. Not the cars fault, obviously!

General Comments:

I'm very happy with the comfort of the car, having driven 5-6 hours plus with no back problems.

The dual zone climate control works fairly well, and can generally be left to get on with managing itself. Shame it doesn't have the extra rear vents that the top-spec cars get mind. My kids would appreciate more air flow.

Performance is good, lots of mid-range power and decent acceleration, but the old tech 6 speed autobox makes the car feel a little sluggish at times. It's not the smoothest box either; changes into second and third could be better at times.

Economy is OK, but not great. I'm averaging about 40 MPG, which is probably about 10 MPG short of what the manual version can do.

Boot space is very good (this is the estate version), but it would be more practical if the roof and boot door didn't slope in so much.

It's a shame there isn't a full size spare in the boot, nor is there space to put one in without losing 2-3 inches of boot height and the flat load floor. I know, I've tried.

Handling and driver appeal is good for a large car, but not in the same league as the Focus and Fiesta I've also driven. Part of that could be the autobox, and partly a car this heavy is never going to be that much fun. The steering is nice though; well assisted, but still with plenty of feel.

It's good to have climate, rear electric windows and proper rear passenger lighting in this mid-range car, but I do miss rain sensitive wipers and auto-lights from my other cars. A beefier stereo would be good too. I upgraded the front speakers, which has helped, but the Ford 6000CD just hasn't got the guts for it.

One little rattle spoils the otherwise very quiet cabin. This car is seriously refined at motorway speeds; clearly it was designed for it.

With a little more kit (maybe Titanium version) and slightly better fuel economy, I would not be able to seriously fault this car at all. It would be interesting to see what the newer cars are like with the Powershift gearbox instead.