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One of the things that bugs me at the moment is the fact that OEMs are making bespoke platforms for their EVs. While I understand that the architecture can be quite different in an EV, it seems very wasteful. ICE cars are going to be here for a long time yet, especially in hybrid form, so why...

Yeah, I think people say that spots still have some advantage for distance. Would like to try them out. It took you 35 years to buy a Golf, you're not allowed to make jokes.

I do still love an old style lamp pod, but the LED bars do seem to very much the trend currently. I guess it's much easier to knock up some alloy brackets than go to the trouble of sculpting a pod, so I can see why people do it. My lamp pod was surprisingly heavy too. I'd like to give the bars...

Not sure how it looks like it's been anywhere near Halfords, it's got some aftermarket wheels and some LED light bars on it... The lights are designed to be simple. They need to be quick to fit/remove, rather than be the last word in attractive design. They wouldn't be fitted most of the time...

Came across this one on Instagram recently - i30 N rally car:

That's lovely. Can't be many of those in Canada!

Speedlines would be essential on a 200 for me, or aftermarket. The standard wheels hurt my eyes.

Ford have a section of track at Lommel that is supposed to simulate British roads apparently. I think it's a combination of things in reality. Stylists demanding big wheels, the difficulty of finding a set-up for all markets, packaging, customer perception of "sporty". It goes on and on...

I don't know if I like the sound of "out-harding" people... It's definitely a factor though, without a doubt. The big wheel thing plays a part too. We've gone from having big, chunky sidewalls 20 years ago, to having rubber band tyres on most stuff now.

I do wonder if it's what the market demands. Even a lot of M-Sport BMWs and S-Line Audis feel stupidly firm for what are, essentially, cooking model cars. People associate hard ride with high performance, so I think it is intentional to some extent. That and the fact that roads in the UK are...

It does seem a bit of a thing with Fords. When I had my Golf R, a friend had a MK3 Focus ST and the ride in the Focus wasn't quite so well resolved. It was ok most of the time, but when cruising on dual carriageways, it did feel a little fidgety compared to the Golf. You could say the same about...

Looks is the endlessly debatable topic I guess. I've never been a huge 1-Series fan, so I'm probably not the best person to ask. That being said, my friend has an 07 130I M-Sport and I do have a bit of a soft spot for that for some reason. The leg room is comically bad though.

Just a shame about the styling of the BMW, although that is very subjective of course. The practicalities don't help it either I guess, as it has always been behind the FWD-based stuff in terms of interior space etc.

I've never spent any time in one on the road unfortunately, so can't really comment on its road manners, only a brief taste on track. A lot of buyers seem to be ok with a relatively firm ride these days and Focus RS sales exceeded expectations from what I've been told, so I guess it wasn't an...

I think that's perhaps being a bit unfair on the Focus in a way. It is a hard-riding car (so was the ST actually), but I think that was very deliberate. It was never a car designed for the ultimate lap-time, hence them never bothering with 'ring times etc. The priority was fun rather than...

I would certainly echo this, albeit in a slightly different line. As a professional writer/editor, I never read my old work after it's been published, as I will always find stuff I want to change!

As above, good quality is a must, and make sure you use longer bolts or spacers that bolt to the hub. In terms of geometry, it can have a negative impact but, provided you don't go too wide, you probably won't notice in reality.

They weren't? It is literally impossible to keep up with your Volvo-based antics.

I preferred the big pimpin' five spokes to be honest.

Some of those HAVE to be in!