Now that Ford have got us used to their sharp-edged Focus hatchback, they've decided that we're ready for the estate and saloon versions too. But they needn't have worried because, in the metal, both new cars look surprisingly sober.

And if they're not sensible enough for you, Ford have also taken this opportunity to introduce a brand new diesel engine, so you can now 'Expect More' mpg too.

Let's take that 1.8-litre diesel first, since it's available in all the body-styles, adding £500 to the cost of the 1.6-litre petrol equivalent. If you do lots of miles then you'll soon re-coup the extra dough, because this direct-injection diesel is good for well over 50mpg.

The new engine also produces 90bhp, which makes it quick enough, and it's also smooth and quiet. The old Escort diesel engine was a real clunker, but this new one is very nearly a match for the excellent direct-injection diesels fitted to VW's Golf and the Vauxhall Astra.

But if the Focus's new diesel can't quite topple the competition, then the estate may well do the job, because it offers the best total load volume in its class - almost 1,600 litres with the back seats down, combined with a flat load area and narrow wheel arches. It's a particularly practical family car and, since Ford seems to have decided that £500 is the figure of the moment, this Focus estate costs £500 more than either the saloon or hatchback models - a bargain, since many manufacturers charge the better part of £1,000 more for estates.

The Focus estate doesn't sacrifice any of the hatchback's good ride, snappy handling and general nippiness either, though inevitably the big box at the back does make it a bit noisier. However, exactly the opposite is true of the four-door saloon, which is the most refined of all the Foci. Ford say the saloon is aimed at a more 'conservative' buyer and, as usual, there's much talk of grey panthers and empty-nesters down-sizing -which, translated from marketing-speak, means that older people tend to buy smaller cars when the kids leave home.

Thanks to this profound marketing insight, you can only buy the four-door Focus in up-market Ghia trim, which adds fake wood as well as several more useful extras for (you guessed it) £500 more than an LX. When you've sorted out which particular kind of panther you are, you've still got to decide which options pack you need. As a greying but safety-conscious panther myself, may I suggest the oddly-named 'Reflex' pack? For the inevitable 500 notes, it adds side airbags, traction control and ABS brakes to the standard package.

That's top value, although I'm still wondering if Ford called their safety pack Reflex because they think we older panthers have lost our once-lightning reflexes, and need all the help we can get as we go careering into other cars and those hard-to-avoid office blocks.

One thing to bear in mind: it's worth asking them to 'hold the sunroof' on their top-selling LX model, because then they'll give you air-conditioning instead for just £100 (or as the marketing people would no doubt have it: £500 extra, but with £400 cash back.) So which Focus would I go for? As a highish-mileage family motorist, my choice would be the diesel estate model in the top-value LX trim, with that Reflex pack and the air-con in lieu of the sunroof. If I've added all my lots of £500 up properly, that will cost me £15,600.

And although that's around £2,500 more than the cheapest Focus, I reckon my choice will hold its value better than anything in the range, and will also be eminently sensible, safe and fun to drive too.