We always see futuristic concept cars with high-tech interiors and massive 20in and over sized wheels that their makers claimed costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop, not to mention the number of man-hours and the hurdles thrown at developers from upper management. So it’s rare to see one that has actually been delivered to a motoring mag for a test drive.

That’s exactly what happened with the Ford Iosis X Concept, which the journos from UK magazine Auto Express got to take for a spin. The production version of the Iosis X prototype is due towards the end of 2008 and is considered by many to be one of Ford’s most important vehicles, so it will be interesting to see what the international motoring press thinks of it.

Climbing into the cabin is made easy by the fold down step that drops before opening the doors. Hopping inside revealed several unique features including windows placed in the foot wells that you can see the ground through. These proved so distracting for the driver that they almost ran into the car in front on several occasions. Cornering and performance from the 2.0L TDCi diesel were strong, which is a good sign considering that these will make it into the production version. Joining Ford’s excellent Focus ST and S-MAX, the production version of the Iosis X is sure to make an impact.