New Car Reviews / Ford / Ford Focus Review
Ford Focus Review & Road TestReview by www.new-car-reviews.co.uk
Drivers
The Ford Focus has a choice of six engines which all deliver strong and quiet performances for their size. The best engine is probably the 1.8 turbodiesel with the most disappointing performance coming from the 1.4 petrol variant. A very slick gear change combined with a Focus' rigid body shell and independent suspension makes for a very enjoyable and controlled driving experience. Ford has obviously paid a great deal of attention to the design of the cabin and although controls may lack the quality of its best rivals the layout is brilliant. Around town the light steering makes easy work of parking the Focus despite the fact that the car is slightly large for its class and rear visibility is a little restricted due to thick rear pillars.
Passengers
The Focus easily accommodates five adults and offers good headroom and legroom. Although seating is a little hard the smooth engines, low road and wind noise contribute to a very peaceful experience as a passenger.
Practicality
Ford's clever design of the rear suspension provides the Focus with a well-proportioned boot. The only complaint in this are is with the one-piece rear cushion which limits the adaptability of the storage space.
Equipment
Standard equipment on all Focus models includes power steering, central locking, driver and passenger airbags, adjustable seat heights, two-way adjustable steering columns, electric windows and a stereo with RDS traffic on most models.
Safety & Security
The Focus has driver and passenger airbags as standard and side airbags can be added as an option. On engine sizes above 2.0 litres traction control and ABS are standard. The Focus gave a strong showing in NCAP crash tests. The Focus also performed reasonably well in anti-theft tests, although CL models lack deadlocks. .
Quality & Reliability
In general Fords do not have class leading fault and breakdown records, however the Focus appears to be well put together with mechanicals establishing a good reputation.
Owning
Once again the quality of the Focus engines help to reduce running costs - delivering above average economy figures. Although Insurance cost are typical of its class the below average servicing costs make the Focus an above average performer in this category. On the down side medium and longer term depreciation remain an issue for Fords although second hand Focus prices have held up reasonably well.
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