With a strong range of petrol and diesel engines, the Focus is refined and relatively cheap to run, while the driving experience is top notch
The Focus has clearly been designed with comfort and efficiency in mind, but Ford’s talented engineers haven’t neglected handling. It’s certainly a more exciting steer than a Kia Cee’d and it offers up more agile handling than a Volkswagen Golf. Turn-in is sharp, while the great chassis serves up strong grip. In many ways it’s like a big Fiesta, and there’s no higher compliment for a front-wheel drive car than that.
The Focus is settled at motorway speeds, with the suspension doing a good job of soaking up bumps. The car is very surface-sensitive though – rougher motorways produce a lot more road noise in the car than newly resurfaced ones, whereas rivals mask surface changes better, especially more comfort-oriented ones like the Citroen C4.
But it’s on twisty roads that the Focus really excels. Its ability to communicate accurately what’s going on between the tyres and the road sets it apart from the average family hatchback. Rivals like the Mazda 3 and SEAT Leon have caught up, however, representing a high dynamic benchmark.
It’s a trick of balance that Ford has become a master at pulling off, and it makes the Focus one of the best all-rounders in any segment of the car market. And because they’re so similar in feel, that applies to the Estate as well.
That said, today’s Ford Focus is not quite as focused as past models, although it’s worth noting that the facelifted versions (2014 onwards) had their suspension and steering tweaked in response to criticism to that effect.
Those wanting a sportier version of the Ford Focus can choose the ST, one of the best hot hatchbacks available on the UK market. Its powerful engine helps the car reach 0-62mph in just 6.5 seconds, and although the ride quality is generally firmer – more prone to bounce on rougher surfaces – it’s still comfortable.
The new ST-Line model replaces the old Zetec S, and adds all the style of the full-fat ST, but with a range of economical engines. Lowered suspension means it is on the firm side, though.
The RS, meanwhile, is a serious piece of high performance kit – it’s still a family hatchback, of course, but that characteristic is a distant second to the business of going quickly. It breaks the 62mph barrier in well under five seconds and comes with a very sophisticated suspension setup in order to stop that 345bhp engine from overwhelming the front wheels.
A Mountune version ups this to a frankly astonishing 370bhp, without affecting the manufacturer warranty. If that’s not enough tweaking of the impressive Focus RS formula, Ford is also offering an option pack now, which mostly consists of visual tweaks, plus a Quaiffe limited-slip differential, designed to deliver even more traction when exiting a corner. Both are great to drive, and both were awarded five stars when we drove them in the UK.
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Regardless of specification the Focus has one of the most pleasant manual gearboxes in the business, with a lovely light action and accuracy through the gate – both the five-speed gearbox of lower powered petrol engines and the six-speeder of the diesels have this characteristic.
Ford’s automatic transmission option in the Focus is called Powershift and is a twin-clutch type, the same as Volkswagen’s DSG. It’s not quite as smooth or quick to change gear as the VW unit, but it’s still a sophisticated, non-obtrusive gearbox that doesn’t degrade the Focus’s fundamentally excellent driving experience.
Engines
The pre-facelift version of the Focus (2010–2014) came with a 1.6-litre TDCi diesel engine, but Ford replaced this for a 1.5-litre unit with the facelift, available with 94bhp or 118bhp outputs.
Don’t be fooled by the capacity decrease – the slightly smaller engine is better. Smoother and more efficient than the outgoing 1.6-litre engine, what both versions lack in outright power, they make up for with punchy low-end torque (250Nm at 1,500rpm and 270Nm at 1,750rpm respectively) so they feel strong.
There’s a 2.0-litre TDCi diesel unit too, in two states of tune. The lower powered boasts 148bhp and, more importantly, 370Nm torque from just 2,000rpm. That trumps the figure of the 148bhp 2.0-litre TDI Volkswagen Golf by a full 50Nm and gives a so-equipped Focus a 0-62mph time of 8.8 seconds (9.0 in the Estate).
The more powerful 2.0 TDCi has 182bhp and is only available in the ST diesel model, introduced with the 2014 facelift. It has a brutal 400Nm torque (10Nm more than a Porsche 911 Carrera), and so feels a whole lot quicker than its 8.1-second 0-62mph time.
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Both of these bigger diesels offer true low rev flexibility, meaning the lazier driver can comfortably pull away from low speed roundabouts in third gear, although as per most four-cylinder diesel engines it’s not the last word in quiet smoothness, especially before it’s warmed through.
The Focus has always had a reputation for serving up more driver thrills than the average hatchback, and the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, especially in 123bhp guise, suits its sporty nature. So too does the new 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine, available with either 148bhp or 180bhp.
Although the three-cylinder thrum from this 1.0-litre model won’t be to all tastes, the six-speed manual version features a dual-mass flywheel that eliminates vibrations well, and it’s certainly a change from a typically bland four-cylinder engine note. We’d avoid the Powershift auto paired with this engine, though, as it make it feel lethargic and hesitant in its power delivery.
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The lower powered 99bhp EcoBoost engine is very popular with buyers and available with all trim levels bar sportier-looking ST-Line. On paper it doesn’t look much cop (0-62mph takes 12.5 seconds with a 115mph top speed), but in reality it’s torquier and punchier than the four-cylinder petrol engines in the Focus range. It’s therefore more flexible at lower speeds.
Those four-cylinder petrol engines are the weakest of the Focus bunch, and really only worthy of consideration if you’re looking to keep your buying costs down. Available with 84bhp or 103bhp, they need to be worked hard to make the most of their performance, and their tone lacks the character of the three-cylinder engines. They’re not as smooth either.
By contrast, the Focus’s pair of high performance turbo petrol engines, namely the 247bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo in the ST and the 2.3-litre unit with 345bhp in the RS, are among the hot hatch greats. If that’s not enough, you can add a Mountune package for £899 – upping power to 370bhp.