The Ford Focus
Introduction
When Ford announced that the Escort name was
being dropped in favour of “Focus,” I’m sure that some people announced that
they would never own another small hatchback from Ford ever again. A pity.
Although the late 1990s Ford Escort is much improved over the 1990
effort, it still lagged more modern competitors.
The Focus was launched in 1998 to much
acclaim.
Engines
Ford originally offered four petrol engines
for the Focus, with a direct injection diesel to follow. Later on, a more advanced diesel followed,
as will the RS Focus, using a turbocharged petrol engine.
The entry level Focus uses a 1·4 litre Zetec-SE engine producing 75 PS -
this is essentially de-tuned version of the engine found in the Mark Four Fiesta.
It won’t win any races, but the 1·4 Focus is reasonably smooth, quiet,
and economical. The engine is a bit
reluctant to rev much over 5,000 rpm, but given that it delivers good low down
torque, this is not really a big problem.
Ford have used reasonably tall gearing (almost identical than that of
the Mark One Mondeo TD) for the
1·4, which does rob it of some hill climbing ability.
The 1·6 is arguably the sweetest Focus of them
all. The 1·6 Zetec-SE is a gem of an engine, delivering just over 100
PS, but being very free-revving with it.
It’s also economical - real world economy figures are usually slightly
better than the 1·4 - and on paper, looks around as quick as the 1·8.
The Zetec-E 1·8 version (essentially an engine borrowed
from the Mondeo) offers around
115 PS, but the engine is a bit more vocal than the 1·6, isn’t as smooth, and a
bit thirstier. When I tried both the
1·6 and the 1·8 back to back, both felt just as eager, but the 1·6 was more
refined. However, other drivers have
reported that the 1·8 does have greater mid-range poke (which you would
expect). To me, it felt a bit
irrelevant.
Finally,
the 2·0 Focus is the most powerful of the initial engines, with 135 PS, again
the Zetec-E is borrowed from the
Mondeo. It pulls very well in all the gears, but the penalty is in poor
fuel consumption and it can sound rather “gritty.” As I write this, the new Focus ST170 has been released, but I
have not yet had the opportunity to try one.
The original diesel offers 89 PS and the
promise of 55 mpg. It’s a little
rougher than most of the competition, but performs well and is hushed at a
cruise.
The newer diesel, badged TDCi, offers 113 PS from a similarly sized 1·8
litre engine, but comes with the benefit of common rail injection. Drive the ordinary TDi back to back with the
TDCi and you won’t want to give the newer version back! It pulls very well all the way across the
rev band, but like all good turbodiesels, has huge pull in the upper two
gears. The penalty is that it produces
slightly more CO2 and is slightly thirstier (48 mpg, or so). It’s also more expensive to buy - but
probably worth the premium.
Ford are going to release a turbocharged 2·0
Focus in the near future, and if I’m lucky I’ll have the opportunity to try
one.
Ride &
Handling
Ford’s shows it’s brilliance in the chassis
and suspension set up: the Focus has a superb balance between a smooth,
comfortable ride and pin-sharp handling.
All models benefit from a smooth ride, approaching class best. However, this ride is at no detriment to the
handling.
Turn in is excellent, there isn’t all that
much body roll, and massive levels of grip.
And that’s from the cooking model 1·4 and 1·6 versions! If you overcook it, I’m told that you can
get the tail to slip out, but bringing it back into line is very easy
indeed. I’ve chucked a few Focii
about and probably not come close to the limit. The most entertaining was probably the 2·0 Zetec ESP model, which
comes with an “anti-idiot” lamp (and system), on account of the greater
power, reassurance of the system, and improved grip compared to the lesser
models. Knowing someone with an ESP
model, the system only kicks in when it is wet or icy.
Overall, it is fair to say that Ford has
played the Peugeot game, and beats it (indeed, modern Peugeots now err on
the side of ride rather than handling).
It is just as good, if not better, than the Peugeot 306 in the hands of
an enthusiastic motorist, but it won’t bite your hands off if you feed it too
much.
Interior
At first, the dashboard of the Focus seems a bit
gimmicky. It has vents dotted about the
place and some buttons look carefully disguised. But as a car to live with, and cover a lot of miles in, it’s very
user-friendly. The air conditioning
buttons look especially neat, and the “one shot down” operation of the drivers
electric window a neat solution. I am
also impressed with the build quality of the car - doors shut with a thunk, and
panel gaps are small and consistent across the entire car.
It is also very big inside. There is masses of room in both the front and the rear, and a
large boot. It has a broad cabin too -
there is more room in the inside of a Focus hatchback than there is in the
first generation Mondeo. This makes a very compelling argument for
downsizing from a Mark One or Mark Two Mondeo to the Focus.
Exterior
Not unlike the Ka, some people like the Focus, some people
dislike it. It features Ford’s “Edge” styling,
and has some Ka-like details such as the front headlights. It does take a bit of getting used to, but
there are a lot about, and the shape
is considered “normal” now. And for
those people that have taken a dislike to the Focus, well if you can bring
yourself to try one, do so. Otherwise,
tell everybody, which may force used prices down, so they’ll be cheaper for the
rest of us.
Verdict
I like the Focus.
Ten years ago, the thought that a humble 1·6 front wheel drive Ford
could be so much fun would have people chuckling at you. Add in the huge interior, real world fuel
economy of over 40 mpg, and excellent motorway refinement, and you have a
winner.
No, I love it!