Road test: T
HERE were many raised eyebrows, mumbled murmurings and looks of utter disbelief the day Ford announced that the Escort was being discontinued. But, in its place came the Ford Focus and with 20 years of sales under its belt, it’s proved itself to be a very worthy replacement.
In those two decades the car has evolved considerably, but Ford claims its all-new fourth generation car, designed from a clean sheet of paper, is the ‘best ever’ and that’s quite a bold statement to make.
Taking on board plenty of customer feedback, the latest Focus looks bigger than its predecessor but the growth spurt is rather deceptive with just an 18mm increase in the length and a wheelbase extended by 53mm.
But the interior is roomier as a result and that translates into extra space for passengers. In fact, two six footers can comfortably sit one behind the other without any complaints and back seat passengers now have glass to look through instead of a metal panel.
The new line-up boasts seven variants and is priced from £17,930 for the entry-level Style. That’s a pricedrop of £2,300 compared to the outgoing model.
The most popular trim levels of Zetec and ST-Line also get a pricedrop and there are new ST-Line X, Titanium, Titanium X and Vignale models priced from £25,450 to complete the initial Focus range.
And the choice of powertrains is equally impressive with a raft of petrol and diesel engines to choose from.
The ever-popular three-cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine is available with three different outputs 85ps, 100ps and 125ps. And there is an all-new 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine delivering 150ps or 182ps.
Diesel fans are well catered for via a new 1.5-litre EcoBlue engine delivering 95ps or 120ps along with a 2.0-litre 150ps unit. Buyers also get to choose which transmission they want with six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearboxes available.
The new Focus looks stunning from any approach. It has more aggressive styling, but isn’t a muscle car so will impress those who want plenty of street cred without scaring away its more traditional and loyal fan base.
New design cues include a larger, yet instantly recognisable grille sitting between the horizontally biased head lamps, which like the tail lights, are positioned as wide as possible to accentuate the cars width and sporty prowess. Also the ‘FOCUS’ badging is positioned in large individual satin letters between the rear lights.
Move inside and there is a clutter-free feel to the Focus. In fact, there are 50 per cent fewer buttons which is a direct result from the customer feedback.