X marks the spot.. and Focus Titanium is a real treasure
It is the lot of motoring writers to drive some lovely and very expensive cars from time to time and then, one day, a Ford Focus gets delivered to your door.
And you get into it and forget al l the big limousines and the massive four- wheel drives and remember just what fun a car like this can be.
When Henry Ford said he wantedd to build a people’s car, he probably never imagined that more than 100 years later the company he founded would still be true to his word and building affordable and excellent cars.
Take the Ford Focus Titanium X (the X is not a kiss from Ford but a signal that there are lots of extraa goodies onboard this version).
Shops? It can fit into any space.. Great- aunt Emily’s? She likes thee front so the children can get in thee
Ford Focus Titanium X
1.0-litre Ecoboost six-speed manual
125PS
124mph 10 seconds
49.6 107g/km
£23,130 back. Learner drivers? Affordable insurance for them too.
I just jumped into this car and smi led. It is a lovely shape with 17in alloys, elongated headlights and a neat rear hatch. The front fog lamps have a cornering function (my husband loved this feature) and the power-folding door mirrors have puddle l ights, something you only tend to get in more expensive cars.
It only has a 1.0-litre EcoBoost start/ stop engine but, as Ford has proved, this engine punches well above its weightg and I relished the power it engaged enga when I put my foot down on ththe motorway.
On lesser roads, because of its sizesize, the Focus is eminently manmanoeuvrable, taking corners and hairhairpins without even a murmur. It trtruly is a remarkable car.
YYes, this is the people’s care with the unerring ability to be all things to aall men and women.
TheT mpg is great and the CO2 ememissions minimal – so you are alsalso saving the planet. It never makes you feel beholden or that you owe it. It is your mate at your service.
And this car is packed full of features and systems. OK, so the HUD costs £400 (which is a lot for an extra on a Ford) but it works really well, giving you practical information like the speed limit and your speed. Then there’s the Quickclear heated windscreen, which comes as standard and is one of the fastest and most efficient systems I’ve ever seen. No more sitting in the car for 10 minutes before you can move off.
Ford’s SYNC 3 is a perfect piece of technology designed for the whole family, with DAB, sat nav, Bluetooth, voice control, Emergency Assist and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as two USB points.
There’s also selectable drive modes, auto headlamps and wipers, hill start assist and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian or cyclist detection.
The great thing about Ford is they put their latest technology into all their cars – not just the top-of-the-range models – and really do give you the people’s car.