First drive Ford Focus

JON REAY

TWENTY years after the first Focus was launched Ford’s mid-sized hatch might not be the sales chart-topper it once was – now usurped by its smaller sibling, the Fiesta – but there’s no underestimating how important it still is to the brand and to buyers in the UK.

As you’d expect, Ford isn’t messing around here. This fourth-generation car is entirely new, is filled with even more technology than before, and promises to be even better to drive thanks to a stiffer chassis and some clever suspension bits and pieces.

There’s also an array of new or heavily improved engines available, including new 1.5-litre petrols with fuel-sipping cylinder deactivation technology.

Also new is the eight-speed automatic gearbox, complete here with a Jaguar-style rotary dial for selecting park, reverse and drive. Replacing the previous PowerShift dual-clutch set-ups, this is a proper automatic – and a good one at that.

The Focus gets four engines – two petrols, two diesels – in various states of tune.

A 1.0-litre EcoBoost borrowed from the old car is the cheapest, although we’d advise against the entry-level 83bhp version in a car of this size.

Next up is a new 1.5-litre petrol with either 148bhp or 179bhp, the latter only available with a manual gearbox.

Finally, on the diesel front there’s the choice of a new 1.5 - either with 94bhp or 123bh, and a new 2.0-litre with 148bhp.

I drove the 148bhp 1.5 petrol and it felt just about right: torquey all the way through the rev range, with just enough power to have some fun. It’s refined too, being virtually silent most of the time, only generating that typical three-cylinder thrum with heavy use of the throttle.

Information about gradient, cornering speed and driving style is fed to the gearbox’s computer, which does a surprisingly good job of working out when to shift down or up on its own, meaning you’re rarely left waiting for the right gear to materialise.

The Focus’s manual options – two sixspeed boxes – have been tweaked for improved shift quality and efficiency too.

Aside from its bold design, it was driving dynamics where the original 1998 Focus really stood out from the crowd.

So does the fourth generation carry on the tradition? In a word, yes. It’s still great fun to drive and arguably more enjoyable behind the wheel than the car it replaces.

Even in comparatively unsporty Vignale trim, it steers with an accuracy and fluidity that many of its rivals still haven’t quite matched, and has a ride that manages to soak up road imperfections while still remaining composed around the twisty stuff.

ST-Line models meanwhile get a firmer, 10mm-lower suspension that helps the

u

The improvements in the fourth generation Ford Focus should see it win even more fans in the UK