FORD FOCUS ACTIVE
The best non-SUV SUV
For some people, owning an SUV is a sign that you’ve grown up a little and need to be a little more practical in your vehicle choices. However, the SUVs people are buying aren’t always more practical than the equivalent hatch, sedan or wagon. One advantage which regular cars cannot match is the higher driving position, but what are you giving up in return?
Let’s look at the Ford Focus Active, an SUV-inspired version of their popular Focus hatchback. The Active sits higher than the standard model, boasts more rugged styling, and adds extra driving modes for adventurous souls.
Our model had most of the options ticked, including the Design Pack, a panoramic sunroof, and Driver Assistance Pack. While you’ll probably never take the Active offroad, you will appreciate the active safety, and adaptive headlights around the city – we certainly did.
On the inside, Ford swapped the traditional gear selector for a dial providing a nice and open feeling in the cockpit. The interior is laid out sensibly, and even taller drivers get plenty of headroom with thanks to the ability to adjust the seat height down low.
Jumping between highway, city and twisty roads the Active gives the sense it wants to inject some fun into your daily life. The EcoBoost engine packs just enough punch to keep things interesting, while also keeping your fuel costs reasonable, and it surprises in its power delivery for a 1.5L turbocharged 3-cylinder engine.
So, what do you give up opting for the Active compared to an SUV? Well, comparing it against a Mitsubishi ASX, you lose a little boot space (375 v 406 L), 4cm of ground clearance, but gain more power, better fuel economy (6.4 v 7.9 L/100km), and arguably a better 8-speed automatic transmission. Price-wise, these two models are within a couple of grand of each other.
The Focus Active feels refined, extremely comfortable on the road and gets close to SUV capability while driving better and looking better too. Unfortunately, the Focus Active probably won’t sell as many as it should because of the [misplaced] appetite for SUVs in Australia.