FOCUS NEEDS SHARPENING
Ford’s perennial hatch keeps to class standards in all but comfort, a former strength
Ford’s Focus has been on sale in Australia for 20 years. It’s one of the better hatchbacks to drive, courtesy of its engineering DNA from Ford of Europe — but it has never sold in numbers to trouble class leaders such as the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai i30.
Australian hatchback buyers tend to favour the Japanese and Korean approach to small cars, which prioritises price, durability and reliability via conventional, proven technology, over European contenders.
Among these are the Focus, VW Golf and Holden Astra, with pointy end engineering — such as small capacity turbo engines and dualclutch automatic transmissions — and a stronger emphasis on performance, fuel efficiency, handling and safety.
Focus sales also suffered from the lingering stench of Ford Australia’s attempt in 2015-16 to blame customer driving habits for serious problems with its Powershift dual-clutch automatic. That earned it a $10 million fine from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and spooked buyers away from Focus to the extent that it languishes at 10th on the class sales ladder.
So there’s really nowhere else to go but up for the new fourth generation Focus.
It arrives from Germany in four grades, kicking off with the Trend hatch, priced at $25,990. That’s big money for a base model in this class but Ford hasn’t skimped on hardware, safety tech or standard equipment. Each is comparable with rival mid-spec versions at the $25K-$30K pricepoint.
The sole engine is a new 1.5-litre threecylinder turbo, matched with an eight-speed automatic — a conventional torque converter job, not the troublesome dual-clutch design. There’s no manual option.
Ford’s infotainment is as good as it gets in this class, with an eight-inch touchscreen, navigation with traffic monitoring, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, digital radio, stand-alone voice control for all functions — which talks to you in a ’Strayan accent — wi-fi hotspot compatibility and automatic emergency services dialling, via your paired phone, if you have a prang.
The Trend’s safety gear runs to six airbags, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keep assist/departure warning, adjustable speed limiter, 180-degree view reversing camera and automatic post impact braking.
Ford’s MyKey allows you to program functions such as disabling incoming calls, restricting top speed and audio volume — and disabling the audio altogether if occupants haven’t used the seat belts — into a specific key,