The estate of the nation
Britain’s enthusiasm for Fords may be dwindling along with its appetite for estate cars. Which is a shame if it means missing out on a car this good. By Tim Pollard
Ford’s biggest problem is arguably image. In a brand-obsessed age, the Blue Oval can offer all the steering response, gadgetry and dynamic fizz it likes, but if the badge puts people off then they’ll never get to enjoy those fine qualities.
CAR readers are a knowledgeable bunch – and one not backwards in coming forwards. After an appeal on these pages, our first respondent, Tim Nicholson, expressed an interest in our Ford Focus as he’s considering one to replace his Audi A3. ‘This size of car suits my life at present, now the children have left home,’ he muses. ‘We do need occasional space for longer holidays and trips, but most of the time a car like the A3 or Focus is all we need.’
Our second reader is Mike Yeoman, a serial wagon owner who knows his estate-of-the-art onions. ‘As a full-time hockey coach, I need the space of an estate car – there’s a lot of clobber to carry around for my work, and I now have a young grandchild to entertain too.’
Both are impressed by the Ford’s graceful design and Tim reckons it’s actually better-looking than the hatchback. ‘It looks longer, too,’ he notes. That’s no illusion: the load-lugger is stretched by 290mm (nearly 12 inches) over the regular hatch, enough to give it a decentsized loadbay.
Neither is convinced by the waggle-foot-to-open tailgate (a £450 option on our car) and we enjoy a glorious chilly winter moment where Cambridgeshire’s bystanders must’ve wondered what this strange daytime dance party was up to, as we wiggled and jiggled our feet in unison under the rear bumper. It’s a hit-and-miss affair and none us could reliably master the movement required to trigger the tailgate. Get it right, and it’s a handy aid.
‘This would be particularly useful if I had my grandchild’s pushchair and car seat in my hands,’ admits Mike. ‘I can see why Ford offers it, but it’s quite annoying if it doesn’t work properly every time. I’d get frustrated with it. What’s wrong with opening the bootlid by hand?’
Magic feet enabled, the tailgate lifts to reveal a generously sized ⊲
boot and both readers give the flat loadbay the thumbs-up. There’s no annoying lip over which to lug goalkeeper bags or holiday luggage and it’s a decent size, stretching to a metre deep and 115cm wide, justifying that stretched bodyshell.
‘I love the fold-down seats,’ says Mike, flipping the rear backrest down by remote levers near the bootlid. ‘I’ve not seen that before.’ They automatically swivel down flat, swelling bootspace from a generous 575 litres to a cavernous 1620 litres, numbers that will be familiar to Volvo-owning Mike.
The 12-volt charging point draws praise, but the seemingly sealed rear light units are an annoyance to Tim, who points out that he doesn’t want to pay through the nose to replace lightbulbs.
Our rendezvous is in daytime, so I don’t get a chance to show off our Focus’s LED headlamps, a £750 option. It’s a shame, as I’m enjoying them during this dark, dank time of year; on full beam, they light up the road ahead impressively well, although they lack the active shuttering and corner-bending lenses of rival systems (you need to step up to Ford’s top-spec Dynamic LED headlamps for this tech).
Clambering on board, both testers are impressed by the roominess of the cabin, especially in the back seats, but there’s recognition that some cabin components are built down to a price compared with our owners’ Swedish and German cars. ‘It’s nice and uncomplicated in here – it’s not too bling and the simple heating controls are good,’ says Tim, a retired civil engineer. ‘I’d need to play with the touchscreen more to see if I could live with it, but at first glance it seems simple and straightforward to use.’
The front seats attract praise, especially for their wide range of adjustment (our Titanium X has electric operation for the driver’s seat only) and heating (‘vital for cold training sessions at the hockey pitch’). Everyone can see out easily enough, too. The start button tucked away behind the steering wheel raises an eyebrow (‘I can understand this on a sports car, but on a Ford Focus?’) but the four-cylinder 1.5 EcoBoost engine impresses both members of our Focus Group. It’s remarkably refined for a downsized motor but our typical 40mpg doesn’t feel like huge progress to either reader.
These are men who like their cars, as confirmed by their automotive CVs. Mike likes fast, practical cars and has owned a VW Golf R32, Lancia Delta HF Turbo and BMW 330i, while Tim spent a happy five years with a Caterham Seven and used to drive a Ford Escort Twin Cam.
He’s dabbled in rallying, too, navigating at club races and even helping run the Safari Rally during an assignment building bridges in Kenya, where he rubbed shoulders with Hannu Mikkola and was spellbound by the works Audi
Quattros. In his retirement, Tim prefers more comfortable cars. ‘The Focus feels slower than my 180bhp A3 1.8 TFSI, but this is a nice engine,’ he says. ‘It’s maybe not quite as refined and the ride is a little choppier, but this is more nimble than my Audi. It’s one of those cars you can get in and drive really easily.’
Mike rates the Focus decently, too. ‘I like something with a bit of go, and I do like my toys and gadgets in a car. Apart from the grabby brakes, I rate this Focus to drive – it’s much lighter and easier to hustle along a back road. It feels lively and sweet to drive for quite a roomy estate car.’
It’s fair to say that both punters were pleasantly surprised by the Focus Estate, whose ability outreaches its more humble kerbside appeal. Even on this brief encounter, reader Tim feels encouraged to consider a purchase. ‘For me, it’s a straight fight between the new Audi A3 coming in 2020 and this Ford Focus,’ he says.
‘Money will play an important part in my decision, and I expect the Ford will be cheaper to buy. I’d like a premium brand, but I’m not prepared to pay too much more for it – I just want the best car at a fair price. The badge on the front is not a deal-breaker for me.’
‘It’s not quite as refined but it’s more nimble than my Audi’
TIM NICHOLSON
‘It’s much lighter and easier to hustle along a back road’
MIKE YEOMAN