THE DRIVER’S HATCH
By Michal Kieca
Engine: 2.0 Litre 16-valve Direct-Injected Petrol
Power: 125kW @ 6600rpm | Torque: 202Nm @ 4450rpm
Transmission: Six-speed Dual Clutch Automatic
Fuel Consumption listed: 6.7 l/100km | Tested: 8.4 l/100km
Price (as tested): $24,590
Overall Rating: ★★★★
Plusses: Handling; steering; value; interior space; dual clutch automatic; solid feel.
Minuses: Fussy; cheap interior design; very heavy feel, fuel consumption.
OVERVIEW
For driving enthusiasts and not shopping-trolley-wielders, the Focus is the best driver’s car in its class. Tested her in mid-range Trend trim, not only is the new Focusa cracking drive and a sharp looker, it’s now right near the top of its segment for interior quality. It might be lacking the ultimate class and all-round polish and goodness of the Sixth-Generation Golf, but it still certainly is a great car.
VALUE AND FEATURES: ★★★★
Thanks to the production switching from Germany to Thailand, the production shift was quickly followed by a price cut that saw the price of Trend Powershift drop to $24,490 drive-away. This made the car great value as the car was now able to compete with the lower end of the compact car segment. The Trend comes well equipped with fog lights, bluetooth connectivity, alloy wheels, parking sensors as well as with Ford's new 'Sync' system.
ON THE ROAD: ★★★★
This is where all Focuses leave their opposition behind. Simply, the steering, ride and handling are brilliant. The Focus’ immense depth of talent means that whether zipping around backstreets or blasting along a twisty, country road, the Ford is memorable. After enjoying the keen turn-in thanks to torque vectoring control, nicely judged damping and the supreme balance with almost no body-roll that the car had on one of my favourite roads, I was astounded by how much fun the Focus really was. This car makes the most ordinary drive feel extraordinary, the driving experience is always effervescent, the car seemingly made for maximum driving pleasure. The light, resistance free steering is delightful, a highlight of the whole car, continuing the fine Ford tradition of offering consistently fantastic steering on every one of its models.
The Focus isn’t dynamically perfect though, thanks to the humble Goodyear eco tyres fitted on the test car and a non-switchable ESC system that gets excited very shortly after the driver does, killing all fun in a swift manner. This third-generation Focus isn’t quite as comfortable as the old car; the suspension has less travel. Tauter damping is required to control the 80kg increased mass over the last one, in order to keep the heavier Focus’ body control in check over large undulations in the road surface. The resulting ride feels absorbent at low and medium speeds, but on our bumpy country roads, the suspension unfortunately lets the car’s occupants fell many bumps. On the move, the Focus shields its occupants from wind noise very well, but on coarse roads plenty of tyre roar enters the cabin.
The 2.0 Litre naturally aspirated direct injection engine might deliver some decent sprint times on paper to 100mk/h (8.7 seconds), but in the real world the engine doesn’t feel as quick. It’s definitely not one of the strong points of the car. More than the 202Nm on offer is needed to shift the Focus’ porky mass, especially below the 4450rpm at which it’s produced. The noise form the engine isn’t particularly pleasant, it gets loud near the red-line, with just a un-characterful buzz being heard. The 2.0 Litre is well-matched to the six-speed twin-clutch automatic which operates smoothly and decisively for both upshifts and downshifts. Sport mode livens up gearshifts and keeps revs higher, but the car still can’t match the VW Group’s DSG transmission when it comes to fast ferocious upshifts.
The worst part about the entire transmission is the manual shift interface; the fiddly rocker-switch on the gear selector. It’s too small and an utter pain to use discouraging driver involvement, so much so that it’s best to leave the ‘box’s own brain figure everything out.
THE INTERIOR: ★★★
This is not a plush Volkswagen Group interior. Despite Ford claiming otherwise, the switch from German to Thai production has resulted in a downgrade in cabin plastics, the door trims are hard and brittle and the seat trim has become low rent. The Trend is basic inside, with a plastic steering wheel, cheap, flimsy controls for the standard air-conditioning, Nokia-like audio controls and a hideous, green, dot-matrix audio screen. The controls are scattered all over the place inside and some buttons are located behind the steering wheel. The voice recognition software worked well enough, but the menus were unintuitive and too complex to use.
There's decent space in the front and back, all seats were very comfortable and the driving position could be tailored to suit anyone, thanks to vast seat and steering wheel adjustment. The boot is of a useful size, well shaped with a low loading height and is very deep thanks to the space-saver tyre.
SAFETY: ★★★★★
The Focus comes full of passive and active safety features. ABS, brake-force distribution and brake assist with ESP and TCS are standard. The car has 6 airbags and achieved a 5 star EuroNCAP rating.
VERDICT:
This is one immensely competent car with a distinct flair for driving enjoyment. If you focus on the steering and handling, the small Ford feels like the class leader. With greater polish and refinement it could be just that.
All images/media © Ford Australia Press Office