All-new Ford Focus revealed - Focus on the interior

Ford has also smartened up the Focus's interior. It has always been good at designing fascias that are functional rather than flashy, but for 2008 the Focus becomes easier on the eye in more ways than one.

The instrument graphics are more legible and now backlit in red, along with the switchgear, which endows the cabin with a night-time glow similar to a premium German saloon's.

There are softer surfaces on the instrument panel and upper front door trims, new metallic-effect finishes around the main switches and dials, and different interior fabrics and colour options.

Higher-specification models have a redesigned centre console with a movable armrest and large storage box.

The Mondeo's capless refuelling system that physically stops you putting diesel in a petrol car (or vice versa) becomes standard on the Focus, and several other features have graduated down to the options list.

You can get push-button starting, air-conditioning that lets the driver and front-seat passenger choose their own temperature settings, digital radios, iPod plug-ins and a tyre-pressure monitor.

There's also the option of a 230-Volt socket built into the back of the centre console, so that rear-seat passengers can power up a laptop, portable DVD player or games console.