USED Ford Focus Hatchback (04 - 11)

My car

I was given a new one of these as a long term courtesy car. Having read good reviews about it I was anticipating a good drive...oh dear.

First of all this is completely the wrong engine, it has NO torque and struggles in anything but 2nd gear. It's noisy but what struck me was awful the fuel economy was. In a combined urban and motorway run the computer registered an average 24MPG - nearly the same as my V8 Monaro. Now Im comparing its performance to another car I have regular access to which is a 1.6 Mini Cooper - same horsepower, yes a tad lighter but boy is that more full of beans.

The seats are too narrow, the trim is flimsy - rattles all over the place after only 1500 miles on the clock. You cant help feeling this is such a boggo product...I dont see how you could justify a near £15k price tag.

On a positive note, the steering is nice and accurate and the ride is pretty smooth over rough surfaces. But it is a seriously poor overall package. I cant stress enough...if you have to get one of these things, get a decent diesel version.