USED Ford Focus Hatchback (04 - 11)

My car

I've only had the car for just over a week, but I couldn't wait any longer to share my delight with your readers!

First and foremost, driving this car after my Ford Escort 1.8d LX, with 60BHP, the 108BHP Focus 'flies'! It truly is a fast car, and I am running out of road too soon.

Inside the cabin I still comfortably, although I'm 6ft tall, and the dash has a nice feel to it.

The car looks sporty, and I love the Tonic (light bluish silver) colour. Five can sit comfortably, as long they're of reasonable size!

The handling is amazing, and it pulls out of traffic lights with ease. The only two 'negative' points are the over powerful 1st gear, that makes me shift into 2nd & 3rd quicker that I'd wish, and the horn needs to be pressed quite hard to work (not good in emergencies). All in all I'm very satisfied.

My car

I currently own a Mini Cooper S and am thinking about changing to a Focus ST-3. I test drove the vehicle last week and was very impressed.

The quality of the interior, although a little bland, is excellent. It's very much in line with what Ford have tried to achieve with this vehicle. A sports car first....creature comforts second. The Minis interior is far more interesting but no better in terms of quality. Well done Ford!

The ride is surprisingly comfortable and the handling is...well...superior to the Mini in my opinion. The mini tends to understeer far too early while the focus never seems like its even broken a sweat.

I think it's a fantastic package. The Focus ST-3 is less than £20,000, you can buy a 2 year service package for £280 from Ford and I’m sure it will run for years without any problems. I'd give it 5 stars if they could make it do nearer 35mpg instead of 30mpg!

This review was posted by an user.

My car

I have only done 200 miles so I am waiting for the fuel economy to improve. Currently I am achieving 40mpg but that figure is climbing quickly. The engine is refined and in my opinion has a real pleasing note. It is responsive, but acceleration seems blunted at higher speed.

Inside, the Sony six-CD player is a revelation. There is more than enough room inside. Who needs a mini-MPV? I like the glove compartment which is deep enough for three 0.75L bottles of water.

Why is current MPG not been included on the trip computer? When the traction control is switched off, you cannot use the trip computer because it is busy telling you that the traction control is switched off. Sensible?

I chose parking sensors, which are necessary in most modern cars, but front sensors would help reduce parking stress even more. They rear sensors detected my wife as she walked behind the car, so that will make me feel better in the supermarket car park.

The stability package really gives good peace of mind on slippery roundabouts and icy back roads.

The standard self-dipping mirror and automatic windscreen wipers are excellent, but they should be options: instead, the parking sensors and stability package should be standard. The stereo for the rear seat passengers is just a gimmick, because you can still hear the main stereo. What really surprised me was how useful the adaptive front lights are.

My car

In my opinion, no other small family car can compete with the Focus on a number of levels. It is simply terrific value. This car is worthy of five stars for the handling alone. And yes - Ford really has broken through in a major way over the last few years in terms of quality.

Sure, the Focus sells by the bucket load, but for a reason. It really is a great drive - and has a refreshing and entertaining character that the average German or Japanese yawnmobile can only dream of having.