Item: Used Ford Focus Estate 2011-2018
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/golf/estate/used-review/n783">Volkswagen Golf Estate</a> is a classy and upmarket car with a large boot, a supple ride and a well-built interior. Adults will have no trouble getting comfortable in the rear seats and, to top it all off, it’s great to drive, too.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/vauxhall/astra/estate/used-review/n955">Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer</a> is a good-looking car with plenty of room inside. It rides and handles well, is efficient and well equipped, and is a good buy on the used market.

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Cars built between 2012 and early 2013 with the 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine have been known to leak coolant, and this can ultimately lead to engine failure. Ford has since modified and retrofitted a new hose to affected cars as part of a scheduled service, but it remains good practice to let this engine idle for 15 or 20 seconds after a long run to help the turbocharger cool down before switching off. A Ford dealer should be able to check for you if the new ‘Degas’ hose has been fitted; if not and the engine fails, you could face a four-figure repair bill.

Cars with a manual gearbox have also been prone to clutch problems, so check the gears engage cleanly and there’s no slip from the clutch on your test drive.

In 2015, Ford discontinued the dry-clutch version of the Powershift gearbox as featured on lower-powered models and offered a six-speed wet-clutch system on the diesels and 1.6-litre petrol models, and a six-speed torque converter for the 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre Ecoboost units.

According to our most recent What Car? Reliability Survey, a Focus Estate with a petrol engine will be more dependable than one that has a diesel engine. Out of a class of 27 cars, the petrol Focus&nbsp;finished in eighth place&nbsp;while the diesel was down in 23rd.&nbsp;Ford, as a brand, finished in 18th place out of 31 manufacturers.

If you would like to see the full reliability survey, head to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2018-what-car-reliability-survey/n17798">What Car? Reliability Survey</a> pages for more information.

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Estate

Ford builds some of the most popular cars in the UK, including the Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks.

This success is partly down to longevity and the fact that there’s a Ford dealer around every corner. However, it’s also because Fords tend to offer good value and be among the best cars in their respective classes to drive.

The company’s huge range also helps; it offers everything from the small – but surprisingly practical – Ka+ to the large and lavishly equipped Edge SUV.

Meanwhile, other highlights of the range include the S-Max and Galaxy people carriers, the Mondeo executive car and the Ranger pick-up.

FORD

FOCUS

The Ford Focus Estate is a good family estate car that's great to drive, practical and pretty cheap to run

Used Ford Focus Estate 2011 - 2018

Opt for the 1.5 TDCi 105 Econetic diesel car and official fuel economy is 83.1mpg, with CO2 emissions of a mere 88g/km. The 1.5 TDCi 120 diesel also has a CO2 output figure below the magic 100g/km mark at 99g/km. None of the petrol engines can match that but both versions of the sweet 1.0-litre Ecoboost unit can claim an average of 58.9mpg and CO2 figure of 110g/km.

Cars registered after April 2017 will pay a flat-rate road tax of £140 a year, but those registered before will pay varying amounts below that figure, with those that produce less than 100g/km of CO2 paying nothing at all.

Ford offers a number of servicing plans for older cars, allowing payments by direct debit. Cars older than three years will qualify for Ford’s Motorcraft servicing regime, under which an annual service at a Ford dealer will cost £149. You'll pay even less at an independent Ford specialist.

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Used Ford Focus Estate 2011-2018

The Ford Focus Estate is a good family estate car that's great to drive, practical and pretty cheap to run

You’ll need around £5000 to enter the Focus Estate club for an early 2011 or 2012 car with above average mileage. £6000 and above will buy you an&nbsp;example with below average mileage and a full service history, either bought privately or from a trader. Up the budget to between £7000 and £9000 and you should find good cars from 2013 and 2014 from an independent dealer, while £9500-£12,000 will net you a 2015 car with the same criteria.

The 1.0 Ecoboost 125 engine is sweet and smooth, and more than punchy enough to push a fully loaded Focus Estate around. It’s not quite as economical as it appears on paper, but unless you do a lot of miles it’s the one we’d choose.

For us, Zetec trim offers the sweetest spot between price and equipment, with all of the basics covered plus a DAB radio and heated windscreen. Usefully, it was by far the most popular trim from new, ensuring a healthy supply of used examples.

Our favourite Ford Focus Estate 1.0 Ecoboost 125 Zetec

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Huge boot and excellent practicality</li> <li>Plenty of interior space so you can carry passengers as well as luggage </li> <li>Strong engines to pull a heavily laden car</li> <li>Comfortable ride, especially on the motorway</li> <li>Low running costs for company car drivers</li></ul>

If you’re after bags of space but you don’t want to commit to the van-like dimensions and styling of an MPV, there are some great estate cars on offer that should do the job.

Tricks to look out for include an electric tailgate&nbsp;that opens automatically when you wave your foot under the rear bumper; this is&nbsp;particularly handy if you’re trying to load in a heavy or&nbsp;bulky item. You should also look for handles in the side of the boot itself that can drop down the rear seats; these are much more convenient than having to walk around the side of the car to do it.

There are some terrific estates at most price ranges. The humble Skoda Fabia Estate offers cavernous space for not much cash at all, for example.

Further up the price range, another of our perennial favourites is the Skoda Superb Estate;&nbsp;it’s great to drive and as practical as most people should ever need. Meanwhile, for serious mile-munching ability and a premium, well-finished interior, it’s hard to look beyond the BMW 5 Series Touring.

Check the bodywork carefully for dents and scuffs, as well as the alloy wheels, if fitted, for kerb damage. Look at wear and tear on the seats and make sure the rear seats drop and fold as they should.

Think of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/focus/hatchback/used-review/n345">Ford Focus</a> hatchback and your first thought will be of a lively and practical family car that is deservedly popular and has sold by the bucketload. The estate version of the Focus has always been popular with families, combining something of the style and driving behaviour of the hatchback while adding a bigger boot.

In its first generation, the Focus Estate matched edgy styling with a spacious interior and it was great to drive. Its replacement followed the same basic recipe but grew to offer more interior space. This third-generation car improved efficiency further and bettered the in-car tech and materials in an attempt to challenge rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf that were perceived as being of a higher quality.

The Focus Estate comes with a wide range of engines. The petrol line-up starts with an old 1.6-litre that has to be worked hard and isn’t particularly efficient. The newer 1.0-litre three-cylinder Ecoboost unit might sound like a small engine for a relatively large car, but comes in either 99bhp or 123bhp and is a capable and refined choice. There are also two 1.5-litre four-cylinder Ecoboost engines, both with more punch than the 1.0. Of the diesel options, the 1.5 105 is remarkably economical, while the 118bhp version of the same engine has more power and is more efficient than the cheaper, older 1.6 that’s also available. The 2.0 TDCi 150, meanwhile, is satisfyingly swift.

Ford has even catered for people who want to take a lot of stuff somewhere quickly with the high-performance ST models. These are offered with a 182bhp 2.0-litre diesel or 247bhp 2.0 turbocharged petrol engine, both linked to manual gearboxes. The petrol model can match many sports cars for pace.

For years, the Focus’s ride and handling prowess were legendary, but the driving experience of this latest car isn’t quite as rewarding as that of earlier models, as if the fun has been sanitised a little in the name of efficiency. It grips and handles well, though, and the steering is pleasingly light and direct, while the ride is comfortable and composed over urban ruts and potholes.

The Focus Estate is a refined car, too, no matter which engine you choose, although wind and road noise are noticeable, especially at higher speeds. Slick five and six-speed manual gearboxes are the norm, but there’s an optional six-speed automatic gearbox that is generally good but can occasionally feel a little slow and dim-witted.

Inside, the driving position’s excellent, although visibility can be an issue as a result of the car's thick pillars. Interior quality is acceptable given the car’s reasonable price, but many of its rivals feel more upmarket still. Space up front is good, but it’s a little limited in the rear seats, with a large central tunnel robbing rear passengers of some leg room. Overall, the Focus Estate’s main rivals feel more spacious.

The Focus Estate’s boot isn’t the biggest for outright capacity, either; the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/octavia/estate/used-review/n854">Skoda Octavia Estate</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/golf/estate/used-review/n783">VW Golf Estate</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/peugeot/308/estate/used-review/n949">Peugeot 308 SW</a> are all noticeably better. However, the Focus Estate’s load bay is still wide, with a low load lip and a flat, squared-off floor that will make loading buggies or other bulky items easy.

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Used Ford Focus Estate 2011-2018 review

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