Ford Focus Range : STILL FOCUSED

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Smarter looks and high-tech engine offerings complement the Ford Focus' great driving dynamics in a much improved model line-up. Jonathan Crouch checks it outâ€¦

Ford's Focus now has sharper looks inside and out to match its sharper handling. There's a eco-friendly diesel option, plus an extra 2.0TDCi unit. What hasn't changed is the great packaging and rewarding driving dynamics. This car may be common but it's still a great choice.

Add up all the points when it comes to buying a Family Hatchback and it's hard to escape the conclusion that a Ford Focus might well be your best bet. For Ford, the problem is that most potential buyers don't add up all the points. They're swayed by rivals that are better looking, have higher-tech engines, offer more equipment or record more frugal fuel figures in some variants. All of which, when added to the fact that the MK2 Focus has become a rather over-familiar face since its launch here in 2005, has been costing Ford more sales than it would like. Their response is a better-looking, better equipped, higher-tech and more frugal Focus. Yet one that keeps all the good things common to the original. Make no mistake: if you're shopping in this sector, this is a car you have to try. If driving dynamics are all you care about, this is still the very first car with which you should begin your search for a Family Hatchback. The everyday mundanity of the Focus often obscures quite what an incredible car it is. That and the fact that we take this sort of competence for granted. Get underneath the Focus and you'll find a more advanced suspension system than that of a Porsche 911. Ford of Europe ploughed an enormous investment into the original Focus and the MK2 model continues to live off the benefits, even though many rivals have clawed back much of the ground they lost to this car in this respect in the early years of this century. The suspension system is much the same as that used in the 1998 model and the lessons learned in packaging are still as relevant as ever. This sublime handling competency means you can get the most in terms of driving enjoyment from any of the given engines on offer, so drive a Focus before opting for an apparently faster rival: more power doesn't necessarily equal more real world speed. In terms of driving comfort, there are softer-riding rivals, certainly, but you'd be less likely to want to be in one of them on a twisting B-Road. Comfort is also about on the move convenience too, so Ford have integrated a number of practical aspects from the C-MAX mini-MPV including a glove box big enough to house a 1.5-litre bottle, a sunglasses holder, a dash-top cubby and class-leading luggage space.

"Add up all the points when it comes to buying a Family Hatchback and it's hard to escape the conclusion that a Ford Focus might well be your best betâ€¦."

Benefiting from Ford's `kinetic design' approach to styling, the latest Focus takes its inspiration from its larger Mondeo stablemate. Trapezoidal grilles, swept back headlamps, bolder wheel arches, re-shaped rear glass, a contoured tailgate and smarter tail lamps are the key changes. Higher trim grades benefit from chrome detailing and a stylish, body-coloured upper rear spoiler. Inside, the more upmarket aura continues. Nicer soft-touch plastics now cover the instrument panel as well as the upper front door trim and this is complemented by plusher seat fabrics plus a variety of more attractive fascia finishings. The instrumentation has been re-designed too and, along with all other interior controls, is illuminated in red. Controls for the upgraded audio equipment and two-zone air conditioning have also been ergonomically improved. The compact control-blade rear suspension helps the five-door hatch model achieve a hefty 385-litre carrying capacity, as the load bay is completely flat and unencumbered by suspension intrusion. In the Estate version, there's 475 cubic litres of load space with the 60/40 rear bench in place, but drop the seats and there's a cavernous 1525 litres, making the Focus a good deal bigger than many executive class estate cars. With the seats in place the load bay is just over 104cm long, 116cm wide and up to 89cm high. With the rear seats folded you have a 167cm long distance from seat back to tailgate. Prices sit in pretty much the same £12,000 to £20,000 span as you'd expect, spread across three and five-door hatches, a four-door saloon, an estate and a Coupe-Cabriolet version with its fashionable metal folding roof. In other words, much the same proposition as is offered by rivals like Vauxhall's Astra, Peugeot's 308 and Renault's Megane. Trim-wise, there's a choice of Studio, Style, ECOnetic and Titanium trim levels before you get to the sporty ST models. Engine-wise, petrol buyers have the old 78bhp 1.4 and 98bhp 1.6-litre units at the foot of the range. If you need to go faster, there's a 123bhp 1.8-litre option, a 143bhp 2.0-litre petrol unit and the 2.5-litre Turbo powerplant found in the ST and RS models. For diesel buyers, there's an entry-level 108bhp 1.6-litre TDCi, while above this unit sits the highly acclaimed 2.0-litre TDCi diesel that Ford developed with Peugeot, now available in 110bhp as well as 136bhp guises. As you would expect, equipment features run to most of what you would now expect on a car of this type (twin front airbags, air conditioning, ABS etc) but there are some nice extra touches. In addition to a movable armrest and a four-litre-capacity storage compartment, there are storage areas for back-seat passengers or the facility to add optional items such as a 230 volt socket or the USB audio connection box. Ford have put a lot of thought into lowering running costs, focusing on the popular entry-level diesel, the 108bhp 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi. For economy-minded buyers, the Diesel Particulate Filter-equipped version of this engine is now available in Focus `ECOnetic' form, a guise which features an array of aerodynamic efficiencies much like Volkswagen's range of BlueMotion models. Average consumption for the Focus ECOnetic is a frugal 65mpg. This corresponds to an average CO2 emission of only 115g/km, which is a class-leading result for a conventional vehicle in this segment. As a direct result of the Ford ECOnetic initiative, all Focus 1.6-litre TDCi variants will achieve 119g/km CO2 and this is regardless of power rating, body style or wheel dimensions. Flexifuel version of the 1.8-litre Duratec petrol four-cylinder engine can be fuelled with bio-ethanol E85-fuel as an alternative to conventional unleaded petrol - or in any mix of both. The Ford Focus range also includes CNG (compressed natural gas) and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) derivatives both based on the 2.0-litre Duratec petrol engine. Insurance groupings are mainly in the 4 to 10 bracket, though beware if you're thinking of opting for one of the sporting ST variants which sit in a heady group 17. They also struggle in terms of CO2 emissions. Depreciation on a Ford Focus is never going to be stellar: simply take it into account and balance the difference to something like a Volkswagen Golf with the extra discount you're likely to be able to negotiate upfront. Most of the time, the sums add up. The Focus needed this wash `n brush-up, if only to remind easily swayed Family Hatchback buyers just how good it still is. The smart styling enables it to sit proudly alongside newer rivals, while the cabin now feels a more appealing place to be. You can even buy one and feel much more that you're doing your bit for the environment, thanks to the ECOnetic technology. Its biggest problem continues to be its own success, with the issues of depreciation and ubiquity that brings with it. If you don't care on that score and simply want the best product, then move this revised Focus a couple of notches further up your shopping list.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Ford Focus range
PRICES: £12,795-£24,995 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 4-17
CO2 EMISSIONS: 115-224g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.6] Max Speed 111mph / 0-60mph 11.9s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.6TDCi] (urban) 50.4mpg / (extra urban) 74.2mpg / (combined) 62.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, window and side airbags, ABS, traction control,
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr Hatch] Length/Width/Heightmm 4342/1840/1447