As the Focus bows out at the top of its game, all you need is £5k
JONATHAN BRYCE
SECOND CHANCEFORD FOCUS
After 26 years, four generations and, at its peak, 114 sales every hour, the Ford Focus is to family hatchbacks what Warburtons orange loaf is to the UK’s diet.
Even in 2024, a year before Ford axes the Focus permanently from its line-up, just under 24,000 were sold between January and May compared with around 25,000 Volkswagen Golfs.
Quite rightly too, given that it remains the daily-drive darling of many enthusiasts for three key reasons: ample practicality, handsome looks and, crucially, class-leading driving dynamics.
The current Mk4 car, manufactured since 2018, has a suite of chassis enhancements over the previous one that allow the Focus to maintain a dynamic agenda, despite growing over time (it’s around 150mm longer and wider, and 219kg heavier, than the first-generation car). These include a brand-new ‘C2’ platform, ‘control blade’ independent suspension, 20% extra torsional rigidity over its predecessor, and the option of adaptive dampers and stiffened, lowered springs.
Even if you don’t bag a performance model with those tricked-up dampers and springs, this is still the best-handling car in its class. The ride is taut but retains some suppleness with it, the chassis is eminently biddable and the steering feels satisfyingly crisp. Of course, climbing out of this and into a Golf, you will immediately notice how much more comfortable a hatchback can get, but you will also notice how clinical they can get.
A good range of engines is available for this generation. Petrols include a 1.0-litre three-pot with a choice of 83bhp, 98bhp and 123bhp, as well as a 1.5-litre triple with 148bhp and 180bhp, and at the top there’s the 267bhp 2.3-litre Focus ST. Two diesels are also offered: a 1.5-litre with 93bhp and 118bhp, and a 2.0-litre with 148bhp.
Which engine your car comes with will depend on the trim level, whether that be Style, Zetec, Titanium or ST-Line. Style cars got only the 83bhp 1.0-litre, whereas Zetec and ST-Line editions came with a much larger and more diverse range. Our pick of the engines is the 148bhp petrol because it delivers sufficient everyday performance (8.3sec to 62mph) and real-world fuel economy typically averages 45mpg.
We would also take the six-speed manual over the eight-speed automatic, given that it has a precise shift action, whereas the auto often changes its mind about which of its eight ge
