Practical family estate gets subtly tweaked looks and updated infotainment in an effort to keep it competitive On sale Now Price from £25,910
Max Adams Max.Adams@haymarket.com
ADD A BIGGER screen to a mobile phone and buyers will rush to trade up for a better experience, and it seems Ford is using this trick on some of its cars. The revised Focus still does all the things the previous one did, but its infotainment screen has grown to a girthy 13.2in (from 8.0in) on most versions.
The updated Focus’s core engine line-up remains as before, consisting of 123bhp and 153bhp 1.0-litre petrols and a 118bhp 1.5-litre diesel. The latter will appeal only to high-mileage users, so we’re focusing on the more powerful petrol (called the Ecoboost 155 mHEV), driven here in estate form and with an optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
This model costs only £630 more than the equivalent Ecoboost 125 mHEV, and it has the same mild hybrid electrical assistance to help with fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions (the manual 125 goes without this technology, whereas all 155s have it).
With a 0-62mph time of 8.6sec, the Focus doesn’t feel as quick as the equivalent Seat Leon, Skoda Octavia or Volkswagen Golf, and you need to work the Focus harder to get up to motorway speeds. It’s also worth noting that the 2.0-litre hybrid Toyota Corolla Touring Sports, with its 8.1sec 0-62mph time, can outsprint the Focus while returning seven more miles per gallon.
The Corolla is a smoother drive, too. The Focus’s automatic gearbox can be jerky and often causes the car to lurch forward when you want to accelerate gently with the flow of traffic, so we’d save ourselves just over a grand and go for the manual.
Fortunately, the regenerative braking system is the same for all mild hybrid versions of the Focus and is easy to adapt to. This helps to recharge the system’s small battery, and it cuts in strongly, slowing the car noticeably when you lift off the accelerator. You can’t switch the system off, but at least it’s smooth in operation.
When it comes to ride quality, the sports suspension fitted to ST-Line cars is rather firm but stops short of being uncomfortable. However, we’d steer you towards Titanium trim; it’s more supple, yet doesn’t compromise handling by much. Overall, the Focus is a sharper drive than the Octavia and Corolla, although we wish the steering (accurate though it is) didn’t self-centre quite so doggedly.
Inside, that crisp new infotainment screen is mostly a welcome development. It’s positioned high up on the dashboard, where it’s easy to
