Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 



First Drive: 2011 Ford Focus. Image by Mark Nichol.

First Drive: 2011 Ford Focus
Finally we get to drive Ford’s flamboyant global superstar, but can it outshine the unassuming Golf?

   



<< earlier review     later review >>

Reviews homepage -> Ford reviews

| First Drive | Jerez, Spain | 2011 Ford Focus |

The 1998 Ford Focus changed the hatchback game for good. The follow-up wasn't so warmly received, but the car nonetheless topped the UK sales charts every year between 1999 and 2008. That probably gives it British Institution status.

So here's the third one, important not only because, well, it's a Ford Focus, but because it's Ford's first global car; there's a big piece of paper pinned on its backside with 'FORD'S HOPES' scribbled on it. No pressure then...

In the Metal

It's natural to pitch the new Ford Focus as the anti-Golf at first sight. Where Volkswagen's hatchback makes a virtue of being unostentatious, solid, business-like, the Focus is as on-trend as this morning's Topman mannequin. The huge front intakes make it seem a bit mouthy in pictures, and the taillights look like 22nd century ping-pong bats from the side, but for all its skinny chino trendiness the Focus doesn't appear over-styled in real life.

Inside, though, Ford's designers have struggled to contain themselves: a casting call for Cinderella wouldn't attract as many buttons. But it works because it's easy to fathom and the basics like the steering wheel, pedal and gearstick placement are spot on. The miscellany of shapes is matched by the variety of plastics on show - some soft touch and premium, others not so; there are scratchy plastics in places Golf drivers wouldn't find them. There's an overall feel of quality nonetheless.

What you get for your Money

To start with there are only two engine capacities - 1.6- and 2.0-litre - but seven different power outputs ranging from the basic 104bhp TiVCT petrol engine to the 161bhp TDCi diesel. Both that diesel and the 138bhp version can be had with a twin-clutch Powershift automatic gearbox, with a five- or six-speed manual standard elsewhere (depending on power).

Prices start at £15,995, once again making this a more expensive ownership ladder to begin ascending than the equivalent VW one. Standard kit is generous though: all cars get Bluetooth, manual air conditioning, a digital radio and ESP. Second rung Zetec spec is where more than half of buyers will go, which most significantly adds alloys and sports seats. Titanium and Titanium X complete the range, whose main purpose is to furnish the car with extras that prevent you having to switch stuff on or off yourself.

Driving it

It certainly doesn't drop any major clangers, but nor does the new Ford Focus exceed expectations. Ford has near perfected ride/handling balance over the last few years, so it's no surprise that the Focus takes a sheet of sandpaper to jagged surfaces, smoothing the harsh edges while still keeping the car nice and level. It always feels planted - remarkably so on the motorway.

But the steering rack - now fully electric - isn't as successful. The steering is pleasingly darty and precise, but there's a horrible self-centring effect that's always contriving to pull the car to the straight ahead. It's a shame this anomaly exists, because weight and feel are otherwise well judged.

Our first test car, a combination of the 161bhp diesel and Powershift transmission, highlights the relaxed side of the Focus's demeanour more so than its sportiness. The diesel doesn't feel quite as stout as you might expect, but it's quiet where it counts - below 3,000rpm - and spreads its torque evenly. Ford's twin-clutch transmission still isn't up to VW DSG standards though, mostly because of tardier kick-down response. And there are no shift paddles, instead a bizarre switch on the side of the gear lever; we'd put money on that little feature being quietly dropped at facelift time.

A stint in a petrol-powered manual Focus proved much sweeter. Typically of a Ford gearbox, it's precise while being lighter than most through the gate.

Worth Noting

Ford will throw a military convention's worth of technology into the Focus if you're willing to pay for it. Obviously the test cars came fully loaded, meaning we got to try out the auto braking and lane departure features, both of which essentially stop you colliding with things that it senses you're inexorably destined to collide with. It will also advise you to drink coffee if it detects you're tired.

Most of this stuff is bundled into themed packs that you can have for a few hundred pounds each (there are seven of them). Ford says they're reasonably priced because of economies of scale: 80-85 percent of the Focus's parts are shared across versions for all 120 markets worldwide.

Summary

The new Ford Focus is a really good car - excellent, in fact - but it's not a landmark or necessarily even a class leading one (we'll reserve judgement on that until we get a car in the UK). It's sharply styled, well made, well equipped, very comfy, spacious, sure footed, agile and reasonably priced. They're all things you could say about the Golf, so for many buyers it'll be a case of what sort of statement they want to make: conservative or liberal? Sometimes they're mutually exclusive, believe it or not.

Mark Nichol - 28 Jan 2011



  www.ford.co.uk    - Ford road tests
- Ford news
- Focus images

2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Ford.2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Ford.2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Ford.2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Ford.2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Ford.

2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Ford.2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Ford.2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Ford.2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Ford.2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Ford.



2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2011 Ford Focus five-door. Image by Mark Nichol.
 






 

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©