When the Focus first appeared it replaced the Escort, a car which reached its peak with the Escort RS Cosworth and during the most incredible hot hatch era. To this day, some Escorts have been kept in such high esteem as to break records. In particular Lady Diana’s mint 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo which sold at Silverstone Auctions for £725,000 in August 2022. No pressure for the Escort replacement then. While the Focus had a lot to live up to, it landed on its feet with a chassis which was often commended as best in class and to this day, it remains one of the best things about the Focus. It won World Car of the Year in 1999, most reviews commented positively on the multi-link fully independent rear suspension.
Special mention : Exterior design, dynamics, economy, steering. Very fun, spacious, enjoyable car for ‘little’ money.
Needs work : The interior could match the sharp exterior a little better, very low to the ground for a 125 ps car.
| 125 PS | Petrol / Manual |
| 0-100 km/h in 10.2 seconds | Road Tax €200 |
| Price: from €36,347 As Specc’d €41,164 | Boot Space 370/ 1,354 litres |
And now the time has come for change once again. Due to the increasing interest in SUVs and electric vehicles, Ford will be phasing out the Focus gradually from the European, Australasian and other remaining markets by 2025. Ford is not developing any replacement for the current-generation Focus, thus marking the end of the road for the Ford Focus following the last Fiesta to roll off the line. It competes against VW’s Golf, Opel’s Astra, the Kia Ceed and the Seat Leon who will surely all go through the same metamorphosis.
The latest model has a generous amount of space for a hatchback trying to compete with SUV sales. Tall adults can fit easily behind a similar-sized driver. While the competition still has a large transmission bump in the floor that the middle passenger has to straddle, Ford have increased passenger comfort via its almost flat rear floor. The rear seats split 60/40 unfortunately the only way to unhook them is via the seat shoulders, no handy release levers in the boot for easy access. The boot is square and has decent capacity, Ford reckons if you want more space then there’s always the Estate version. There’s a little lip which might only hinder getting heavier items over and due to the subwoofer under the boot floor there’s no option of a height adjustable floor.
From the drivers seat, it’s just as easy to manoeuvre yourself into a comfortable position with manual height and lumbar adjustment. The X trim gets a four-way adjustable electric driver’s seat with electric lumbar adjustment and an extendable seat cushion. Unfortunately due to the placement of the battery in the mild hybrids, the passenger seat loses these features. The steering wheel is rake and reach adjustable and the pedals / seat are properly aligned.
There’s an analogue driver display with crisp graphics that make it easy to see all the different details. Digital information such as speed etc can be displayed on an optional head-up display but I don’t really see the need for one. Strangely for a car that is still quite analogue, the air con controls can only be accessed via the touch screen which is a shame.
Once you have the optimum seating position, the visibility is good with small front pillars (unlike the Tonale tested last week which had quite restricted visibility due to the thickness of the pillars). Front and rear parking sensors are standard on all trims. You don’t get a rear-view camera as standard but you can add one as part of a Parking pack, which includes parking assist. Speaking of visibility, the X trim can upgrade the lighting to matrix adaptive headlights that let you keep your main beam which adjusts automatically when it senses oncoming traffic.
The infotainment system is accessed via touch screen and has no physical dials or buttons. It comes with built-in sat-nav (handy when you don’t have mobile coverage), Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring, wireless phone-charging and something that is lacking on many modern cars which is a decent sound system. This comes in the form of the superb B&O system which has 10 speakers and the subwoofer in the boot.
The interior is pleasant with Fords premium seat in ebony with full Sensico and red stitching, with lots of chrome & carbon-fibre styling throughout. It has a leather-wrapped gearknob and steering wheel, and the door bins have suitable soft material to reduce noise for rattly objects.
Ford has worked to improve the areas that previous generations of Focus have dropped the ball: interior quality, rear leg room, boot space and on-board tech. Those are all things it needs to get right if it’s going to be competitive.
The entry-level 125 ps 1.0 Ecoboost, it may not be quick (0-100km/h) takes 10.2sec), but it is fun to drive, one of those cars where you won’t easily brake the speed limit but you’ll have a lot more fun, especially with the manual.
One of the best driver’s cars in the class, with truly entertaining handling – especially if you go for the ST. The Focus has sharp dynamics, rides well and is quiet on the move. I for one will be sad to see the demise of the hatchback.