March 7, 2017

Ford Focus is well equipped and great to drive and its healthy engine is waiting to rock always

Introduction:

If someone asked you to just think of an average, typical, family-sized hatchback, we’ll wager the vehicle that’d most likely spring to mind would be this – the grand Ford Focus.  Not only is it thrill to drive and pleasant to look at, but it also offers consumers an enormous wealth of choice – from economical-yet-fun turbocharged petrol engines to huge, brawny diesels; from no-frills models as basic as they come to those along with all the mod cons you can think of – and then some. And, of course, every single thing else in-between – involving the exhilarating ST hot hatch versions, and also an electric model. No wonder, then, that it is the best-selling family car in Britain at the moment. But with tough competition in the form of the Seat Leon, Volkswagen Golf and Peugeot 308, as well as a host of others all vying for your cash only, the Focus will have to stay sharp if it desire to keep its nose in front.

Engine Performance

Forward visibility is really good, but the Focus has big over-the-shoulder blind spots and its steeply angled back window can make it tricky to analyze where the back of the car ends. You also have to select your engine with care; the Focus is accessible with three 1.6-litre petrol’s with varying power outputs, and the cheaper two feel frustratingly feeble. Instead, test takers’ pick one of the turbocharged 1.0-litre or 1.5-litre petrol’s, or one of the diesel engines, all of which smartly offer more low-down punch. An automatic (non-manual) gearbox is available on few of the models. You can also specify a system which will warn you if there’s any car about to drive past if you’re reversing out of a parking space, as well as one which will also steer the car into a room for you, either nicely into a parallel space or a normal end-on one, as long as you use the accelerator and brake. However, in test takers experience, when they tried the latter system, they found it to be a little hit-and-miss. Fords tend to be real fun to drive, and the Focus is no exception; it feels eager to alter direction and the steering is precise and very well weighted. The tail can also be provoked into a decent playful slide if you lift off the power sharply half-way through a corner, an attitude that’s comfortably caught and controlled. You’ll also have plenty of power for overtaking if you straight choose the more powerful 1.0-litre petrol engine or one of the turbocharged 1.5 petrol’s. Although, if you’re after the fastest and most exciting focus available, it’s got to be the ST model.

Fuel Economy:

Depending on which model you pick, the Focus is about as frugal as, or slightly less so than its opponents. However, what actually lets it down is the absence of a specific high-efficiency model in the whole range; the most economical Focus receives 74.3mpg, whereas you can now purchase a VW Golf that can do almost 88.3mpg, or even a Peugeot 308 that can do a whopping 91.1mpg. As with all the cars, it’s worth bearing in mind that the economy you obtain from the Focus in the real world is very much dependent on driving style. In an amalgamation of town and country driving, you should hope to achieve about 45mpg with the diesel engines and mid-30s mainly with the smaller petrol’s. The electric Focus has a maximum range of only 100 miles, and you can expect that to plummet in the cold weather. So, it’s a good option indeed.