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Ford Focus Review
Unlike its predecessor, the Escort, the
Ford Focus wowed the critics immediately when it was
launched in October 1998. The new family Ford attracted praise
for its crisp New Edge styling, funky interior, great zetec
engines and, most of all, its class-leading handling and ride.
No competitor has yet got close. Soon after launch the Focus
shot straight to the top of the UK best-sellers charts and is
likely to remain there for quite some time yet.
With something like 12,000 being sold new each month,
plenty have now found their way onto the used market where a
vast choice of models and sensible pricing makes Fords finest
family range an excellent buy.
Arguably the most stylish and best handling (and
riding) family hatchback you can buy. This is a car into which
you can load the family and still enjoy such mundane trips as
the supermarket run. Its little wonder that waiting lists formed
at launch time and that most versions are still in strong
demand. Whichever body style you opt for, the Focus is a stylish
car with excellent engines and road manners and a well laid-out
interior that provides plenty of room for a family.
There are a lot of used examples about so take your
time and choose carefully. Choose a Zetec or LX with a popular
option pack or two so you get items like electric windows, air
conditioning and Fords clever Quickclear self-de-icing
windscreen. Desirable equipment like this will make selling on
easier in two or three years time.
Used Focus prices start at around £3,400 for a
1.4-litre CL five-door hatchback on 98S plates and you may be
able to secure even a 01X for under £4,000. Around £3,200 should
buy you either a 98S five-door 1.6LX with air-conditioning or a
three-door Zetec with the Climate option pack.
Plusher Ghia trim adds about £500 and similar money will get you
an early saloon although these are quite rare. Estate prices
start at about £3,200 with LX trim. The 1.8-litre cars are
priced the same as 1.
6s new but command about £200 more used. Two-litre models start
on 99S plates at about £3,400 with Ghia trim. Diesels are now
quite plentiful and you should get a 98S CL five-door for under
£3,100 or a more mainstream 99T Zetec with Climate pack for less
than £3,600.
Fords zetec engines are, on the whole, reliable, so give the car
the usual once-over looking for signs of wear and indications of
hard fleet, company or rental car use. Worn carpets, and scuffed
trim are the usual clues. Check that all the electrical items
work properly, ensure that the air conditioner delivers chilled
air soon after the engine is started and remember that a full
service history always helps when selling on, too.
(approx based on a Focus 1.6) As you might expect, parts are
plentiful and relatively inexpensive. A clutch assembly will be
around £100 and an alternator should be close to £140. Brake
pads are around £25 a front set with rear shoes around £45, a
replacement headlamp is close to £80 and a manual door mirror
should be in the region of £50.
A full exhaust is about £200 and a catalyst is about £240.
Dampers are around £40 each and a radiator about £100.
When you'll really appreciate the Focus is when there's no one
in it but you. Under the skin lie a host of engineering
novelties that together, enable it comfortably to take the
honours as the best driver's car in the class. The body for a
start, is 100% stiffer than that of the Escort and 15% stiffer
than its nearest rival. The gearbox is slick enough to make you
want to change up and down just for the sake of it. And the
fully independent suspension attains a level of sophistication
previously unheard of in this class.
We're not just talking about tyre-squealing qualifying laps
around your favourite country B-road test route either.
Ford's engineers have tuned the Focus to compensate for the
times you and I get brain fade; you're lost, its dark and
chucking its down and the kids are screaming in the back. The
corner you just entered too quickly is getting sharper and you
do exactly the wrong thing; you stamp on the brakes. This car
will deal with that: no fuss, no problem. Performance is
reasonable - though not exceptional, with the 1.6-litre engine
most will choose making sixty in 11.2s on the way to 114mph.
Its fuel economy (41.5mpg on the combined cycle) comfortably
beats all comers, however, and there are major components
everywhere designed to need minimal or no maintenance.
The Focus is, quite simply, the best family hatchback on the
used market if you take into account the huge dealer network,
affordable part prices and the vast choice offered at sensible
prices. Streets ahead of its dull but worthy Escort predecessor,
this is the car to buy if the budget will stretch.
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