Ford Focus 1998- Present

Class:      Compact/Small Family Car

Rivals:     Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla/Auris

Variants:  Hatch, Saloon, Estate,Van, Coupe Cabriolet

Engines:   Petrol: 1.4 Zetec, 1.6 Zetec, 2.0 Zetec

               Diesel: 1.8 TDDI, 1.8 TDCI

Gearbox: 4 speed auto, 5 speed manual, 6 speed manual

Awards:  Top Gear Car of the Year 1999 for the MKI

               Fifth Gear, Best Family Car 2004 for the MKII

             

The Ford Focus has just reached the milestone of 100,000 units in Ireland and has been the top seller on ten separate occasions since its launch in 1998! This means the Ford Focus is Ireland's fastest selling car...ever!

The Focus took over from its Iconic predecessor, the Escort in 1998.  The Escort ran in limited production beside the Focus for two years before it was discontinued to allow customers get used of the distinctive new Ford design, previously seen on the Ka, the Puma and the Cougar.

In 2008, the Focus took over from the Cortina as Britain's best selling car, a record that stood for 27 years.  It was beaten in 2009 by the smaller Fiesta.

Ford has just released the MKIV Focus in March!

Being better used of driving German car I always found Fords difficult to drive, everything seems chunky, and not quite in the correct position!   That was until the Focus came out.  Everything was right, the ride was smooth, the handling is very good, and the noise levels and overall comfort are decent!  I'm not a huge fan, but this is a decent reliable car that unless you go for the RS or the ST your not going to get too many trills out of driving!

When looking at one to buy 2nd hand, keep an eye out for a history of clutch and gearbox problems, what ever it is with the Focus, once they start to give trouble they seldom stop.  But there are reports of petrol cars reaching over 200,000 miles without seeing so much as a spanner so mach sure you have a good mechanic with you when you go to view a 2nd hand model.

The MKI Focus scored 4 out of 5 stars in its EURO NCAP Tests and the MKII onwards scored 5 Stars.

Running costs for the Focus are very reasonable, with your average petrol model running at approx 40mpg mixed driving.  They are reasonable to tax and the new models fall into tax band B which is €146 a year!

The Ford Focus RS WRC won over 30 World Rally Events and won the World Rally Manufactures Championship in 2006 and 2007.  Driven by Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz, Markko Martin and Marcus Gronholm, the Focus became one of the top competitors in World Rally competitions until replace by the smaller Fiesta ST this year.

The Focus comes with a great pedigree, replicating past honors of its predecessors!  Its a great A to B car that will not let you down and is not hard to maintain.  This car will suit any type of driver, from beginner onwards.

gary