COMMENT
Steve Cropley
MY WEEK IN CARS
Today’s Ford Focus isn’t quite a class leader but it is still a class act
If you haven’t read it yet, do
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
High time, I thought, to clock the progress of the ubiquitous Ford Focus, still a UK top-seller. As you know, this model’s life started in 1997 at a level of such distinction that every other rival – and there were a dozen – had to improve or die. We’re into the third generation now, and the Focus doesn’t have the margin it once did, probably because its maker’s eye is now on full European electrification by 2030.
Yet it’s still terrific. My car was the 125bhp 1.0-litre ST-Line mild hybrid, with six-speed manual ’box and blessed twist-knob controls for hi-fi and ventilation. Despite what still seems an unfeasibly tiny engine, it feels like it could carry you effortlessly around the world, delivering 50mpg. I’m pleased to see Ford has maintained the fine steering, handling and brakes, and I especially enjoyed the sophisticated precision in fast, long bends. But if I were buying, I’d definitely swerve ‘sports-tuned suspension’ because suppleness and low road noise matter more. Still, the quality and customer appeal remain close to class best.