Ford continues to deliver with new model Focus that is up there with the best
It hasn’t been one of the all-time market leaders without getting a lot of things right. When Ford replaced the Escort with the Focus in 1999, there were some who thought that the name would never catch on. Well, it did and the latest tweaked version of the trusty Focus is still made of the right stuff and will continue to be a winner for the brand.
As the motor industry evolves, car companies are changing lanes at motorway speeds. Ford has returned to offering petrol cars not long after they focussed on diesel a few years ago. They have produced their new 1.0-litre EcoBoost three-cylinder engine to great acclaim and it won the World Engine of the Year award for three years in a row.
Ford now offers this new engine in most of their range of car including the Focus, Mondeo and the new C-Max that was launched this week here in Ireland.
There are two versions; a 100ps and a 125ps unit which was fitted in the five-door Focus Titanium test car that I have been driving over the last week. Ford claim that this engine is as powerful as their 1.6 diesel.
It has a powerful turbo attached which gives it the grunt that backs up this claim. However, it is just about there and it suggests that the 100ps version might just struggle when asked the serious question.
They also claim that it has better fuel consumption and a CO2 emissions rate of 110g/km. That gives you an annual road tax bill of €190. My fuel consumption figure over nearly 1,000 kilometres came in at 7.2L/100km. That return can definitely be lowered with a lighter right foot but, this is where the Focus becomes a bit of a contradiction.
You do need to drive it on to get the most from the car. It will amble away merrily about town with feather-light use of the throttle. However, out on the open road it gets thirstier as you drive it on. And, because the Focus is such a good drive, the temptation is there to kick on and with that the fuel consumption rises.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.