We deliver our verdict as Ford goes to town with bigger, better family hatchback to take fight to VW Golf and Kia Ceed
THE village of Siebenbach in the Eifel region of Germany is behind us; there’s a narrow, hilly, winding, freshly renovated road ahead and we’re at the wheel of the all-new Ford Focus – which is once again proving that car-driving heaven can only be delivered when the chassis isn’t steering you into hell.
The Mk3 version of Ford’s hatch has been feeling its age – threatened by everything from the VW Golf to the all new Kia Ceed. So Ford has really pulled out the stops for the fourth generation with a fresh platform. It’s called C2 and is designed to deliver even more agile handling, while improving cabin space.
Our drive in the new Focus will take us from Cologne to Saarlouis in Germany and back (around 300 miles). Ford says the car was developed in the first of those cities and then is brought to life in the second, the location of its factory.
The new model has some known quantities in its engine line-up. There’s the 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol, in three states of tune: 84bhp, 99bhp and the 123bhp unit tested here, with CO2 emissions as low as 108g/km. If you want more poke from your petrol, then there’s the three-cylinder 1.5-litre EcoBoost, with 148bhp and 180bhp. A range of new EcoBlue diesels is also available: 1.5-litre units with 94bhp or 118bhp, and a 2.0 engine with 148bhp.
The standard gearbox is a six-speed manual, but you can have a new eight speed automatic on the 123bhp 1.0 and 148bhp 1.5 petrols, along with the 118bhp 1.5 and 2.0 diesels.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 27, 2018 من Auto Express.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 27, 2018 من Auto Express.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
PEUGEOT E-2008 GT
Our Peugeot EV and classic BMW may be the perfect two-car garage
SHOW 'N' TELL
Our 2024 Performance Car of the Year, Hyundai's Ioniq 5 N EV, takes on the revamped Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
F1 EXHIBITION IS GO GO GO
Former F1 World Champion Damon Hill shows us around a celebration of the greatest sport on Earth
BYD Dolphin Active
Lower power means a more affordable price, but the new entry-level Dolphin is left wanting in other areas
Mercedes-AMG CLE Coupé
FIRST DRIVE We get behind the wheel of new CLE that aims to offer both comfort and a scincillating driving experience
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Ergonomic improvements are a welcome enhancement to VW's iconic hot hatch, but there's still no manual version
Toyota Prius
FIRST UK DRIVE Toyota's hybrid pioneer finally returns to these shores in fifth-generation guise and exclusively as a plug-in hybrid
INSURANCE SCAMS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
INSURANCE FRAUD BUREAU EXPERT GIVES US THE LOWDOWN ON THE LATEST SWINDLES
Honda's updated HR-V sports sharp new look
Brand's best-selling model in Europe has also received some interior revisions and extra safety kit
Audi sets £70k start price for new A6 EV
ORDER books for the new Audi A6 e-tron are open now, with prices from just under £70,000 and deliveries starting next February.