WHY WE'RE RUNNING IT
To crystallise our opinion of what we're all going to lose when the Focus retires
Well, doesn't this feel comfortingly conventional? For the next few months, I will be running a Ford Focus Estate. It's not an SUV, it doesn't want plugging in and it has a name that has been familiar for a long time.
Of course, it won't be for much longer, since Ford has announced that the Focus won't be replaced when its run ends in 2025. Is Ford making a mistake? Well, long-term reports aren't really the place to comment on a multi-billion-dollar global corporation's business sense, but we will find out just how much we're going to miss the Focus.
Although being back in a Focus feels pleasingly traditional, it isn't quite 2003 all over again. The fourth-generation Focus has just been treated to a facelift to see out its career. The redesigned LED headlights certainly look sharper than before, and inside there's now an absolutely massive i touchscreen (13.2in) that has usurped the physical climate controls.
This one is also a hybrid, allegedly. I hadn't clocked the badge on the boot lid proclaiming as much until someone pointed it out, because the car certainly doesn't drive very hybridly. That's because most of Ford's engines these days are mild hybrids. In other words, they get a 48V integrated starter-generator to give a bit of a boost under acceleration.
Every Focus apart from the hot ST is now powered by a turbocharged three-cylinder petrol unit with either 123bhp or 153bhp.
Denne historien er fra March 29, 2023-utgaven av Autocar UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 29, 2023-utgaven av Autocar UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Poster car that went from rusty to trusty
One evening, two years ago, George Pappas was being driven down his local high street by a mate and mulling over whether to replace his Mk4 Golf diesel, a recent purchase that was boring him to death, when his girlfriend, also in the car, spotted an old BMW 3 Series at the side of the road with a 'for sale' sign in the window.
THE SEVEN-SEATER THAT VOLVO DARE NOT KILL OFF
The current-gen XC90 has been on sale since 2015 for good reason
GENESIS ELECTRIFIED G80
Where the story begins, in the Hyundai premium marque’s luxury saloon
LEXUSLBX
Can you shrink premium quality to fit an SUV this small? We now know
Rolls boss ready to 'define the next chapter'
Nine months into the job, Rolls-Royce CEO and car guy Chris Brownridge tells STEVE CROPLEY what he's learned and where the firm's heading
Once more, with feeling
AC Cars' recreation of the classic MkII Cobra is at first glance a faithful facsimile of a 1960s performance benchmark. SIMON HUCKNALL drives it
MERCEDES-BENZ CLE
Does a PHEV set-up work in a coupé that exudes such old-school vibes?
ANALOGUE SUPERSPORT
Lotus Elise specialist uprates 1990s icon with an eye on track days
ALPINE A290
The hot hatch is alive and well, and living in France. On both road and track, there's much to savour`
UK HANGS ON TO OLD CARS
Average car age climbs as high prices dampen demand for new models