The Ford Focus was introduced in 1998, and was soon one of the best-selling cars in the UK. It was never the prettiest car on the roads, but overnight, it became the most potent family hatchback, with great reliability, superb drivability, and (most crucially) being one of the most useful cars out there. Its newest iteration, launched earlier this year, has received a significant face-lift, and is looking to continue the great track record of its predecessor. Review carThe review car was a Ford New Focus 1.6 TDCi LX 5-Door with a 110 horsepower 1.6 litre turbodiesel engine. Driving the Ford FocusThe inside of the car has received a major face-lift, along with the rest of the Ford range. There was not a lot wrong with the design of the original Focus, but the update has made it a whole lot better: The dash and instrument panel both feel and look better-engineered. The dials and buttons that are used frequently are large, easy to find, and can soon be operated without fumbling around.It isn't until starting the car that its full strengths show through, however: The old Focus had handling that bordered on legendary - quick through the corners, and extremely easy to drive, without losing its fun factor.Well, there is good news: The new Focus has more of the same. The handling is better. Our test car was no acceleration-beast, but it was capable enough away from stoplights, and once the engine had revved its way into its happy-band (2000-3000 rounds per minute and higher, on our model), it has plenty of kick for overtaking. On the motorway, it was happy to cruise at legal speeds and beyond, with more power on tap if needed. In the 1.6 litre diesel, the engine is a bit on the noisy side at high speed, but not to an extent where it becomes a big problem.Steering the car is a joy - Ford have managed the rarity of getting the steering just heavy enough to be enjoyable (i.e you can feel what the car is doing), and just light enough to make it effortless. The engines deliver solid power, and the gearbox is smooth and unproblematic.In fact, smooth and unproblematic are the two words that most accurately describe the Ford Focus driving experience: Ford has a long track record of good reliability on its cars. The previous generation Focus never had any major problems, and if anything, the current generation is even better engineered. In the few occasions where things do go wrong, the sheer number of Focuses on the roads means that parts are kept on hand, and they are usually available at decent prices as well. Focus on Design and usabilityOriginally, the Focus turned a few heads for its bold and daring design - The new design is an evolution on the old theme rather than a revolution, but the car seems a lot more mature and serious, whilst retaining its slightly aggressive and dynamic stance.The usability is unparalleled in its class: The car is a lot wider than most of its competitors, and has a high roofline. The result is that both the front and rear seat offer plenty of head- and legroom for children and adults.The rear hatch opens very high into the air (careful in parking garages!), which means that loading the 385-litre (1247 litres when the seats are folded down) boot is particularly easy. Who is it for?The Ford Focus was built from the ground up to be an excellent all-round car. The seats are good enough that mile-munching salespeople can do their thing up and down motorways. The boot is surprisingly big, which adds to the usability. In other words, the car is great for any number of adults between 1-4, perfect as a family car, and entirely adequate for 5, if the people occupying the back-seat are small and patient. So, should you buy one?Why, yes! The main competitors are the Megane hatchback (which is cooler, but doesn't handle as well), and the Volkswagen Golf - or even the Golf Plus - which drives better, but doesn't have nearly as much space. If you want to make a statement, get a Citroen C4.If you go for a higher trim-level Focus, however, it is better value than its competitors at the same price. Which Focus would we choose?The budget models come with a 1.4 litre engine which works as long as there is only ever 2 people and no luggage in the car. The 1.6 litre versions work very well, and is probably the most affordable Focus worth considering for families.If you are looking for a particularly fun car, the 2.5 litre ST models offer serious performance, and at a list price of £17,300, it offers a lot of fast car for comparatively little money.Overall, the Diesels offer best value for money - there are three of them. The 2.0 litre is very powerful: if you have the money to spend, go for that one. The 1.6 litre diesel is perfectly adequate, if a bit on the noisy side. If we were to pick one out of the vast line-up, the 1.8 litre diesel would be it - plenty of power for the motorways and alleyways, but at a combined cycle of 54.3 mpg, it gets an excellent fuel consumption thrown in the mix.
