Faults:

Plastic trim quality isn't great. Entire plastic boot trim comes away from boot lid if we used the handle in the trim to close boot.

Also has poorly fitting rubber seal on passenger door - it has ripples because there is too much rubber.

Glove box light stays on when glove box is shut (can see a shard of light at night).

General Comments:

For AU$20k (circa £9500) when new in Australia, these cars are good value transport and the handling is pretty sporty compared to similar cars I have owned. The purchase price in Australia is around £3k cheaper than a base Focus in the UK, but the ones in Australia have lower spec (although a 2.0 engine). Our model has no side airbags, no curtain airbags and no the ESP (anti-skid system), which are all standard on the base model Focus II in the UK.

My only other gripe with the car is that for tall drivers, the drivers seat doesn't adjust low enough (and the passenger seat does adjust at all). When going down steep hills I am stooping to see under the top of the windscreen.

Faults:

Loud ticking noise at start up, disappears after 3-4 seconds. Seems to be coming from ventilation system.

General Comments:

Superb ride and handling for a wagon, will keep up with most hot hatches.

Great performance and economy from diesel engine. Very poor from pulling away unless you rev engine to 1500 rpm then let the clutch up.

Comfortable and spacious, a truly big boot, with good equipment levels. Only problem is there is nowhere to put your right foot when using the cruise control.

Paint appears soft as the car already has several big stone chips at the front.

Faults:

Nothing, although it is only less than a week old.

General Comments:

It's an LS CL Focus sedan, with a 'smooth pack' that includes (above the air conditioning and single CD), cruise control, alloy wheels, power body coloured mirrors and a leather wrapped sports steering wheel.

It's Blueprint (not the Falcon Blueprint) a very pretty shade of blue.

My partner picked it up on Tuesday last, with 25 km on the odometer, and by Friday morning it had 150 km when we trekked off to Sydney, from Canberra. This served as a run-in drive.

It has very nice handling and took to the open road like any late German designed automobile should. Our baby son was very comfortable in the middle rear seat position and slept most of the time.

The only fault I could find was that there is a slight amount of wind noise from the upper rear windows, and the road noise is apparent when sitting in the rear seat, as I did on the way back. It's not too bad, the road noise, but I was aware of it, possibly as it is distinctly more than in my Boss 260 XR8 ute cabin, which is not too much.

Suspension is good with the control blade rears, and although the wheelbase is relatively short, it is quite smooth through the initial cornering. Front wheel drive helps in some tighter corners, but it does have a slight tendency towards under-steer if you go in or let it get neutral. A touch of the throttle and it grabs back without any jerkiness. Goodyear NCT5 all round, with 15 inches and discs all round.

Roomy enough inside, (I'm 6'2" and I didn't feel too cramped or stiff after the 4 hour drive through Sydney holiday Friday traffic and along the Hume Hwy.

In short, it is a perfect car for my partner and baby, and we had the windows tinted as well, so there is no need for unsightly black nylon shades on the windows.

It delivered an average of 7.4 L/100 km on the trip, and that will improve as the engine runs & beds in.

I'm actually impressed with this Focus, and the engine (2.0L 16 V transverse, coil on plug, Multi Point Fuel Injection etc) has a healthy throatiness to it, but lacks in torque.

107 kW @ 6000 rpm

185 Nm @ 4000 rpm.

However that is 143 bhp & 136 ft-lb... and for comparison purposes, my first Ford V8 289 CID delivered 200 bhp stock standard, then it is quite impressive for a light 'mid' size sedan.

Faults:

A faulty factory engine mount replaced under warranty.

A couple of everyday minor rattles fixed on a weekend off work by myself.

General Comments:

This is the world's best little car which makes me smile every time I drive it or look at it. I love the styling, the handling shames anything even remotely close to it and the performance is spot on for it's size and specifications. I had always dreamed of a 2.0 litre and the 2.0 Zetec manual is such a perfect combination of a great smooth strong gearbox, good ratios and a nice strong torquey engine. Everyone would be happier with a bigger exhaust and more power, but as a stock car, my Zetec is perfect for what it is intended to be. I'd have to say it is one of Australia's most underrated cars.

Long distance comfort is awesome, short distance trips only make me want to drive longer just so I can keep having fun. I'd have to say the only problem is that I have driven it so hard and so well that I have chewed through a set of tyres in 30,000km or about 14 months!!! WELL worth the extra money for the fun in my books.

If you don't at least test-drive a Focus you are seriously not doing yourself justice or being fair to you future purchase decisions!!!