Faults:

A fault on the auxiliary heater caused the surprisingly large battery to be drained three times before the dealer managed to sort it out; happened when the car was 9-10 months old (approx. 22.000 km).

The ignition suddenly stopped working when driving, and the entire car was without any electricity. Started working by itself, dealer could never sort out what happened. The car was at this point 5 months old and had approx. 10.000 km on the clock.

Headlight washers stopped working after about a year (close to 30.000 km).

General Comments:

Positives: Excellent class-leading handling, well equipped and very good value for money. Quite roomy too, both for people and bags. Well suited for cold weather with an effective climate control and heated front window. Very low consumption.

Negatives: Interior quality somewhat substandard compared to most competitors, a bit noisy with the original 17" wheels (Continental SportContact tyres).

The Focus estate is well suited to meet everyday requirements for most people and families, as it is small enough to thread easily through crowded cities, at the same time as it is large enough to be comfortable when driving long trips. The Peugeot engine is surprisingly powerful, yet it delivers excellent fuel economy. The Focus acts like a grown up-car, but is still a lot of fun on twisty mountain roads. This will probably not be my last Ford.

Faults:

Rattle in exhaust system lid/cover.

Some engine power hesitation just above idle.

Central lock require several attempt to lock properly (backdoor switch lock/unlocks).

General Comments:

I bought this car as a semi-performance car with practical transportation functions. It met my expectations.

Engine: The engine needs some rpm to wake up. Below 3500rpm it's like any odd car, but from 3500rpm to 7000+ it awakens and it has a very good push and torque control. 2nd gear brings you to 110kph+. Not the quickest performance compact car, but the engine has a nice character.

Handling: Very responsive and tight handling. Like any front wheel driven car it under steers. The behind can be provoked to come out through down-throttle/braking, and then you need a low gear to fade out the rotation. Engine power is sufficient for this on 3rd gear, say 140kpm (dry and fairly warm asphalt). The dampers could have been stiffener (noticed on Norwegian bumpy roads). Overall, I would say the car is very quick on snaky roads, compared to any front wheeler.

Comfort; not the quietest car around, but I think it's OK for kind of vehicle (tire noise is quite noticeable). Overall comfort is fairly good (nice seats).