Faults:

Switch for rear windscreen wash faulty from new - was replaced at first service.

Otherwise pretty impressive. No premature signs of wear & tear or recalls like some of the Japanese rubbish we've had before.

General Comments:

Overall an excellent car - well specified, comfortable and powerful. Not the most exciting car in the world, but better than most.

Driving position is a little odd - despite all the seat & steering wheel adjustments I find it hard to get comfortable.

You do tend to feel like you're "perched" on top of the seat rather than sitting in it, although this is a very minor point.

It handles almost perfectly & very precisely - with a little less body roll (ie. on sports models) it would be ideal.

The turbo-charged diesel would be quite slow without the turbo (and is before it cuts in) but when it kicks in the car flies.

Having said that the turbo's delivery is a little erratic - if you push it when cold it can cut in and out during acceleration sometimes, which is a bit annoying.

Overall, a fine, nice to drive family car and should last for a long time all being well. Ford have come on light years since the nasty old Mondeo we once had.

Faults:

The car leaks a little water into the cabin, my local ford dealer is going to take a alook.

General Comments:

The car turned out to be better than I expected, it has loads of torque and is great for towing. The car also handles great.

Faults:

So far nothing has gone wrong with my car at all.

General Comments:

When it came to buying a new car the Focus didn't even enter my mind until, walking past a Ford dealer on my way to test drive a Polo I spied a 2.0 Zetec Focus sitting on the forecourt and was immediately taken with its appearance. The big alloys and lowered front clearance with fog lights give an unmistakable impression of performance.

The interior of the car is well designed and all the knobs and dials have a very satisfactory feeling when used.

The controls, including the radio, are so intuitive that I've yet to approach the manual for help.

The radio itself is excellent, and while not having to open the boot to get at the changer is good, the performance in changing from one CD to another is frustrating if like me you can't decide what to listen to.

The only problems I have with the interior are the lack of a light in the rear, and the driving position. I'm Joe Average in stature and don't need the driving position of a 450lb Gorilla, but I do find the steering wheel obscures my view of the top of the dash, especially the indicator lights.

Generally the performance is good, although the engine sometimes feels a little sluggish below 4000RPM, and if you really want to blast off it needs pushing hard.

The 0-60 sprint *seems* sedate, but I feel this has more to do with size and handling than performance. Anyone with a stopwatch can prove to you that its no slouch.

Overall I've quickly come to believe the Focus is by far and away the best car in its class.

Faults:

Nothing in the time I've had it.

General Comments:

Having not had a Ford for 14 years I was pleasantly surprised by this car.

It's a company car which was forced on me, but after a few months I must say that I'm glad it was.

Sure the silver plastic decals on the dash etc are fairly poor, but that's made up for by the superb handling, great driving position and superb ride quality.

Overall a good quality car that's let down purely by not being a Honda.