Faults:

Worked great for 2 weeks.

General Comments:

I rented a Focus SE Wagon for 2 weeks and in some respects was very surprised how good it was, and in other ways it did what I hoped.

The handling was very crisp and it went well, very well for an auto. I think I could live with one!!!

The interior is HUGE, the clear 45" wide cargo bay will fit 2 pinball machines.

Well the time has come to replace the Audi quattro, will it be an A6 Avant with 60,000 miles or a new Focus Wagon?

Faults:

Not much engine wise.

Bad electrics.

Shoddy build quality inside.

General Comments:

Quite why these cars are so well rated I will never know. They are 'badged' a design classic, I don't really see how, basically they look the same as any modern car and the rear lights serve as an ugliness factor (DULL).

Step inside and the interior is Grey, Grey, Grey and oooohhhhh some black and a tacky shiny bit of wait for it DARK GREY plastic, surrounding an incredibly useless hole designed for loose change... yeah if you can get it out! The seats are not very supportive and a bit soft for my liking, but everyone has their own opinion, mine is very uncomfortable. The interior is built very poorly, the other day I found a bit of plastic that I don't know what it is from?? A sort of 3d U shaped bit?? Also the dashboard rattles and clunks.

To drive, the engine is for a Ford very good, and so far, reliable. For me the drive of the car is very very dull, it feels too much like the car is driving itself, and takes away the skill of driving thus making it DULL DULL DULL. Why does Ford use such a unresponsive gearbox in all of its cars, which only adds to the unanimous dullness of this car's drive.

Considering the car is made in Germany I am not impressed with the build quality, but it does explain the dullness of the car. I really wish there were more British Cars to actually give us a fun driving experience, I have driven many British cars - TVR, Rovers, MGs, Lotus conversions on the Carlton, Astra and Nova, and recently have found little to match them for fun driving.

If you want a practical car then maybe this is it, prepare to become one of the crowd!! The more you see of this car, the duller it gets!! It's just the average run of the mill car, that is desperately overrated.

If you want a driver's car, then don't get a Focus, they are uninspiring and no fun!! The only fun car I have driven recently is my friends Astra Coupe which is a lovely drive where you can feel the road in the steering, and get response from the gears. Although it's hard to beat the good old days when cars were for driving, not for riding.