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:

Until now I didn't have any problem, but the car is fairly new.

General Comments:

This is really value for money. The road handling is very good, stability is good, and it is easy to keep control.

It almost asks for fast driving due to its superb road handling. The space inside is very good, also for shopping. The view is less good than I am used to. The rear window is quite small and you don't have a good overview of the car's sizes when parking.

The ethanol flex motor has a lot of horsepower; 112 hp what is really sufficient for this car. With gasoline he is a little less strong. Using ethanol is a really nice feeling, driving around without bad smell and pollution.

In general I am quit satisfied with this car. The engine could be more smooth and the suspension a little less hard, but then you would also give up its road handling.

General Comments:

My company picked up 4 to use a company cars for $51k.

Mine is the PZEV Z3X.

I was always a Japanese car guy, but this car has opened me up to Ford for my next personal car. It isn't all that comfortable, but it is not a luxury vehicle. The Focus blogs out there all praise its reliability.

I average over 33mpg, and I drive it pretty hard, mostly ignoring the little arrow that indicates the most fuel efficient shift points.

With the back seat folded down you get serious room. Dads... consider a 2 door Focus when buying your kid a car to take to college. The only drawback is that it isn't really stylish.

It has acceptable power climbing hills when I downshift to 4th.

My only complaint: it is so light that it is very dicey if there is any snow on the road.

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.