In 2015 Ford released the latest version of the Focus to Ireland. The Focus has been part of the Irish streetscape for more than 16 years and has proven to be a massive success for the manufacturer. When the new Focus was released the Managing Director of Ford Ireland estimated that 4,500 would be sold by the end of 2015. Without much effort this target has been met. Changes made to the new Ford Focus have been subtle yet substantial. Like the Fiesta and Mondeo, the Focus takes the Aston Martin-esque nose. Apart from that the car is wider and holds a stronger stance on the road than ever before. The Volkswagen Golf is the car to beat in this segment. For years though the Golf and the Focus have been chart toppers when it comes to annual sales.
The most popular engines available in the Focus are the 2.0 litre diesel and the 1.0 litre EcoBoost. The 2.0 litre diesel engine gives 150 PS and comes with a 6-speed manual transmission or a PowerShift automatic transmission. The 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine is a clever piece of kit and Ford shows just how economical that a petrol engine can be. This engine offers 125 PS. Also available is a 1.5 litre EcoBoost engine which replaces the 1.6 litre EcoBoost.
The Focus is put together very well and when it comes to handling it is more than able for twisty Irish roads. The Focus really excels here and it grips the road excellently. The steering is evenly weighted and this doesn’t alter when you pick up speed. Body control is very well handled on corners too.
The EcoBoost engines are extremely quiet and while the diesel options are a little louder they aren’t problematic. The hush of the engines is aided by good insulation around the vehicle. Both manual and automatic transmissions are accurate and smooth too.
Thankfully the Focus has an updated infotainment system which is much better than the outgoing offering from Ford. The last system was complicated and looked cheap. The new system looks perfect and is very easy to use. The only negative about the system is that it can be a little bit slow to respond.
The outgoing Ford Focus scored five stars in the Euro NCAP. Based on that we can only imagine that it will score just as well this time around. The car itself is full of airbags. The Focus has received many Euro NCAP safety awards for their safety equipment, this includes awards for “Active City Stop”, “Lane Keeping Aid” and “Forward Alert”. All of these items are available with the Focus.
There is plenty of space in the Focus for four adults, and on shorter journeys five could be fit in without much hassle. Of course it’s impossible to write a review on the Focus without mentioning its closest rival, the Golf. The Golf offers a bit more practicality than the Focus in this department. One thing that they could improve on is boot space – it doesn’t offer as much as its competitors.