S & 73% ,740 4, RS500

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1 Which? works for you Which? Car review On sale: Jan 2005 Class: New price: 15,540 27,560 Used price: From 1,725 Performance: Boot & Storage: Ride comfort: Safety: Sharp steering and powerful brakes. Spacious and practical. Affordable to run. Not greatly liked by owners. Some wind noise at speed. Threedoor layout is awkward. handling: Reliability: Total score: 73% Recommended models in the range Which? Car Top Choice Model 1.6 Zetec S 5dr New price: 16,740 Used price: 4,675 Fastest Model 2.5 RS500 3dr New price: Used price: 21, mph: 5.4 secs Most Efficient Model 1.6 TDCi Econetic 5dr [110] [DPF] [Start Stop] New price: 17,345 Used price: 4,575 Combined fuel economy: 74.2 mpg Cheapest Model to buy new 1.6 Style 5dr New price: 15,540 Overview The popularity of Ford s family hatch means huge numbers of secondhand examples to choose from. The Ford Focus has been a perennial top seller in the UK ever since it was first launched in 1998 and the version made from 2005 to 2011 continued that tradition. It comes in three and fivedoor hatchback versions, as well as an estate see our Ford Focus Estate review. There are loads of engine options too including 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0litre petrols (the 113bhp version is best) and diesel options of the same sizes. There s also the 2.5litre RS version, which is a (very) hot hatch. The Focus received a detailed facelift and general upgrade in 2008 before being replaced by an allnew Focus in It s popularity on the used car market remains, thanks to its decent driving dynamics and versatility to cope with family life. While it doesn t have the refinement to match more upmarket rivals like the VW Golf and Audi A3, it shouldn t be overlooked for the value for money it represents. Better than the equivalent Vauxhall Astra in every department; there s good reason for it being the bestselling medium car in the UK. The medium hatchback department is vast and populated by some strong contenders. The Audi aforementioned VW Golf and Audi A3 are rivals, alongside the Astra, Renault Megane, Peugeot 307/308, Skoda Octavia and Mazda 3. Read reviews of all the medium car rivals Millions of buyers can t be wrong the Focus is only as popular as it is because it s a great car. As a secondhand choice, it remains a Best Buy. Cheapest Model to buy used 1.6 TDCi LX 5dr CVT Auto [110] Used price: 1,725 Cheapest Model to Run (new) 1.6 TDCi Econetic 5dr New price: 16,680 Running costs: 14,760 (3 years/36,000 miles) Owner s View Looks nice inside and out, fairly economical for 2.0 litres. Cheap to service and maintain. You get a lot of extras that you would pay way more money for from other manufacturers.

2 On the road Handling is important in this sector medium cars must be nimble enough for nipping around town, agile along winding country lanes and quietly capable on motorways. The Focus meets most of these criteria, although it is a little noisy at speed. Performance The smallest 1.6litre petrol engine offers adequate but not exceptional performance. It can achieve a reasonable top speed, but it takes an age in this heavy car. Pay extra for a 1.8 or 2.0 model, with extra getupandgo and increased confidence for overtaking. The gear change is very smooth and easy for all five forward gears, but there s a noticeable crunch if you rush to find reverse. Acceleration (3762mph) diesel 1.6TDCi (109bhp) Econetic manual 5door 7.1 secs (2008) 9.1 secs 7.2 secs 5.6 secs 5.2 secs 5.2 secs petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) 12.0 secs petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) 7.1 secs petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) 7.1 secs Performance We use the sophisticated electronic timing equipment to record standingstart and ingear acceleration, and repeat each test several times. Ride comfort Ride comfort is assessed by our laboratory experts who have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in a myriad of different models. Ride comfort The suspension is fairly stiff but responds well to lumps and bumps, and there s no loss of composure, even at higher speeds. petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007)

3 On the road continued... Handling The precise, accurate steering gives the driver good positive feedback. It holds its line well, and the slight understeer gives a fairly confidenceinspiring feel, even for less experienced drivers. petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) Brakes Perhaps rather surprisingly, the lowerpowered versions come with rear drum brakes cheaper to make, but generally likely to be less efficient. All estate versions, plus 2.0 and 2.5 petrol models and the 2.0 diesel are fitted with rear discs. However, in our tests, even models with the rear drum brakes stopped the car quickly. ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution are standard on all models; both help you maintain control in an emergency stop. Stability control has been standard across the range since early 2008, though it was only an option in upperlevel versions before then. Braking distance (620mph) diesel 1.6TDCi (109bhp) Econetic manual 5door 40.0m (2008) 37.5m 39.5m 40.0m 36.5m 36.5m petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) 7.9m petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) 36.5m petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) 36.5m Handling Onthelimit handling is explored well away from public roads to ensure a fair test. Our obstacle avoidance test is one of the harshest tests in the industry.. Brakes The Which? Car braking test measures stopping distance from 620mph and is repeated ten times in quick succession to highlight any brake fade issues. Refinement and noise The Which? Car experts use a decibel meter to record interior sound levels at common UK motorway speeds, and combine this with subjective assessments to arrive at an overall score. Refinement and noise The 1.6 engine is fairly refined and quiet at low speeds. You can hear the engine in the 2.0 diesel but it isn t intrusively noisy. However, at higher speeds in both models, wind noise can become pretty wearing, and hard going on a long journey. Cruising noise 72dB 71dB 68dB 69dB 69dB 69dB petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) 72dB petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) 69dB petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) 69dB

4 On the road continued... Cabin and controls Most of the switches are logically positioned and fall easily to hand, but you must push the control stalk to operate the washerwipers: we think pulling it would be more logical. The steering column is easy to adjust for height and reach, and the electricallycontrolled mirrors (standard on all except Studio trim) are easy to position. The instruments are large and clearly marked and there are places in the front to store bits and bobs. petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) Visibility and parking The back pillars are very thick, but we found rear visibility tolerable, aided by retractable head restraints and the low level of the bottom of the rear screen. Optional reversing sensors are available for most models. Forward visibility isn t too bad either, but the steeplyraked bonnet means it s impossible to see the front of the car from the driver s seat, so you ll need to learn to judge this when parking. When driving at night, the filaments for the (optional) heated front screen can create dazzle in the headlights of oncoming cars. Cabin and controls We penalise cars with difficult controls, and we look for things like backlit light switches and easytouse heating and ventilation adjustments. Visibility and parking Visibility is a major issue for motorists today, so each car gets a 360degree swivel view test to reproduce the driver s eye view and any obscured areas. Turning circle 11.1m 11.4m 11.2m 11.4m 11.2m 11.1m petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) 11.2m petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) 11.4m petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) 11.4m

5 Comfort and practicality There s reasonable space in the Focus, particularly in the front. The boot s a handy size too, but for more than two rear passengers, it s a bit cramped in the back. Getting in and out The front doors are quite large and offer good access, as long as you aren t parked too closely next to other cars, when you won t be able to open them fully. Getting in the rear of the threedoor model is quite easy but getting out again is a little more difficult especially if you re on a hill, as the front doors tend to slam shut. petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) Seat space and comfort The front feels spacious, with generous kneeroom and interior width. The driver s seat is easy to adjust to accommodate taller drivers. The front seats are firm and comfortable, but lumbar and lateral support is quite poor. The rear seat will accommodate two passengers and provides good back and thigh support. It will fit three adults at a squeeze, but it s too narrow to be comfortable on a long journey. Getting in and out We take measurements all around the driver and passenger s door apertures and note the height of the seat, door sills and step down onto the car floor. The best cars don t require too much bending or stretching to get in and out. Seat space and comfort We assess seat comfort subjectively, using our road testers expert knowledge and experience from thousands of different cars. And we measure the head, legand elbowroom on offer in every seat, to see how well the car caters for people of all shapes and sizes. petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007)

6 Comfort and practicality continued... Boot and storage The boot is pretty big at 360 litres, it s larger than the boot in a Vauxhall Astra or Volkswagen Golf. But if you opt for the fullsized spare wheel, this will eat up a lot of the space. Folding the rear seats down more than doubles the load space, while the tailgate opens easily and very wide. There are enough storage trays and a large glove box in the front, but there are no holders for large water bottles. Boot space (seats up/down) diesel 1.6TDCi (109bhp) Econetic manual 5door 360 litres / 745 litres (2008) 360 litres / 735 litres 490 litres / litres 360 litres / 745 litres 360 litres / 745 litres 360 litres / 745 litres petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) 360 litres / 745 litres petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) 360 litres / 745 litres petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) 360 litres / 745 litres Boot and storage Carmakers give official stats for boot space, but our tests are more realistic. We load the boot up with measuring blocks only as far as the rear window line, so that luggage is well secured and won t obscure rear visibility. We repeat the test with the rear seats up, and folded down (where possible). Heating and ventilation Heating and ventilation The heater works well, raising both front and rear cabin temperatures quickly and evenly on really cold winter mornings. Lowerspec Studio models don t have airconditioning; automatic climate control is available in Ghia and Titanium versions and standard in ST2 and ST3. petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) Feel sorry for the tester who has to warm each car up from a frosty 10 degrees in our climate chamber. Starting with a cold engine, we measure how long it takes to warm up the front and rear of the cabin. Diesel cars usually take longer. We also check the effectiveness of air conditioning, where fitted.

7 Running costs and depreciation The Focus is a little dearer to buy than a comparable Vauxhall Astra but cheaper than a Volkswagen Golf; it won t hold its value as well as the Golf, but it does better than the Astra when it comes to resale time. The 1.4 petrol versions (now discontinued) are cheapest to insure, starting in group 4, but insurance groups rise to group 10 for the topspec 2.0 petrol models and even higher for the very quick ST versions. In general, Ford servicing costs are reasonable as the company depends on a large amount of fleet business. Fuel consumption Ford claims an impressive 58.9mpg combined fuel consumption figure for the 107bhp 1.6 TDCi Focus, though the model we tested fell well short of the manufacturer s figures we managed only 47.1mpg, though this is still better than average for the class. We also tested the 98bhp 1.6 petrol model, which Ford says should return 42.2mpg, but we averaged 37.2mpg again, better than average for this size and class of car. Models badged Econetic are specifically tuned for high economy and low carbon dioxide emissions; the 1.6 TDCi Econetic returns 70.6mpg, and 74.2mpg when the optional stopstart system is added. Fuel consumption We test fuel economy under strict lab conditions using realistic test cycles to reveal the facts behind the figures. Our figures rarely match manufacturer claims as, unlike the official mpg test, we measure economy with both a hot and cold engine, and on the motorway. Petrol (combined mpg, claimed) Diesel (combined mpg, claimed) 30.1 mpg 44.1 mpg 48.6 mpg 74.2 mpg

8 Running costs and depreciation continued... petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) petrol 1.6 (100bhp) manual 3door (2005) petrol 1.8 (125bhp) manual 3door (2007) petrolffv 1.8 (125bhp) manual 5door (2007) Urban (claimed/measured) 51.3 mpg/41.5 mpg 45.6 mpg/46.3 mpg 45.6 mpg/46.3 mpg 38.2 mpg/38.7 mpg 38.2 mpg/40.4 mpg 40.3 mpg/40.4 mpg 32.5 mpg/31.7 mpg 29.1 mpg/29.1 mpg 29.4 mpg/29.1 mpg Extra urban (claimed/measured) 78.3 mpg/57.6 mpg 70.6 mpg/68.9 mpg 70.7 mpg/70.6 mpg 61.4 mpg/60.1 mpg 61.4 mpg/62.8 mpg 62.7 mpg/62.8 mpg 51.4 mpg/52.3 mpg 49.6 mpg/47.9 mpg 50.4 mpg/47.9 mpg Motorway (measured) 49.6 mpg 44.1 mpg 47.9 mpg 42.8 mpg 42.2 mpg 42.2 mpg 30.7 mpg 34.0 mpg 34.0 mpg Combined (claimed/measured) 65.6 mpg/49.6 mpg 58.9 mpg/52.3 mpg 58.9 mpg/54.3 mpg 50.4 mpg/46.3 mpg 50.4 mpg/48.7 mpg 51.3 mpg/48.7 mpg 42.2 mpg/37.2 mpg 39.8 mpg/37.2 mpg 40.3 mpg/37.2 mpg Emissions While testing fuel economy, we also collect exhaust gases to enable us to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted. We also check whether particulate filters are effective at removing sooty emissions from diesel engines. Safety We rate cars for safety using Euro NCAP crash test scores (where available), alongside our own comprehensive safety checklist. Uniquely, we also feed in results from our accident avoidance test after all, it s far better to steer around a crash than rely on the airbags... Security Security scores come from the security experts at Thatcham, who break into hundreds of cars each year. Most modern cars are very difficult to drive away, but are still too easy to steal from.

9 Which? Car Survey results The Which? Car Survey is the UK s most robust reliability and owner satisfaction survey. In 2015, drivers told us about 58,000 cars, covering more than 484 million miles in the previous 12 months (that s equivalent to driving to the moon and back a hundred times). This unique feedback allows us to rate satisfaction and reliability for hundreds of new and used cars. Note: Star ratings below are from 15 (1 is very poor and 5 is very good). Percentages shown under Most common faults indicate the proportion of owners reporting each problem in the past 12 months. Brand Ford ratings Sample size: 5,747 people Overall owner satisfaction for this brand 79% Brand reliability Dealer Sales Service Dealer Servicing & repair Model: Ownership ratings Sample size: 729 people Overall owner satisfaction for this range 75% Driving enjoyment Ease of driving Comfort Dash layout and controls Practicality Value for money Running costs Incar technology About our survey Brand ratings Everyone who takes part in the Which? Car survey tells us about their car and the dealers who sell and service it. We analyse this feedback across all cars to give toplevel satisfaction ratings for each brand, including the brand s reliability record over the last eight years. All star ratings are out of five. Model ownership ratings These show how owners score this car in 12 different areas, from performance to heating. Owners ratings are subjective so may differ from Which? Car test scores but they give a good idea of what the car is like to live with. Where relevant, cars are scored against other cars in the same class (e.g. for space). Owner s View A good solid vehicle, reliable, reasonably economical, plenty of room, good to drive. Owner s View It s fun to drive because it goes well and holds the road well. It s practical and economical.

10 Which? Car Survey results continued... Reliability ratings Overall Reliability Up to 3 years old 48 years old Petrol cars Reliability breakdowns 12% average annual repair cost 142 Diesel cars Reliability breakdowns 11% average annual repair cost 206 All cars Reliability breakdowns average annual repair cost Breakdowns: Percentage of cars suffering a breakdown in last 12 months Average annual repair cost: Average annual cost of repairs (not servicing), in past 12 months About our survey Reliability ratings We split reliability into breakdowns (including failure to start), faults (where parts need replacing) and problems (minor issues e.g. squeaks and loose trim). Where the car has been on sale for some time, and we have numerous survey responses from owners, we also split scores by the age of car and fuel type. Star ratings are out of five the more stars, the more reliable the car. Most common faults Most common faults Up to 3 years old 48 years old Battery (D) 8% Fuel System (D) 8% Battery (P) 7% Exhaust System (D) 5% Air Con 4% Want to know what s most likely to go wrong as the car gets older? These are the five most common faults reported by owners, grouped by age into new, recent and older cars. A score of 40% means four out of 10 owners reported problems with that part of the car over the previous 12 months. Engine electrics and nonengine electrics (e.g. windows, stereo) cause more headaches than mechanical parts in most modern cars. Failure rate: The proportion of owners reporting this problem in the last year