It is only a practical car and middle of the road

You should be better buying yourself a jet ski

I find it difficult to believe that the Ford Focus 1.5T is dull to drive. On paper the specs look very similar to the 1.4 TSi and all reports I have read have been kind. But i have not tried one and we all know journalists can lie after a good bottle of wine and a week in Marbella.

Dull is probably too strongly worded; it just definitely isn't the same kettle of fish that the TSi (was/is) and I'm comparing it to a 122bhp version.

It just doesn't excite me personally and where as the TSi was like driving a limosene with it's power delivery and refinement the 1.5T just doesn't seem to want to 'go'; it's quick once you've got going but there's no urgency and the refinement is lacking, it's like it's been tuned wrong with no torque at the bottom end and having it all at the mid range.

The only way to describe it is it just doesn't put that all important smile on your face when you initially 'boot it' to get more speed and it feels weedy.

It still handles extremely well though. It could be that I'm too used a diesel (although I never noticed this when I went from a 1.9PD in 2012 to the TSi!).

Emissions controls may play a part here but this talk about comparing a well run in older car with a new model reminds me of a drag race I watched once on a motoring program of two Mk II VW Golf GTi's in the early 90's, one new with delivery mileage and the other with 70k plus on the clock but otherwise identical and the well run in car was substantially faster. Engines are always at their best with upwards of 30k under their belts. Another reason I prefer used to new.

I didn't think of that! This Focus only had 1300 miles on when I picked it up on Wednesday (it now has 1500...).

My old Golf had 43,000 on it...

Although I do note HJ mentioned the same thing on his review:

"Ford is offering the Focus with a new 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine, producing 150PS or 182PS. It is ideal for those who want a bit more performance, with plenty of grunt for overtaking and motorway driving – though we would expect the 182PS version to produce more than 240Nm of torque. It feels a little lacking in low-down punch for such a powerful engine."