1.0T 100 Zetec Edition EcoBoost 5dr Hatchback

All round excellence

I've had this car 18 months now, so time to review it. I find, when I get a new car, I am attracted to various features, which are great, but over the following months, I get to find out what is not so good about it. The vices come to the surface. I can honestly say, except for 2 caveats, that the Focus has been just great, with no downsides. It is a great car.
Interior: Compared to the previous version, Ford has really upped their game, and the interior has a premium feel to it. Everything is well laid out and well screwed together. The seats are comfy for 300 miles. It's just a very pleasant place to be. SYNC 3 seems to do the job in a neat and efficient manner - never had reason to complain, except maybe it likes to take shortcuts down impossibly narrow lanes. I sometimes ignore it.
Driving. I tried a Focus with larger wheels and loads of toys. The larger wheels do make the drive more 'crashy', so I opted for smaller wheels which soak up the bumps well, and the roadholding seems fine. I don't like all the extras, like lane assist and rain sensors. Auto rain never seemed to get it right, and I hated the car fighting me for control. Auto lights was handy, though. So I got a version without all this. Basically, its a hoot to drive, a real pleasure, with twisty A or B roads being especially fun. And yet it is fine cruising on the Motorway as well. I thought a 1 litre Ecoboost would be woefully inadeqaute, but the 125PS version is just fine, even nippy. There is loads of 'grunt' at low revs. I was concerned about the fuel economy, having read all the neagitive reports, so I used the first tank of fuel to do a couple of long journeys, just to help the engine bed in: being sympathetic to it, yet gently stretching it. I also follow HJ's advice and use premium fuel. After 18 months, and 9000 miles, the average is 51 mpg. Not bad for such a large car, and some 'eager' driving.
The two negative caveats. 1. It is a large car. And wide. It is way bigger than an old Focus, and more like an old Mondeo. As the 'corners' slope away, you have little idea where they are, so parking sensors are a must. 2. Ford servicing is not cheap. I guess what they lose in buyer discounts they want to make back elsewhere.
Overall, it has been a delight, and not a thing gone wrong. I have no idea why people associate the blue oval badge with lesser quality than a german badge.

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