Review
For me the rack – part of the £400 optional versatility interior pack – was an annoyance that merely took up valuable storage space. Perhaps it had something to do with Christmas and filling the car to capacity with luggage.
The boot of the Focus has a surprisingly large capacity, easily stowing two large suitcases and several other bags with the regular parcel shelf still in place.
Inside the car, space is what you would expect from a car in the lower-medium sector, although I did think the Focus felt more cramped than the Fleet News long-term Renault Megane 1.9 dCi Privilege I had previously been driving.
Despite being £263 cheaper than the Focus I felt the Megane, which incidentally has a better CAP residual value forecast than the Focus after three years/60,000 miles, was better equipped and with its quirky styling appealed to me more than the Ford. One colleague described the dashboard of the Focus as one of the most stylish in its class.
I don't agree. In my opinion it will benefit from the more sober styling the all-new Focus promises in a year's time, since the sweeping lines and shiny plastic has dated over time.
The Focus is an enjoyable car to drive – steering and handling are positive and the 1.8-litre TDCi engine is responsive, providing ample acceleration while remaining comfortable on a long motorway run. Reliability has been second- to-none during its stay at Fleet News and the Focus has been a popular car with most of the team.
One downside with the Focus is that you really know you are in a diesel-powered car.
The TDCi engine is one of the noisiest I have have driven for a long time – it positively clatters when sitting in traffic and proved to be quite a contrast to the whisper-like diesel Megane.
Perhaps the next generation Ford-PSA Peugeot Citroen diesel unit, which is due to replace the existing engine, will be more refined.
The only other niggle I have with the Focus is the same as I experienced with our previous long-term Mondeo: the Focus is very easy to stall with its sharp clutch action.
Thankfully this isn't a reflection of my driving ability since most other testers have also encountered the same problem.
Company car tax bill 2004/05 (22% tax-payer): £56 per month
