Review of the new Ford Focus - Business User's View

When we think of company cars, it's usually the medium range family cars that come to mind. If not the Ford Mondeo and its ilk, then maybe the compact executive set or even the crop of premium-badged hatchbacks might be also be considered as typical fleet fodder. Family hatchbacks like the Ford Focus don't tend to figure all that prominently in most peoples' perceptions of the archetypal company car but Ford does shift a significant number of Focus models to business users and the car's range of abilities suggests it should be more than up to the job.

We've been putting a Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi Titanium through its paces over the course of a few months, pounding the motorways, locking horns with the rush hour traffic and taking care or family duties on evenings and weekends. Essentially, we've been replicating the life of a fairly average company car and the results have been enlightening.

The motorway is home turf for the armies of fleet vehicles operating in the UK today and our Ford Focus has seen its fair share of outside lane action. A big part of the logic behind company car drivers choosing larger cars is that they're perceived to be more comfortable and relaxing cruisers and we have to admit that the Focus does feel more jittery on long distance jaunts than the supremely composed Mondeo. It's nothing too drastic, however, and can be put down, at least in part, to the firm sports suspension on our model. The Focus certainly makes smoother progress than some of the family hatchbacks we could mention. It also out does many models from the compact executive arena where low profile tyres, sports suspension and journeys of a few hundred miles or more don't always make happy bedfellows.

"Over the course of our long term test, the Ford Focus has preformed in fine style"

Over the course of out high mileage stint in the Focus we average around 45mpg which is a great showing from the 1.8-litre TDCi common-rail diesel powerplant. With real world economy like that (the official combined cycle economy figure is 54.2mpg) and 137g/km emissions, company car users will see big benefits over a larger more profligate vehicle that would present a bigger target for the tax man.

The 1.8 TDCI engine in our model is a little bit of a letdown in some other respects. There's a coarse noise from start-up but once the engine is into its stride, this subsides greatly. The engine feels strong enough through the middle of its rev range but a flat spot before the turbo kicks in means you need to pull away with a few revs on the board. Likewise, there's not much going on at high revs and you're better served by changing up early.

Venture away from the motorway and, predictably, the Focus handles beautifully. The independent suspension that had seemed a little busy when cruising really works like a charm to keep the car planted and balanced. Great steering and no shortage of grip also help you to forget that you'd really like a bit more power up front.

The other potential drawback with a company-owned smaller car is a smaller cabin but the Focus neatly sidesteps that issue. It's impressively roomy inside with good head and leg room for those in the rear. The boot is quite a size as well and the hatchback aperture is plenty wide enough to get large items in with no problem. The Focus is easily a more practical car than the premium badged hatchbacks that are often chosen by company car users.

The interior design in our Titanium trim Focus is characterised by lots of shiny finishes and a high-tech feel underlined by the sheer amount of equipment. Titanium trim endows the Focus with a very detailed specification in its own right. Rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlamps, sports seats, air-conditioning, the Quickclear heated windscreen, a leather steering wheel, front fog lights and rear privacy glass: this isn't the stuff of a stripped-down shopping hatch. Our test car, however, raises its game with options including metallic paint, rear parking sensors, the communications pack (satellite navigation, Bluetooth hands free technology and the Voice Control System), the Titanium X pack (full leather trim, powered drivers seat, heated front seats, xenon headlamps, LED rear lights and powered mirrors) and the Sport pack (Titanium 18" alloy wheels and sports suspension).

The cabin all works reasonably well and looks good although the steering column-mounted console for adjusting the stereo controls is a rather ugly hunk of plastic and can be hard to reach with your hands on the wheel. Otherwise, the controls feel solid to the touch and are well-damped. It's enough to make you question the need to pay extra for a premium-badged product.

Over the course of our long term test, the Ford Focus has performed in fine style. It's nimble, sporty driving characteristics make it more fun to punt about than most of the larger models that company car users usually focus their attention on and it will do most of the things that a larger car will, if sometimes with a little less panache. Our model had its price bumped up by a generous specification but a more modestly equipped version without the sports suspension would make a fine company car option.

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Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi 115 Titanium 5dr diesel hatchback
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