Ford Focus (2011-2018) dimensions

During its eight years in production, the Ford Focus was the most popular family car in Britain. It's designed to appeal to as many people as possible, and that's obvious when you look at its size.

Its dimensions are distinctly average, with Ford hoping that it's neither too big nor too small for most of the population and their parking spaces.

But there is one important area in which the Focus lags behind its rivals such as the Vauxhall Astra and VW Golf: boot space. You'll run out of room for luggage far more quickly than most cars in its class.

The brand new Ford Focus offers considerably more luggage space and other improvements, including much-modernised technology. But you can pick up a previous-generation car for much, much less.

Scroll down for full details of the car's dimensions and click through to our full Ford Focus buying guide for more information about the car.

Ford Focus dimensions: exterior

If you exclude the side mirrors, the Focus is well under two metres (6ft 7in) wide, so should fit between multi-storey car park kerbs and width restrictors. With the mirrors included it's just over two metres wide, which is normal for this size of car.

The Focus has less space in the back than alternative cars, such as the Astra and Seat Leon. That's despite the average length of the wheelbase. This is the distance between the front and rear wheels, and can often give an indication of the amount of space that the car’s occupants have to stretch out.

Ford Focus dimensions: exterior		Compared to similar cars
Length	4360mm	Average
Width without mirrors	1823mm	Average
Width with mirrors	2010mm	Average
Height	1469mm	Average
Wheelbase	2648mm	Average

   

Ford Focus boot space

The Focus shows its age when you open its bootlid: with 316 litres of space, the luggage area is smaller than most family cars, and well behind the 470-litre Peugeot 308 and gargantuan 590-litre Skoda Octavia. Standard split-fold rear seats (shown below) do mean that you can increase the luggage area and sit up to two passengers in the back.

If you want a Focus but are put off by the amount of space in the boot, then the Ford Focus estate is worth considering, which has all of the good bits of the hatchback and a bigger boot.

 

Ford Focus boot space		Compared to similar cars
Boot space with seats up	316 litres	Smaller than average
Boot space with seats down	1215 litres	Average

 

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Ford Focus dimensions: interior

From the front seats, the Focus is a spacious and airy car but it's not quite as roomy in the back. There's space for two adults to sit comfortably, but three is a squeeze.

The Focus' older design can't compete with newer cars like the Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf, where there is more legroom to stretch out.

 

Ford Focus dimensions: interior		Compared to similar cars
Front headroom	993mm	Average
Rear headroom	962mm	Average
Front legroom	1094mm	Average
Rear legroom	849mm	Below average

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Ford Focus towing capacity

Family hatchbacks aren’t traditional towing cars, but the Focus is still capable of towing a trailer - or even a small caravan.

You must ensure that the weight - including the trailer or caravan itself, doesn’t exceed the maximum limits. If the equipment you’re towing has a braking system, then you can tow a heavier load.

For extra security, the Camping and Caravanning Club recommend that you don't tow anything heavier than 85% of a car's kerbweight (see below). Follow these guidelines and they will further limit the load that the Focus can pull.

Ford Focus towing capacity
Towing capacity: braked	700 - 1547kg
Towing capacity: unbraked	630 - 725kg

Ford Focus weight

The Ford Focus' kerbweight takes into account an almost-full fuel tank, 68kg to represent the driver and another 7kg for luggage. A weight of between 1200kg and 1500kg is fairly standard for a family hatchback.

The lack of excess weight helps to keep the car's fuel economy at respectable levels and also contributes to the Focus' agile cornerng ability.

 

Ford Focus weight
Kerbweight	1264 - 1455kg

      

Ford Focus fuel tank capacity

A 55 litre fuel tank on Ford Focus petrol cars should allow most models to go 500 miles between fill-ups. The tank is slightly smaller, at 53 litres on some diesel cars but because these are more efficient than petrol versions, the range is usually a little longer.

A 60-litre fuel tank is fitted to diesel Focuses with a large 2-litre engine. Drive efficiently and you can eke out the range to 800 miles between fill-ups - enough to go from Folkestone, Kent to Nice, in the South of France, on one tank.

Ford Focus fuel tank capacity
Petrol fuel tank	55 litres
Diesel fuel tank	53 litres / 60 litres with 2.0-litre engine

       

Ford Focus turning circle

The smaller the turning circle of a car, the less space you need to turn it round, reducing the prospect of you having to carry out a 64-point turn in narrow streets.

The Focus needs 11m to turn itself in the opposite direction in one move, which is fairly standard for this type of car.

For extra manoeuvrability, the car is available with a self-parking system, which will steer the car automatically into a parking space, while you control the accelerator and brake.

Ford Focus turning circle		Compared to similar cars
Turning circle	11m	Average