Faults:

Fuel injectors needed replacing at 90k, which cost over £1000.

Clutch went at 93k, costing over £600.

I put petrol in the diesel engine by accident at 95k and drove it 10 miles. Had the engine drained with no further issues.

General Comments:

I bought this car on the strength of the recommendations of several people who I shall not be listening to again.

Good Points:

* The car is quite fast, in a straight line.

* The CD player is OK.

* It looks quite sporty.

* Good on the motorway.

Bad Points:

* Noisy

* The drivers seat is too high up - even when wound down to the lowest level.

* The power steering is awful and has an unsettling 'elastic' feel to it.

* The cabin takes ages to warm up.

* Fuel economy is not great, although I do drive it quite hard.

* Stalls easily.

* Hates being driven slow. Don't even try to get out of 3rd gear unless doing more than 30mph.

* Poor clutch design means expensive clutch parts.

* Expensive fuel injectors.

Faults:

2 weeks old - passenger airbag popped when stopping normally at traffic lights.

4 weeks old - rust spots all over the car.

2 months old - rust spots reappeared.

Would never fire up first time from cold.

6,500 miles - speedo reached 60 mph, and would not change, even when switched off.

10,000 miles - knocking from front wheels when turning hard left.

CD Player started smoking and ceased to be.

13,000 miles - clutch burned out going up a hill.

13,200 miles - clutch cable snapped.

14,000 miles - Car sent back to Ford, never did get full paid amount back!!

General Comments:

A very smooth, rapid and quiet car - when it worked and wasn't on the back of a tow truck.

Most people with the Focus are more than happy with it, I think I must have had the Joker of the pack. It has put me off Fords for life though!!

Faults:

Air bag sensor failed at 80,000 miles costing £200 to replace at Ford dealership.

Metal on metal sound coming from front right suspension since 60,000, not resolved yet.

Loud clatter upon start up and turning engine off.

Very stiff gearbox in cold weather.

Remote central locking has never worked properly.

General Comments:

The Focus is a bit of an enigma for me. I have wanted one for many years as I have heard rave reviews about their handling. Now that I have one, I believe I have bought the wrong model!

The Edge has reasonable equipment, but still no trip computer, which the Ghia model does. Front heated screen would have been nice, but I opted against it so that's my problem. Good plastics inside compared to LX versions of the Focus.

Chassis wise its fantastic with heaps of grip, and being a front wheel drive car, just a tad of understeer when pushed. Limited body roll makes it a hoot to drive, and the seating position, although rather high, is nigh on perfect with good leg room and head room.

However, engine wise it's awful. The Edge diesel engine has supposedly 115bhp, but I think whoever designed the gear ratios weren't thinking clearly at all. Seemingly only 3rd gear has any pull and in any gear, there is a magical barrier of 3,000rpm where all power quite literally disappears! Loud on start up and when turning off as well.

Economy was a massive disappointment as well. Having never owned a diesel before, I was looking forward to saving some serious dosh on fuel costs. However, lack of 6th gear and my high motorway mileage has actually made it just as bad as my petrol used to be! Great for around town, but rubbish economy on the motorway, even when only doing 70-75mph.

Looks wise, brilliant subtle alloys matched with a nice rear spoiler makes the Edge look really good, and with a better engine and a 6th gear I'm sure it would make a brilliant car. Considering a Mk2 2.0 Focus, now but hate the looks of the Mk2!