2007 Ford Focus LX 1.4

Summary:

This car has it all

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

What a car.

Supremely comfortable with all the luxuries you'd expect. Not fast, but the handling more than makes up for it. The car feels great in the bends with no body roll.

People criticize the styling, but I actually prefer it to the old Focus because this car's looks will age well.

Superb car. If you want a reliable, comfortable small family car the old answer was buy a Corolla. Not any more. No other car has the same mix of fun, value and dependability.

To Golf and Astra owners, you bought the wrong car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd June, 2009

4th Jun 2009, 12:09

It probably will be a dependable car for you, but it's a little soon to say that - you've only put on 2000 miles.

6th Jun 2009, 04:19

I had a 2004 Focus 2 before this, and the only thing I replaced was the tyres. And I drove that for 55,000 miles.

2007 Ford Focus Zetec Climate 1.6

Summary:

Brilliant

Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

Lovely car. I wish I had bought one of these back in 2004 when I last changed.

Beautifully smooth and quiet VCT-ti engine. Almost inaudible at idle. Quite economical as well, 36MPG local journeys, 46MPG motorway at asteady 70MPG.

Seats a bit hard but not bad.

Spacious cabin and well shaped boot.

Ride, handling, steering, gearchange and engine are all absolutely top grade. The build quality is very good as well.

Brakes need a fairly heavy push to get them to stop quickly but you get used to it.

Road noise suppression could be better - change of tyres may help.

Overall this is a fantastic car and massively better than my previous car which was badly built and pitifully unreliable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th June, 2008

25th May 2011, 06:49

The car is now on 34000 miles, and is still providing reliable service.

The only problem I had was the dashboard temperature control for the cabin heater broke - or more accurately the cable came adrift. To fix this problem, I had to get the stereo removed and then re-attach the cable. I modified it a bit to make it stronger. A bit annoying and fiddly, but the repair cost nothing, and the car still worked, albeit without a heater. I searched on the Internet, but despite the Focus being a very popular car, I couldn't find any other reference to this problem, so can only assume mine was a poor quality plastic clip.

Other than that minor issue, it provides good service, and is comfortable with a huge boot. It's no ball of fire, but then I always knew a 1.6 would be adequate rather than fast. The handling and ride combination, together with sharp steering is still delightful - I've driven cars costing far more than the Focus, and have been disappointed. The way this car steers through the bends inspires confidence, and the gear change is excellent, being light and snappy.

The 1.6 ti-VCT is, in my view, the best of the 1.6 petrols. Being of variable valve timing, there is an extra surge of power around 3500rpm, which is useful for overtaking. It's quite torquey and economical. One point to note however is that the ti-VCT has a cambelt rather than a chain, so that will be an expense in the future - although I doubt I will have the car by then, as there's a new model out now.

Some journalists have criticised the interior quality, since some of the plastic trim is hard and not the latest trend for 'soft feel'. What a load of nonsense. It's all well assembled and no creaks or rattles. Leave the 'soft-touch' nonsense to the journalists who wouldn't know the difference between a thrust washer and a dishwasher. People who equate 'soft touch' plastics to high quality don't know what they're on about, and certainly know nothing about engineering. The Focus interior is perfectly good and durable. A family hatch well suited to family use, then.

2007 Ford Focus ST-3 2.5 turbo

Summary:

High performing, extremely versatile and a genuine performance bargain

Faults:

- Nothing serious so far.

- Seat has developed mild movement (Very slight).

- Creaking door seals (on a hot day the car creaks from window seals).

General Comments:

Very quick car with a lot of torque low down in the rev range, which enables a very lazy driving style, and makes it feel like a GT car.

Very practical, with plenty of room in boot, and it even comes with 5 doors if you need them.

Responsive handling for a FWD car in any condition.

An all round versatile car, which is excellent at eating large mileage, attacking the road, & nipping around town. You can really tell a lot of research has gone into developing this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th July, 2007

20th Nov 2007, 03:30

I completely agree. The car is superb, but creaks from the window seals, and the boot latch clunks when going over bumps! And the fuel economy is dreadful - but I wouldn't swap it for the world.

25th Jan 2008, 07:05

I owned an orange Focus ST3 for 14 months and have recently purchased a Focus ST500. The are a well made, good quality fast hatch with a superb 5 cylinder engine for effortless journeys on Motorways or equally happy pottering round town. No car makes you smile more and the engine noise is such that you turn the stereo off to listen to it. Good cabin room with plenty of equipment as standard and no problems to report. Earlier cars had a power steering hose chafing issue which has been subject to a recall. There are some cars with a problem with the seat base frame snapping and this is currently being investigated by Ford. Fuel economy is the only let down.