Faults:

This car is in perfect shape except for the damn squealing brakes! The sound is almost ear piercing when you are braking. I have talked to many other Focus owners and it is said to be normal.

General Comments:

I keep it in showroom shape and is clean as a whistle. It doesn't have the Zetec engine but I still can make those tires squeal like a pig!

It handles great on turns, is unusually roomy and is such a pleasure to ride. I'd recommend it to anyone who is in the market. Give it a try. I even added a 3000 dollar stereo system to mine to make it sound great as well as look great!

Faults:

The brakes were squeaking a bit, but this was quickly fixed by the dealer.

General Comments:

The Sony edition is extremely nice and the stereo is worth every penny. Leather seating and steering wheel are very attractive.

I am pleased every time I drive my Focus. It handles tightly around corners and with the manual transmission it makes for a fun ride.

I have not had any rattles etc.. like many others say. Road noise is quiet.

Faults:

None as yet, just a really annoying rattle and clonking from the rear.

General Comments:

I love the car, I love Ford, I think that this is far superior to the 2 Escorts I have owned, but I find it rattles far too much for a new car.

The performance is pleasing and the handling is amazing for a bigish car.

Brakes are very firm too.

Faults:

The ventilation system doesn't work properly and damp gets in.

The factory fitted alarm started going off in the middle of the night for no reason. You can't turn it off. As a lease car I contacted a number of dealers, all offered a very poor response on the verge of rude.

After long high speed journeys, when you come to a stop the engine sometimes sticks at high revs.

The CD player won't work on cold mornings.

General Comments:

On the plus side the car handles well, you can throw it at corners and it'll spring round without much difficulty.

A very exciting and responsive drive.

It's very good on the motorway, low 'cabin' noise and good performance.

The 3 door looks good with the large alloys and good lines, but it's a bit gutless.

I have been very disappointed with the 2 litre engine. It's just too slow from 0-60. I drove the audio A3 1.8 as a comparison which was much quicker.

Fords attention to detail also lets the car down. Cheap plastic add-ons and interiors, bog standard seats and a really annoying hole in the carpet so that the cars number can be seen.

Finally the attitude of the dealers. I've had this car for a year through work, as such I can use any Ford dealer. It's fair to say I've spoken to more than one dealership about a number of issues and each one has been unhelpful and rude. They really do sound annoyed when you ask for things to be done.

Luckily, I get to change back to VW next week but if I'd had bought one of these cars I would be very unhappy indeed.