Ford Focus Hatchback (05-11) - Review

Review by Dan Harrison on
Last Updated: 13 January 2011
Developing a replacement for the much-loved original Focus was an unenviable task, but Ford has successfully delivered. The second generation Focus is stylish, well equipped and is proving itself to be reliable. Plus while it's still as good to drive as ever, there's now more interior space and a genuine feeling of quality. A mid-life facelift means that people who buy a Focus from January 2008 get an even better car. As well as a Mondeo look front end, the interior has been vastly upgraded with better materials and more attention to detail. The eco-friendly ECOnetic model - available from January 2008 - was improved in late 2009 with CO2 emissions dropping to 99g/km, making it free to tax, while economy increased to 74mpg thanks to the introduction of an engine start-stop system.
4.5 out of 5

Other Ford reviews

4 out of 5

Running costs

As it's a Ford you can expect day-to-day running costs to be typically affordable. Depreciation will always be a factor in this class but improvements over the previous model mean it should hold its value better while economy is generally impressive and insurance bandings reasonable.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,395 - £1,753 *

Diesel

£866 - £1,335 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Every 12,500 miles

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£0.00 - £250.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

4 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
    99
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
    192
  • K
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The Focus performs very well on the eco front as its emissions are relatively low for a small family hatchback. A green ECOnetic model joined the range in early 2008. This has a 1.6-litre TDCi engine, but through special fuel-saving measures, it emits 115g/km CO2. In November 2009 this was improved further with the standard ECOnetic model emitting 104g/km of CO2, while a version with Auto-Stop-Start drops emissions to just 99g/km CO2, meaning road tax is free.

Find the exact engine and CO2