Ford Focus Saloon (05-09) - Review

Review by David Ross on
Small saloons have never caught on in the UK. Unlike the rest of mainland Europe, British buyers prefer hatchbacks and it's easy to see why. The Focus saloon is a perfect example - it's not as practical as the hatch version, nor as good looking and although the boot is a good size, it can't cope with large or bulky items. The range of engines is slimmed down (there's no low emissions ECOnetic version) but from behind the wheel there's no difference from the standard car, the Focus saloon handles well, is easy to drive and has an excellent interior. In early 2008 the model was facelfited with a new front end and a much improved interior. It' still the same price as the five-door hatch, but unless you must have a boot, there seems little reason to choose one.
3.5 out of 5

Other Ford reviews

4 out of 5

Running costs

Running costs should be in-line with the hatchback, so parts and servicing should be reasonable. Diesel engines offer good economy, but expect residual values to be behind the hatchback.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,461 - £1,753 *

Diesel

£1,034 - £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)

£30.00 - £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

3 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
    119
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
    189
  • 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

Unlike the hatchback or estate, there's no low emissions ECOnetic model available. However the four-door Focus is still environmentally friendly with average CO2 emissions of 152g/km. The greenest model is the 1.6 TDCi which emits 119g/km of CO2 (making it cheap to tax) and capable of 63mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2