Good job really, because this was the area where the old car felt most dated. It was due an update and an upgrade, and Ford has delivered it. Other available options include opening panoramic roof, B&O premium sound system, heated steering wheel, active park assist (self-parking), an adaptive damping system and keyless entry. Also sleek is the gear selector for the automatic gearbox: it’s a twist dial. This not only frees up space around the centre console, but impresses passengers too. Our test car had the standard suspension setup, and we found it well-balanced. It was forgiving enough to absorb bumps and potholes, even on 18-inch rims with low-profile tyres.

Unlike its predecessor, this new Ford Focus has a host of impressive gadgets available as optional extras. This is one of Ford’s more drastic re-stylings, but it has worked a treat. The overall body shape is sleeker than the outgoing car, with softer, smoother lines. The total amount of deposit you will put down on your finance agreement including your cash deposit, any part exchange equity and any applicable VAT (for commercial vehicles) The cabin is greatly improved in terms of both quality and design. The plastics are soft-touch, with a nice variety of textures and finishes.There are 9 main paint options for the Puma, comprising 2 solid paints, 5 metallic paints, 1 matte-effect ‘pastel’ paint and 1 pearlescent paint; above the standard colour offered on most models, Ford bundles these into 2 overarching categories called Premium and Exclusive – although only 1 colour, the pearlescent, is actually exclusive to 1 model only. Besides the exterior hues, we also outline the various interior upholsteries that go with these body colours. Paint Types It will also be interesting to see how this new Ford Focus fares with depreciation, given a higher base price and lengthier options list. This is another area where the more premium rivals have bettered the Ford.

The ST-Line Vignale gets full Sensico synthetic leather on the seats, dropping the cloth, and the pattern in the centres becomes hexagonal in form. ST Recaro Sports Seats In Partial Leather With Miko Dinamica And, when mated to the 8-speed automatic gearbox, it is delightfully smooth. Gear changes are seamless, and there are plenty of ratios to make the most of the limited power available. It would appear that Ford had sacrificed a bit of boot space for the passengers. Cabin space is more generous than ever before, particularly in the rear.

But then again, it’s not all about speed. Some people will choose the ST Line X because it looks tremendous, but the 120PS diesel engine will be plenty. Pearlescent/Mica = As above, only instead of metal, ceramic crystals (known as ‘mica’) are added to the paint. These not only reflect light but refract it too, giving one colour different appearances in different levels of light. They’re normally as expensive as or pricier than metallic paints. This is a popular trend at the moment, and whilst not everyone may be a fan, there’s no denying it looks pretty sleek. The only downside to this large extras list is that it’s hard to know where to start. Perhaps more critically, it’s hard to know where to stop, being all too easy to get carried away and end up with a Ford Focus that has the equipment list of a Bentley… Value For Money The more powerful mild-hybrid is the 153bhp version, which again gets the choice of manual or automatic gearboxes. The 0-60mph time reduces to 8.7 seconds, with only a small impact on efficiency – Ford claims 50.4mpg and 124g/km CO2 emissions.

The 1.5 EcoBlue diesel engine featured in our Ford Focus ST Line X is the most economical of the bunch. It may not have the performance credentials of the 1.5 Ecoboost, but it would easily beat it on economy figures in a game of top trumps. Your lump sum cash deposit you will pay at the beginning of your agreement which will reduce the amount to finance.

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The Ford Focus is also a comfortable motorway cruiser. Yet on a spirited drive the suspension controls body roll effectively. It corners reasonably flat, thanks to that low, broad body shape. Economy