The Zetec S chassis is a known quantity, and a seriously
good one at that. It turns in with the sort of zealous precision missing from
just about every other family hatch, while the damping remains impressively
pliant, making this the perfect illustration of why the Focus has such a
towering reputation for ride and handling in this class.
It’s a shame that the steering is a little odd, being a
bit to keen to self-centre and without the intuitive, progressive build of
weight and sense of feedback that comes with a really excellent set-up. Still,
it’s good enough to make the most of the Ford’s responsive chassis while making
life easy in more mundane situations.
It’s standard Focus fare inside, other
than some red contrast stitching on the steering wheel, handbrake and floor
mats. You do get the 8.0in color touch screen, complete with DAB and every
other sort of audio function you could want, along with hefty bolsters to the
comfortable seat, and air-con. Sat-nav is a cheap option, although it seems a
bit cynical that cruise control and rear parking sensors cost extra.
The engine is a high point. It revs
smoothly and with real gusto once you’ve got past the fairly flat sub-2000rpm
zone, carrying right on to its power peak at 6000rpm and making for easy and
rapid progress. However, it doesn’t feel very hot hatch-like. You do have to
rev it quite hard to get the best from it, and even then it never feels
exciting, just impressively refined and muscular.
It’s the styling and extra poke from
that engine that you’re paying for here. There’s no extra equipment over the
standard Zetec S, which is £1675 cheaper with the 148bhp version of this 1.5
Ecoboost engine, while - perhaps more shockingly - an ST-1 costs almost exactly
the same, although it isn’t as well equipped. It is worth considering that the
Red Edition, which is identical but for the exterior styling, is £500 cheaper.
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