Ford Focus Wagon grows up

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Thursday, November 03, 2011

Given that the Ford Focus has been the top selling car in Ireland in 10 of the years since it was first introduced here in 1998, there is probably not a whole lot I can tell you about a car which is set to become an icon in the Ford ‘hall of fame’ pantheon.

Well, maybe there is something new, because Ford has just introduced the final element of the latest Focus range to the Irish market and it is the new Focus Wagon — or estate to you and me.

Speaking last week, Ford boss Eddie Murphy said the company is delighted with the Focus Wagon. “It is an all round great package with lots of space and, of course, it has the great driveability that we have come to expect from the Focus. And with a starting price of just, €21,925, it is a great value proposition,” he maintained.

Despite the fact that Ireland has not traditionally been a strong market for wagon (or estate) models, compared with Germany, for example, where the Focus Wagon accounts for 70% of Focus sales, Murphy feels that could be changing.

“We are a long way off our continental cousins’ love of estates or wagons, but there is evidence of a growing interest in Ireland in these models for the extra versatility that they can provide, in particular for families,” he says.

The basic facts about the new Focus Wagon are that it is available with 1.6 litre petrol or diesel engines and a 2.0 litre diesel with automatic transmission.

The 1.6 litre diesel has CO2 emissions of 117g/km, placing the car in the lowest priced tax band A, while the 1.6 litre petrol and 2.0 litre automatic powertrains fall into tax band B (136g/km and 139g/km respectively).

We got to try the new car recently and the version we tried will probably be the best seller. It was the 1.6 TDCi model with some 93 bhp and fitted with a six speed manual gearbox.

Nuts and bolts aside, the first thing that stands out about the Focus estate is the size of the thing — on first appraisal you could easily mistake it for its bigger sibling, the Mondeo estate (sorry, wagon).

It appears to have grown up massively by comparison with the car it replaces.

Nevertheless this Focus is still classed as a small family estate, but it is certainly one of the most spacious in the segment, both in terms of its ability to accommodate passengers and cargo. It will fit (just about) three adults in the rear, but two would definitely be more comfortable than three over a long journey, but it will easily swallow three kids.

On the boot space side of things, the cargo area is quite vast and it is also a very practical rectangular space. With the rear seats down (they fold completely flat), the amount of capacity has to be seen to believed.

From the driver’s point of view, everything is looked after rather well. There is plenty of seat and steering column adjustment and the new dashboard layout is very attractive and ergonomic. The herringbone switchgear layout around a small rotary selector for all the major interior functions is easy on the eye and easy to use.

Standard kit is very good with all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect — even on smaller cars — although I was surprised that Bluetooth and USB connections were a €200 optional extra.

It is on the road that the Focus really impresses. We know the hatchback and saloon models to be right at the top of their class in terms of both handling and ride and I am unsurprised that the same applies to the estate as well. In this area the Focus Wagon is the classiest of its segment, without any doubt and it truly is a pleasure to drive.

There is bags of grip and the handling is really well sorted. The steering is fabulously responsive and body control is taut and pleasingly firm — although not so firm as to discomfort the passengers, even on some of our worst roads.

The 1.6 engine is yet another of those modern generation of turbodiesels which has bags of mid-range punch and which, once kept in its comfort zone in the rev range, will pull with extraordinary strength without losing any of its economic prowess. It is a fine workhorse and one which will serve the everyday needs of most families without demur.

I am not fully convinced that the Irish buying public has yet fully adopted the estate car as a viable purchasing option, but as an alternative to some people carriers out there, the Focus Wagon offers a decent and practical choice.

And on the basis that it will drive rings around most of its opponents, as well as looking better than most, it should not be easily dismissed by anyone in the market for a hard-working, economic and value for money option.