BRENDAN SEERY

FORD IS on such a product offensive these days that if you blink, you’ll miss a new model introduction or a mouth-watering special offer price. That’s what happened to me a month or two ago, when I realised I hadn’t kept up.

My brother-in-law Neil had to point out to me that I had missed Ford’s introduction of the new facelifted Focus hatchback and sedan – and, even more importantly, the quiet fitting of a 1.5 litre 132kW turbopetrol engine into the Focus. I had heard, vaguely, that the company had put its award-winning three-cylinder, 1.0 litre, 92kW engine into the mid-sized hatch, but was not aware that the 1.5, which also does duty in the big, Fusion exec sedan, had also been included in the range.

What attracted Neil was the bang the for the buck on the 1.5 – the sedan starts at R265 000 with the hatch about R5 000 more expensive.

A comprehensive drive assistance package – including reversing camera, park radar, lane departure warning, emergency city braking (it does it for you if you’re dozing and are about the hit the car in front), as well as an auto park facility – comes in at R12 000, which is also one of the automotive bargains at the moment.

It is one hell of a lot of vehicle for the money. To put it into perspective, a VW Golf TSi top-of-therange petrol model with just 103kW is going to cost you just shy of R350 000 if you option it to the same level as the Ford (R284 000 in hatchback, driver package spec).

As with the 1.5, Ford’s 1.0, threecylinder-powered Focus is also a strong value-for-money proposition with the entry-level sedan coming in at R212 000 and the hatch at R6 000 more. Both the smallerengined models also have the range of extra packs available – at the same really good prices.

Ford’s pricing has thrown the cat among the medium-hatchback pigeons because the Focus contenders offer more power and more features than anything else they are up against. And, to my mind, it is the Asian players who need to up their game to keep up the with Blue Oval. Why on earth would you buy a Hyundai i20 or Kia Rio (both with asthmatic, naturally aspirated engines) when you can have a Focus… or for even less money an equally attractive Fiesta, the Focus’s little sibling?

So, what do you get for your Ford money? Is it a case of gadgets and extra bling?

Well, if you do spend the little extra and take the driver’s package, for example, you get a very, very good – and sophisticated – car for your money, whether in 1.0 or 1.5 form.

We had both variants on test – the 1.0 litre with the package fitted and the 1.5 as the plain Jane. Both impressed.

Of the two, the 1.0 litre’s little three-cylinder was really memorable: it has a lovely growl to it when accelerating and there is more than enough power and torque to cope with city traffic and highway overtaking.

After driving it, I was reminded of how far the Korean and Japanese makers are falling behind in the technology race by not including small-capacity turbos. A Honda, Hyundai or Kia in the same segment has an engine which runs out of breath and has to be thrashed to make it go.

The 1.5 is a version of the company’s 1.6 turbopetrol, which had its stroke reduced to bring in capacity to just under 1 500cc, to meet tough Chinese tax bands. Yet, the 1.5 Ford didn’t feel to me as though it pushes out a real 132kW.

I previously had an Alfa Romeo MitO on test, which had 125kW and the engine felt more powerful. But it must be said that the Ford’s accelerator really does require some heaving to get through its soft nature to liberate the kilowatts... maybe I should have thrashed it harder.

Still, it is nice to know you have that power underfoot and you didn’t pay much for it.

Although Ford is not quite yet in the VW league when it comes to actual and perceived quality, the Fo- cus is not far off. Plastics are good quality, as are the materials used in seats and carpeting… although the odd squeak came through here and there on the 1.5 which didn’t manifest on the smaller-engined car.

I drove a hired Focus 1.6 diesel on a family holiday to Ireland last year and was most impressed by the average fuel consumption of 4.9l/100km. However, to say I was even more impressed by the performance of the new-generation petrol engines would be an understatement. I have a test route for checking consumption of test vehicles. It is about 140km along Gauteng’s highways and I try to average between 105km/h and 110km/h, which is about what you will do when travelling at the national 120km/h speed limit, and allowing for traffic and on and off-ramps.

On that route, the 1.0 Focus averaged 110km/h and retur ned 4.9l/100km. The 1.5 averaged 112km/h at 5.6l/100km. That is the sort of consumption you would expect from a good diesel just five years ago.

Both cars were fitted with 16inch alloy wheels and the standard, medium-profile tyres, which provided an excellent ride, without compromising the taut handling of the Focus chassis, which has always been one of Ford’s best handling cars (Fiesta fans might argue about that, though…)

The clutch can feel a bit springy at times, which is more noticeable on the 1.5, but the harder you use it the better it gets. Gear change is also soft and easy and the Focus is, overall, an easy car to drive.

Legroom in the back is adequate, if not quite up to Golf/Jetta standards, and the boot, in the sedan especially, is more than enough for a family of four.

The Focus is an attractive package. It is well equipped, well made, has good performance, excellent economy and the peace of mind of Ford’s large dealer network. And the price is excellent. If you are in the market for a hatch, don’t decide until you have driven one.