The Best Engine?
by David Finlay (27 Feb 08)

If you've decided that you just can't do without a diesel Focus, Ford has quite a range to choose from. Along with all the different trim levels and body styles, there are three versions of the TDCi turbo diesel engine, which comes in 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 formats.

The car tested here is the Zetec five-door with the two-litre engine. This makes it virtually identical to the 1.8 TDCi which was the subject of a road test a few weeks ago. When I was driving that car I reckoned that the 1.8 was a decent enough unit, even though you would be financially far better off choosing a 1.6 instead.

It follows that the 2.0 is an even less wise move if you're on a tight budget. All other things being equal, the bigger engine adds £550 to the list price (making a total of £17,545 in this case), insurance is in Group 10 rather than Group 7 for all the other diesels, and combined fuel economy suffers too.

Mm. But there are other considerations. Although the 1.8 seemed perfectly okay at the time, there's something about the 2.0 engine which makes it seem better suited to the Focus. It produces a maximum of 133bhp, and while this isn't exactly tarmac-tearing stuff, it feels just about perfect for the job. The extra power means that you never feel you have to push the car hard (not in conventional everyday driving, anyway), but it's not so much that it strains a chassis which, despite the standard fitment of "sports" suspension to the Zetec, never feels all that sporty.

I'm not greatly fussed about that suspension in the 1.8, since it adds a certain amount of jiggle to what is otherwise a high-quality ride. In the 2.0 (for whatever reason - perhaps a slightly different set-up, though it's difficult to tell) the ride is good for more of the time, and front-end jarring is reduced to a minimum.

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