As one of the UK’s best-selling cars, the Ford Focus has been enticing to many a British customer thanks to its practical layout, good driving dynamics and attractive looks.
With the 2018 model recently unveiled, we get to see what the popular family hatchback will look like for the next few years and how it compares to the outgoing version.
Here, we take a look at the main differences between the two.
Looks
To move in line with its smaller hatchback partner, the Fiesta, the Focus has been made much sportier than ever – thanks to an extended front portion and additional creases and flicks. The new version follows the rest of the Ford range with the remainder of the details, such as the revised hexagonal front grille and horizontal tail lights. The ST-Line version is likely to be a pre-cursor to the looks of an upcoming Focus ST.
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Engines
The 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol and 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engines are carried over from the third-generation model, but the rest of the powertrains are all-new to the Focus range. First is a 1.5-litre EcoBoost with either 148bhp or 180bhp, which employs cylinder deactivation to help reduce fuel usage and improve emissions. The second is a new version of the 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel unit, which has been engineered to be both efficient and cleaner to drive. A new eight-speed automatic transmission is also offered in the Mk4 for further customer choice.
Interior
To be more like other Ford models, the Focus comes with the option of a floating central touchscreen – replacing the inset version on the old version. But, apart from a few design refreshers here and there, the overall layout remains the same for the central dash. The Focus is the first European Ford to come with a head-up display, which shows your speed and directions from the sat-nav. Although the interior design isn’t the most inspiring in the world, all the equipment looks as if it falls to hand very well and is as useful as before – if not more so.
Practicality
The third-generation was a flawed genius in the fact that it wasn’t as practical as you would suspect. However, Ford has upped its game with the new model, as it comes with a much more competitive 375-litre boot space – putting it on the same level as its main rivals, the Volkswagen Golf and Vauxhall Astra. Passenger space is also marginally better, making it very useful to ferry around all the family.
Pricing
To make this family favourite even more enticing, Ford has lowered the starting price of the Focus to £17,930 - £2,000 less than the old model. Coming with seven trim levels, the mid-range and sporty ST-Line is likely to be the most popular trim, and that starts from £21,275 – it’s crammed with most of the equipment you will ever need. Whichever one you choose, it will come with more than enough kit to suit you – and if not, the optional extras aren’t too expensive either.
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