Ford Focus Zetec 2005 Review

It was well into its model life as Ford Australia worked on striking a viable business case to import the highly decorated European born-and-bred small car.

So in a sense it seems like it arrived here yesterday.

In fact it was almost three years ago since the world's biggest-selling car lobbed in town.

Now the all-new, second-generation Focus is spicing up the most dynamic segment in new car sales.

And if you think, at first glance, there is not a big departure from the first model then think again.

There isn't one interchangeable panel between Marks I and II.

The cabin styling and trim are different, there are bulging wheel arch flares and the areas where the Focus was lacking in original guise, Ford has managed to address with a reasonable level of success.

Architecture-wise the interior is less confronting and the trim colours are more inviting.

This South African-built Zetec was a welcome addition to the garage for a week spent dodging the perils of peak hour, cruising the M1 and spending the weekend driving the twisties, which are designed to spit out any chassis not sorted within a millimetre of its life.

Turns out the 2-litre Focus could have stayed longer it was so convincing.

It has more pep in its step and is generally more user friendly.

And so the more you drive it, the more mouth-watering a toe-to-toe fight with a Mazda 3 would pose.

Steering is much sharper away from the straight ahead and there is a sweet, compliant ride.

The same 2-litre unit used in the Mazda 3 seems to have a touch more urge about it, certainly more than the 3kW it is armed with over its Japanese cousin at 107kW.

Throttle response from first to fourth is exceptional and the cogs are well gated for crisper shifts.

Dynamically, Focus II is more competent with a wheelbase stretched by 25mm.

It is longer, wider and taller than the outgoing model, helping to give the cabin bigger dimensions that the Mondeo, which sold from 1996 to 2000.

Along with greater performance and a more accurate tiller, the Focus is not short-changed in the equipment department. There is the trip computer offering fuel consumption, outside air temperature, distance to empty and trip mileage. For this test the trip computer calculated average fuel useage at 8.4litres/100km but the majority of the 800km trip was in open running.

There are reasonable levels of sound-deadening achieved through several areas, including thicker side glass.

A bit of thought has been put into the quaint hexagonal wing mirrors but along the M1 at 110km/h there was a noticeable level of wind noise coming off the top of the windows which were double checked to see if they were closed tight.

Above all the Focus is more homely inside, a warm place on a cool winter's morning.

It is fun and engaging and just the sort of jigger that should put Ford back in the small car sales race. Currently it is pottering along at No. 6 in sales for the segment but it won't be long before it starts chipping away at the volume end of the segment.