2003 Ford Focus Reviews

There was a time in the 1980s when Ford’s Mazda-based Laser ruled the small car market, but by the end of the ’90s it had become uncompetitive.

Ewan Kennedy reviews the Ford Focus as a used buy.

Despite being a huge success in Europe the Ford Focus hasn't enjoyed the sales success it deserved in Australia. Ford Focus finally first reached Australia in September 2002, several years after its European launch and continues to this day. It comes as no surprise that Ford Focus is truly European in the way it

Ford Focus finally reached Australia in September 2002, several years after its European launch. The local importer blamed the delay on the huge success of Focus overseas, but the slow start meant Australian buyers were slow to focus on Focus, so sales have never reached the very high levels they deserve. The Focus is truly European in the way it rides and handles and keen drivers forced into a family car due to circumstances just love them. Many buyers considering downsizing from a Ford Falcon have chosen Focus ahead of an Asian car for this very reason.Ride comfort is pretty good for a small-medium car with sporting handling. Focus can be a little harsh on really rough roads but is generally very good on motorways and fine around town.As a price trimming method less sound deadening is fitted to the lower cost models and these versions can suffer from a fair bit of tyre/road noise on Australian coarse-chip roads.Ford Focus is sold with three or five-door hatchback bodies and as a four-door sedan. From September 2007 until mid 2010 the Focus also arrived in a sporting coupe-cabriolet two-door body with a folding hardtop.It comes in several luxury levels: Focus CL, LX and Ghia – later renamed Focus Ambiente, Trend and Titanium, so there's plenty to chose from. On the sporty front there’s the Focus Zetec, SR, Sport and ST170.Note we used the term ‘sporty’ rather than ‘sports’ in describing the previous models, because there’s couple of other models that genuinely deserve the ‘sports’. They are the Focus 166 kW XR5, sold from 2006 till 2011 – and the full-house Focus RS imported from 2010.The Focus RS is powered by a turbocharged Duratec RS 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine putting out 300 horsepower (224kW), and torque of 440Nm starting at only 2300rpm and providing a huge amount of grunt to make keen drivers smile every time they get a chance to open the throttles to the max.Engines in the standard Focus range are petrol or, from July 2007, turbo-diesel. Petrol units until the all-new Focus of 2011 come with capacities of 1.8 or 2.0 litres. The smaller unit is aimed at the fuel economy end of the scale and some may find it on the gutless side. If considering this powerplant may we suggest loading it with a few passengers and trying it on hilly roads. Some drivers will be satisfied, others may prefer to find a few dollars more and go for the larger engine.Turbo-diesel engines have 2.0-litre capacity and like all of their type come with plenty of grunt and low fuel use. They have  proven reasonably popular, but not to the extent of the diesels offered by many other Euro marques.Most Focus models prior to 2011 come with a five-speed manual gearbox. Some find the five-speed’s gearchange is slightly soft, others don’t mind it. Six-speed manual gearboxes are fitted to the Focus ST 170, the RS and diesel engines. From November 2011 the new Focus received a six-speed manual.Automatic transmissions have four forward ratios and aren’t offered in all models. This situation may seem strange to Australian drivers, but in Europe many prefer to drive manuals. The new model from May 2005 had manual overrides on the automatic, and in any case the auto seems to mate better with the engine from this time onwards.Ford has been building cars in Australia since 1925, so has built up a huge network of dealers. The company is represented strongly in country areas. Dealers in remoter areas may not have spare parts for the smaller models, such as the Focus, in stock, but can generally get them in within a couple of working days.With the exception of the red-hot Ford Focus RS insurance charges are usually moderate. While premiums aren’t to the low level of the locally built Falcon, they are often cheaper than other imported European cars in the same class.WHAT TO LOOK FORBuild quality of the Ford Focus is generally good (most older models come from Europe, from 2005 the majority were built in South Africa), though not up to Japanese quality standards. It’s wise to have a full professional inspection before agreeing to buy the car.Make sure the electrical systems are okay by turning everything off and on. Having the owner’s manual on hand is useful for this. Shuddering under braking could signal that new brake discs are required.The Focus ST170 and XR5 are often bought by the boy racers, then lowered and modified in many areas. A stock standard version is best. Check the alloy wheels on both models for signs of kerb damage.Look over the luggage area for signs of wear and tear. Scratches on the rear bumper will often indicate that lazy owners used the bumper as support when loading and unloading.A safety recall of pre 2010 turbo-diesel cars was instigated to check the fitment of the exhaust heat shield. Check with a Ford dealer or contact Ford Australia on 1800 503 672.CAR BUYING TIPTaking along a couple of other people to look at used cars can result in gleaning a lot more information in a short time about the cars’ condition.

There is a new blue-oval hero in Australia, and this one doesn't wear a Falcon badge.It definitely won't be racing in The Big One at Bathurst next month, although cars remarkably like it were among the frontrunners in Rally Australia in Perth last weekend.It's the hot new Focus ST170, and it has lobbed from Europe to do a number in the growing lineup of new-age hot hatches including the Toyota Corolla Sportivo, Holden Astra Turbo and Peugeot 206 GTi 180.The top-of-the-pops Focus even comes with a true-blue Aussie body job which includes bold blue panels and extra spoilers and skirts to signal its significance to Ford fans who want something that's compact, perky and full of personality.The ST170 is the car that Ford Australia has always wanted to use as the headliner for its Focus range, which took over last year from the long-running Laser as its contender in the tough baby-car class.Every Focus looks good and the ride and handling is outstanding, but something was missing in the engine bay. It was the zip which makes a baby hatch more than just transport.The ST makes up the difference with a punchy two-litre four in the nose, but the work didn't stop there.The team at Ford of Europe ticked all the boxes to put show and go into a car which is much more rewarding to drive and be seen driving.The go-fast Focus turns heads. And it gets people talking.It could just be the bold blue three-door body, but it's more likely to be linked to the 121kW engine, the six-speed manual gearbox, sports bucket seats and big wheels and brakes.It is the WRX or Evo of the Focus family, although not as extreme as the all-wheel-drive hero cars in the Subaru and Mitsubishi families.There are even quicker cars in Europe, which has a Focus RS and will eventually get a rally-bred turbo all-wheel-drive model, but the ST is as good as it gets at the moment.It's a big step up from the 1.8-litre Focus CL which opens the action in Australia at $20,660, or better if you can still get one of last year's cars under the recent incentive program.The price of the ST jumps all the way to $37,000, but it's clearly the hero of the 11-car Focus range, which includes a choice of three-door hatch, five-door hatch and four-door wagon bodies and 1.8 and 2-litre engines in the lesser cars.The Focus hasn't done anything like the numbers achieved by the Laser in its heyday, with sales for the first eight months of 2003 only reaching 8369 cars against 18,294 for the Holden Astra, 13,987 for the Mazda 323 -- mostly thanks to the latest $19,990 price deal -- and 12,118 for the Mitsubishi Lancer.That's why Ford was keen to get the ST and why it's going to be pushed hard. We've already seen a television spot linking it to the WRC Focus, the hottest car of this year's World Rally Championship, and there will be more as the car gets known better.But the package is pretty tasty with CD sound, airconditioning, front and side airbags, leather trim, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and those neat spoked 17-inch alloys.On the roadOUR first taste of the ST170 was in New Zealand, chasing the WRC Focus team in a round of the World Rally Championship. It looked great, and the equipment was terrific, but it didn't really light up the way we had expected.It was tasty, but not tantalising.So we were keen to try it again, particularly after a recent run in the Corolla Sportivo and our earlier positive experiences with the Astra Turbo and even a couple of the costlier Euro hotties.First up, it sure turns heads. There is something about the ST170 -- just like a WRX STi -- that tells people it's special. It could be the blue body, but it's also linked to the obvious go-faster parts.It's much the same when you slide inside and settle into the supportive sports buckets, grab the meaty steering wheel or select a gear with the short-throw lever. The cabin doesn't have the class of some of its rivals, despite white-faced dials and plenty of standard equipment, but it still makes a positive first impression.But the engine, which is the key to the ST, doesn't deliver on the promise. It doesn't have any fruit to its exhaust note and the throttle response is good, but not great.The numbers look pretty good, but the tuning of the 2-litre four is flat and uninspiring.It makes 127kW and 196Nm, but that's well behind the Astra Turbo and it doesn't have the top-end charge of the Corolla Sportivo. It's an engine that never feels totally willing or keen for action.It is best to give it a bit of a punch and kick up quickly through the six speeds, keeping it flowing for a smooth run. It is good for overtaking, but anyone who expects the ST to really light up in the twisty stuff will be disappointed.Still, there is a lot to like. The ST rides very well and the grip is great. It's a turn-and-go cornering car, with great balance and more traction than you can really use.It also stops well, doesn't get flustered over bumps, and doesn't demand too much skill or commitment to get along briskly. It's in sharp contrast to the Sportivo, which really needs to be stirred to get the best action, and more like the Astra but without the turbo action.We liked a lot of the upmarket work on the ST, but the dashboard is looking dated and confused -- it's a mismatch of lines and angles -- and there were too many minor quality niggles in our test car. It was only squeaks, rattles and loose-fitting bits, but it had us worrying how the car would look and feel after three years on the road.It's also noisy, mostly because of the aggressive tread on the low-profile tyres.Then again, the Sportivo was nothing special -- particularly for a company that brags about "Built in Toyota" quality even for the South African Corollas -- and we're not convinced an Alfa 147 or a hot Peugeot would be any better.The ST was light and easy to drive, with pretty good headlamps, a nice sound system and enough fruit to justify the price tag, but . . . basically, we were hoping for more. And the sort of more that would make the ST into a compact XR-style hero car for Ford.It gets close, but it doesn't make the final cut and we're left hoping. And hoping that Ford will tap into the European scene for something even quicker sometime in the future.FORD FOCUS ST170 $37,000 as testedENGINE2-litre four cylinder with twin-overhead camshafts and fuel injectionPOWER127kW at 7000 revsTORQUE196Nm at 5500 revsTRANSMISSIONsix-speed manual, front-wheel driveBODYThree-door hatchDIMENSIONSLength 4152mm, width 1699mm, height 1430mm, wheelbase 2615mm, tracks 1494/1487mm front/rearWEIGHT1283kgFUEL TANK55 litresFUEL CONSUMPTIONAverage on test9.7 litres/100kmSTEERINGPower-assisted rack-and-pinionSUSPENSIONFully independent with front MacPherson struts, rear trailing arms with multiple linksBRAKESanti-skid four-wheel discsWHEELS6x17 alloyTYRES215x45 R17WARRANTY3 years/100,000kmHow it comparesHolden Astra SRi Turbo(from $36,990)Toyota Corolla Sportivo(from $29,990)Alfa Romeo 147(from $38,500)Audi S3(from $67,420)The bottom line+ Good looks, smart driving- Needs more punch, rattlesA nice kick for the Focus