2019 Ford Focus Reviews

You've got to feel for the marketing peeps at Ford tasked with cooking up a catchy one-word description for the new Focus Active.

You've got about $30K and you'd like to buy a sporty hatch. Don't. Not until you've read our invaluable sporty-hatch comparison, as we crown a winner based on performance, practicality and price.

The fourth-generation Ford Focus has arrived on Australian roads. Always underrated by car buyers - but highly rated by critics - the new Focus has a job on its hands. Can it join the Hyundai-Mazda-Honda hatch fight?

Wait, what? Small cars for families? Well, they can be, if you choose the right one. Ford’s Focus has undergone a rather dramatic makeover of late, and this new 2019 model has more interior space than in the past. It’s in a tough category and competes with cars like the Mazda3, Hyundai i30 and Toyota Corolla. I was in the Focus ST Line, which is in the middle of the range. Prices for this model start at $28,990 before on-road costs. Does it have what it takes to compete with the others? I drove it for seven days with my family to find out. 

The new German-made Ford Focus has landed in Australia. Has it got what it takes to knockout the small-car heavyweights like the Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla?

The Trend is the entry-point to the Ford Focus range, starting at $25,990.While more expensive than entry-level variants from many competitor brands, the Trend is well specified with 16-inch alloy wheels, LED DRLs, auto headlights and wipers, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, leather trimmed steering wheel and an electronic parking brake.The Trend shares the same 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen as the rest of the Focus range which supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and DAB+ digital radio.Like all cars in the new Focus range, it is powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine which produces 134kW/240Nm. All 2019 Focuses including the Trend have an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The official combined fuel consumption rating is 6.4L/100km.Safety specification includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assist (LKAS) with lane departure warning (LDW), a 180-degree reversing camera and rear parking sensors.Extra active safety items including active cruise control with stop & go, blind spot monitoring (BSM) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert can be added as part of a safety pack priced at $1250.The Focus range was awarded a maximum five ANCAP safety stars as of December 2018.

The ST-Line is the second rung up in Ford's new Focus range, starting from $28,990. It is also available as a wagon, priced from $30,990.

The Focus Active is an SUV-inspired hatchback with high-riding off-road touches. It is priced from $29,990 and sits in the middle of the Focus range.

The Titanium sits at the top of the Focus range, and has a more luxury focus than the ST-Line that sits below it. It is priced from $34,490