Ford Focus vs Volkswagen T-ROC

What's the difference?

Ten years ago, the idea that the higher-riding version of a hatchback would be a good city car would have been laughable. The Focus Active is pitched as a kind of SUV with its different low-grip driving modes, which you'll never touch if you stick to the city.

The Ford Focus is genuinely a brilliant car, no matter where you take it. The Active takes a terrific chassis, tweaks it for comfort but, ironically, doesn't lose much of the speed.

So that’s the T-Roc, a bit of Euro style that’s still priced to take the fight to some small SUVs from Japan or Korea.

Is it the cheapest style-forward small SUV you can get? No, but it’s far from the expensive end of things.

Plus, if you can resist ticking some option boxes, it beats some value-focused rivals and looks good doing it.

If the feeling of a sturdy fit-out and a confidence inspiring drive is important to you, I reckon the T-Roc should be an entry on your shopping list.

For a fairly conservative hatchback, the Focus came under fire for what some termed its derivative styling. I quite like it, and not just because the styling work was led by an Australian. The front end is very much family Ford, as long as it's the European arm of the family, fitting in with its smaller sibling, the Fiesta. The Active scores the usual black cladding, higher ride height and smaller diameter wheels, in exchange for more compliant, higher-profile tyres. All of that takes nothing away from a design that I think looks pretty good.

The cabin is well put together, with just that oddly angled touchscreen causing me a bit of a twitch. The design is a fairly steady Ford interior with a lot of switchgear shared with the Fiesta, but it's all quite nice. The materials feel mostly pleasant  and the hardwearing fabric on the seats feels right for this kind of car.

The T-Roc subtly stands out without being garish, avoiding becoming part of the highway or suburban camouflage without relying on extreme design decisions.

For example, the LED daytime running lights that wrap around the shapes below the LED 'I.Q' headlights where vents would otherwise be on the R performance variant are quite cute.

In fact, the whole front end of this small SUV has a friendly look, even if there’s nothing specific that’s particularly exciting about it.

This 'Petroleum Blue Metallic' colour is a $700 option, but anything other than white costs extra.

However, the black roof two-tone look is a standard for the Style, as are the black mirror caps and its 18-inch alloys.

There are roof rails up top, tinted privacy windows for rear passengers and for the rear window and a sloping roofline at the rear that adds a touch of ‘sport’ to the silhouette along with a small spoiler at the top.

The Focus is quite roomy compared to other cars in its class. The rear seat has good leg and headroom, with the feeling of space accentuated by large windows. Annoyingly, though, all that work put into making the rear a nice place to be is ruined by a lack of amenities like cupholders, USB ports or an armrest. 

Front-seat passengers fare better with two cupholders, a roomy space at the base of the console for a phone and a wireless-charging pad. The front seats are very comfortable, too.

The boot starts at a fairly average 375 litres - clearly sacrificed for rear-seat space - and maxes out at 1320 litres with the seats down. While you have to lift things over the loading lip and down into the boot, it's one of the more sensibly shaped load areas, with straight up and down sides. Ironically, the smaller Puma has a noticeably larger boot.

Inside the T-Roc is a bit of an interesting dichotomy.

Some of what’s in here is ‘old-gen’ Volkswagen stuff, but it still holds up today against even some recently introduced models.

The dichotomy is that while it’s very usable and slick, some of its materials and surfaces let it down a touch.

The good points are that the cabin tech is a perfect level of physical and digital. The buttons and controls are easy to use and feel solid and even though the climate controls could be more physical, they’re still good as far as touch panel style controls go.

The older VW gear is arguably better than a lot of what’s found in newer models where some use of touchscreens and haptic panels has drawn negative feedback from customers.

The multimedia software managed via the 8.0-inch touchscreen is more simple and sensible than the new version, plus the Digital Cockpit Pro display for the driver is clear and, importantly, customisable. It’s a similar cockpit system that used to seem quite impressive in high-end Audis.

But what doesn’t feel very high-end is some of the plastic and the decisions around function in the rest of the space.

The leather on the seats is not a cheap option box to tick at $3450, but it feels a little cheap to the touch. It’s a tad hard and even has a bit of a rough look to it.

That option also makes them heated and electrically adjustable, though, which is welcome in winter. Otherwise, cloth seats without the optional leather or heating would be absolutely fine, and that means you get a storage space under them, too.

This central space between the driver and front passenger, too, is a little awkward with the cupholder placement. It’s behind the shifter meaning a tall bottle will be in the way and it’s got slightly odd sizing for bottles or cups with nothing to stop them wobbling.

I am, however, a fan of the angled-away phone slot under the climate controls to minimise phone screen visibility (and distraction) and the traditional shifter itself is welcome.

Look up, and (in our test car) there’s an optional ($2000) panoramic sunroof there. It’s yours if you want it, and it does have an electric blind, but some Japanese and Korean cars at this price point get that as standard.

An average-sized adult will find the second row is spacious enough and relatively comfortable. There’s an armrest, dual-directional vents and two USB-C ports.

Behind that, boot space is generous at 445L with the seats up thanks to an adjustable floor, which is very useful for tall items and even manages to fit a space saver spare tyre under it.

It’s a total of 1290L with the split-fold seats down, too, though they’re not super flat with the adjustable floor down.

The specific Style test vehicle being reviewed here is priced at $38,890, before on-road costs. But it's worth noting a new example of the Style will cost you $39,790 at the time of writing, as its price has since ours was 'delivered'.

While the Style features some older VW fitout, it comes with a decent list of features.

A set of 18-inch wheels, self-levelling headlights (with cornering function), some cute LED DRLs plus chrome highlights with black contrast trim are the best way to spot a Style from the outside.

Inside, there’s an 8.0-inch touchscreen for multimedia paired to the driver’s 'Digital Cockpit Pro' display.

The multimedia screen is last-gen VW gear, but that’s not a bad thing.

There’s also dual-zone climate control with an allergen filter, ambient lighting, a six-speaker sound system, wireless phone charger and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

There are a few options on our test car that nudge the price up quite quickly, like the metallic paint, leather upholstery, sunroof, plus the keyless entry or ‘Easy open and close package’.

All this brings the total price as-tested to $45,640, before on-roads.

The good news is you don’t need to tick all, or any, of those options for this to still be a compelling option. 

Ford does an excellent range of small turbo engines. The "normal" Focus range (such as it is, now the wagon has disappeared from the market) comes with a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine. Bucking the SUV-this-size trend (yes, I know it's not really an SUV), this punchy little unit delivers an impressive 134kW and 240Nm. They're both very decent numbers for such a small engine.

The big numbers continue with the transmission boasting eight gears, a number you don't often find in a hatchback. It's a traditional torque-converter auto, too, so those of you who have bad memories of Ford's old PowerShift twin clutches should worry no more.

Power goes to the front wheels only and you'll get from 0 to 100km/h in 8.7 seconds.

The engine in the T-Roc - as with most Volkswagens - does what it says on the tin. Essentially, a 110TSI means there’s 110kW of turbocharged VW happening, in this case a 1.4-litre four-cylinder that also makes 250Nm of torque.

It’s paired to an eight-speed torque converter, which will be music to the ears of those who have been scorned by older VW dual-clutches.

It drives the front wheels only, and there’s no hybridisation or 48-volt system.

Ford's official testing for the big window sticker delivered a 6.4L/100km result on the combined cycle. In my time with the Focus, I got 7.2L/100km indicated on the dashboard, which is a pretty solid result given the Focus spent a good deal of the time on suburban or urban roads.

With its 52-litre tank, you'll cover around 800km if you manage the official figure, or just over 700km on my figures.

A lack of electrification in a relatively small engine and a traditional drivetrain shouldn't scare you too much, in this case.

Combined cycle fuel consumption is a claimed 6.3L/100km. On test in mostly urban areas or for spirited driving we saw the fuel use rise a little higher than that but not by as much as you might think.

After a mix of primarily urban, some highway and a stint of dynamic test driving, the trip computer admitted to a figure of 8.1L/100km.

Despite the very mild off-road pretensions, if it's a comfortable city ride you're after, the Active is the Focus to have. While the ST-Line isn't uncomfortable - not by a long way - the Active's more compliant tyres and higher ride height (30mm at the front and 34mm at the rear) iron out the bigger bumps without sacrificing much of the sportier car's impressive dynamic prowess, even with the low-rolling-resistance tyres.

The cracking 1.5-litre turbo is responsive and well-matched to the eight-speed auto. The big torque number pushes you along the road and makes overtaking much less dramatic than a 1.5-litre three-cylinder has any right to. 

Ford's trademark Euro-tuned quick steering is also along for the ride, making darting in and out of gaps a quick roll of the wrist, which has the added benefit of meaning you rarely have to take your hands off the wheel for twirling. That darting is aided and abetted by the engine and gearbox, with the turbo seemingly keeping the boost flowing with little lag. It's almost like they planned it that way.

You have good vision in all directions, which almost renders the fact that the blind-spot monitoring is optional acceptable. Almost. It's very easy to get around in, easy to park and, just as importantly, easy to get in and out of. Compared to, say, a Toyota Corolla, the rear doors are very accommodating. 

The T-Roc is essentially a previous-generation Golf-turned-small SUV in terms of its platform, and that’s a great thing for anyone who likes driving.

The Golf 7.5 was a benchmark for everyday driving as far as hatchbacks are concerned, and even though the current Mk8 might be a bit more up to date, the T-Roc’s use of the platform it rides on is practical and fun.

It’s not as nimble as a Golf, but the T-Roc in front-drive Style guise, with a responsive turbocharged engine and no all-wheel drive system weighing it down, is not only more dynamically capable than most rivals, it’s also easy to access that capability.

The 1.4-litre engine feels well-tuned for its two modes accessible through the shifter - calm but not lazy in ‘Drive’ and eager but not thrashy in ‘Sport’.

It works well with the transmission on the move, picking right gears fairly accurately, though there are paddles behind the wheel for those who prefer to take charge.

The drive modes are also more customisable than just those on the shifter, with 'Individual' selections for steering and drivetrain able to be used rather than the standard 'Eco', 'Normal' or 'Sport' full-system modes.

While the steering wheel itself is a little thick and the feedback, while adequate, isn’t the most telling, it’s accurate and inspires confidence in cornering.

The T-Roc handles turn-in and exits well, even soaking up bumps and not becoming unsettled when braking.

Its safety systems are relatively subtle, and the active cruise control is well sorted, though the automatic braking at car park speeds can be overzealous. Something I’ve experienced in VW Group models several times over the years.

The main culprit for the T-Roc was a shrub beside my driveway that, while not touching the car, would set off the automatic braking system. Still, better than letting the car roll back if there was a proper obstacle or someone who could be hurt in the way.

Aside from that, the Volkswagen T-Roc is fun and easy to drive, and the work that’s gone into that puts its price into perspective a little more.

There are more expensive cars available that are less impressive, some even disappointing.

In 2017, ANCAP gave the T-Roc five stars for safety. For most people, that says enough, plus the list of features the SUV comes with is fairly comprehensive even in the Style.

While its rating is getting on in years, the only real downside to the T-Roc’s age when it comes to safety is it only having six airbags - front and side for the front passengers, plus curtain airbags for front and rear passengers.

But the list of tech isn’t lacking, with driver fatigue detection, pedestrian monitoring, parking bay and parallel parking assistance, pedestrian monitoring, side assist, rear cross-traffic alert and lane assist.

Ford offers a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and a roadside-assistance package that consists of a membership to your local motoring organisation. 

The first five services cost $299 each and also include a free loan car and a 12-month extension to your roadside assist membership for up to seven years.

Volkswagen’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty is pretty standard for a premium-leaning brand, with VW also offering roadside assistance for the warranty period.

In terms of servicing, VW offers care plans of three years or five years, covering servicing for $1515 or $2770 respectively. That's an average of $505 or $554 per workshop visit.

Otherwise, servicing costs at 12-month/15,000km intervals can cost from $470 for some to $1104 to the biggest service if you don’t go with the locked-in package.