Vehicle: 2006 Ford Focus Ghia 1.6 5-door with Durashift
Price as tested: HK$149800

Performance: The European Ford Focus is available with a wide variety of powerplants, this 1.6L is just one of them. With only 100hp and 107 lb/ft of torque, dare I say the performance is barely adequate. The main reason of the adequte performance is its stiff chassis. The chassis has taken lots of toll on its performance aspect. Even if the maximum torque arrives a 4 grand, this 107 lb/ft of torque feels somewhat quicker than one expected. However, its noisy when pushed through the whole rev range. The biggest shortfall of this powerplant is the lazy Durashift sequential tranny. Unlike the DSG and SMG, this one is lazy to up and downshifts. It also lacks the brisk response in its little Fiesta silibing. Throttle response is adequate but nothing special.

Handling: With a stiff chassis, front fully indpendent and rear multi-link suspensions. The European Focus simply handles beautifully. There is some safe understeer when pushed but it never gotten out of hands until you are in the dangerous zone. Steering provides awesome steering feedback and precision, its also downright responsive. Its definitely one of the best steering I have driven in this segment. The ride comfort is another awesome area of the Focus. It just absorbs all the roughness on the road like luxury cars costing twice as much. However, there is one drawback and has something to do with the powerplant. It tends to feel underengined when pushed because it simply doesn’t have enough power to let the tail out. In short, Focus is one dynamically superior econocar that needs a faster engine. Just imagine how superbly handled the Focus ST220 will be and you are in for an awesome ride.

Brakes: Just like its handling, Focus’s braking performance is equally impressive. Short stopping distance with top-notch pedal feel and modulation wrapped up its overall excellent package.

Interior: While the interior materials might not be the best in class, its certainly rates as one of the better ones in the business. There are plenty of soft-touched materials with a bit of hard ones in certain areas. The auto climate control smartly placed below the stereo. Instrumetation gauges are clear and analog. On the other hand, the velour seats have great thigh and back support. Its also firm enough for long journey. Thanks to its tilt/telescope steering and 6-way power adjustable seats in our Ghia tester, the driving position is easily found.

On the back of the Focus, there are plenty of head and legrooms with three headrests for safety. With 40/60 split fold-down rear seats and low liftover,there is always enough cargo space for weekday getaway,

Conclusion: The European Focus is indeed a very worthy vehicle. It looks nice, handles superb with high quality build. In short, it remains as one of the benchmarks which others are judged when designing an affordable vehicle with fun character.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2006 FORD FOCUS GHIA 1.6 5-DOOR
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Performance: 2/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.75/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.75/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4.5/5
Value-for-money: 5/5

Overall rating: 4.5/5