Ford Focus TDCi 2007 Review

Road Test

Overall rating: 4.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 4.0/5.0
Safety: 4.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 4.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

About our ratings

We're a bit hung up on diesel cars lately. The fuel savings that are the principal reason for buying a diesel passenger car have to be offset by the higher purchase price in the first place. Lower running costs usually don't balance out the up-front costs for years afterwards.

In the case of the Ford Focus TDCi though, revelling in the engine's torque is reward enough; so don't go obsessing over economics. Instead, think of the diesel-engined Focus as a car that is very easy to drive and more importantly, easy to drive quickly. It has 'effortless' torque; a phrase often applied in the past to large cars with V8 engines.

To illustrate, the Focus TDCi develops 320Nm of torque at 2000rpm -- and that's about 68Nm less than the last of the Windsor V8s -- in a car weighing a couple of hundred kilos less than a similarly equipped Falcon.

The Focus's diesel engine will happily outgun many petrol engines for acceleration and even with the optional stability program enabled will spin drive wheels -- in the dry.

This is why it's important to consider diesel cars generally (and this one in particular) as a case that goes beyond the hip pocket and the environment. If you enjoy driving, you'll likely enjoy the Focus TDCi -- strange though that may seem.

It's not just about the torque; the Focus is also a highly enjoyable drive once you leave the straight-and-narrow. Well known for its steering and ride/handling compromise -- and the diesel model is no exception -- the Focus is a very hard car to out-corner, although Focus's diesel competitors are all similarly competent in this way. We're talking Astra, Megane, 307, C4, Mazda3 and Golf... in no particular order of alphabet or merit.

The diesel engine is a bit heavier than the standard 2.0-litre petrol engine -- a consequence of the diesel's cast-iron block, so you might expect the Focus TDCi to feel comparatively nose-heavy, but that's not apparent in isolation.

Diesels were traditionally noisy beasts, but the Focus is only rowdy when accelerating. On the highway, it's ticking over at less than 2000rpm in sixth gear and is as quiet as a comparable petrol engined-car.

That leads us to the gearing for the Focus TDCi, which is surprisingly high -- even for a slogging diesel. Fourth is too high, in fact, for 60km/h and sixth gear is almost an 'optional extra' in a country with open road limits set as low as 100km/h. One benefit of that sort of 'autobahn' gearing is the quieter cabin environment already mentioned; a spin-off from the reduced 'work' the engine needs to produce for a given speed.

NVH levels (noise, vibration and harshness) are good overall, but with the clutch pedal depressed the engine idling does transmit more 'clatter' through the firewall to the interior. It's not very pronounced and drivers won't have the clutch engaged for long periods anyway.

The Focus is a well appointed car in lots of different ways. Its seats are a good compromise between comfort and support. They're not as grippy for lateral support as some, but despite its competence the Focus TDCi is not ultimately a sportscar.

In the rear, even with the front seats adjusted for optimum comfort, the legroom proved very accommodating and headroom is also very good.

One feature of the Focus that doesn't really stand out, but should be mentioned, is the ease of access. Whilst the doors are relatively narrow, they swing wide open and combined with the high roofline and low sills make for very easy boarding (and vice versa). It's a well conceived point of design for older people who might be suffering arthritis or some other illness that impairs mobility.

Unfortunately, that thinking doesn't carry through to the rear of the car. At its full extension, the tailgate is a stretch for shorter people to reach. You'll never bump your head on it, but nor will you be able to pull it closed if you're a little 'vertically challenged' -- and it would be so embarrassing to call the man from roadside assist just to close the tailgate, wouldn't it?

Once the driver is seated, it's possible to find a very comfortable position, but one gripe with the relationship between driver and controls concerns the placement of the handbrake, which is where cupholders should be and vice versa.

It's a vestige of the Focus's LHD design heritage that will hopefully be ironed out in the locally manufactured model when that goes into production in a few years.

Other than that, Ford designers have done well with the layout of the instrumentation and controls.

Instrumentation features an upshift indicator which illuminates if you're over-revving the engine. Frankly, this is easy to do, since this is one diesel engine that’s still pulling hard and accelerating at the redline.

There were no significant shortfalls in build quality, although we noted uneven gaps between some of the plastic mouldings (side window demisters to dashboard and glovebox to dashboard). These weren't deal-killers though.

Nor is the price. For about $2000 less than most of its obvious competitors, the Focus TDCi offers a relatively high specification, but there are a few items missing from the specification to balance out the value. You can see our car comparator here for further information.

In short, we like the Focus TDCi. Some would argue it's a more conservative looking car than the LR model Focus that preceded the current generation, but it's attractively styled nonetheless and isn't too fussy in detail.

It's solid and presents good value -- especially if you're after a car that will cover a lot of bases.

To comment on this article click