Whichever power source you choose for a Focus, it's unlikely you'll be dissatisfied with the performance: and one of Ford's petrols in particular is outstanding, which we'll come to in a moment.
The likely best seller is the 113bhp 1.6 TDCi. It’s not a hugely powerful engine with which to propel a 1380kg and that’s nothing of which to be ashamed, given current emissions and economy requirements.
So it would be unfair of us to expect anything better than the 10.7sec it took to reach 60mph from rest, or the same 10.7sec it wanted to reach 70mph from 30mph, when we road tested the car.
Neither is there a problem with refinement. That’s a theme, incidentally, that you’ll note with wind and tyre noise at speed, too – and it goes to make the Focus the standout car in the class when it comes to noise suppression.
The hottest diesel is the TDCI 163. Performance is good: impressively, the weight of this Focus is almost identical to the outgoing model and while the engine's performance band is a little narrow, with peak power coming it low at 3750rpm, the six closely stacked ratios in the clean shifting box means you'll never have trouble keeping it on the boil.
There are good petrol engines too. The 1.6 Ecoboost 150 is a fine unit, with a large depth of flexibility and economy. It also makes for an extremely refined and relaxing motor in general.
The stand-out motor, though, is the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder Ecoboost, which offers spectacular performance and economy: we managed more than 50mpg while making respectable progress in the 123bhp variant; economy typically only on offer from noisier diesels. It also confers a remarkable new layer of smoothness and refinement on the hatchback. It's a real game-changer.
