Ford Focus Estate road tests and consumer car reviews

Ford Focus Estate style 1.6tdci 2009

Fast for a 1600 diesel. The handling is okay, the interior is okay, the thing I find really bad is the road noise no matter what surface you are driving on. Even with the stereo loud the noise is still bad. Very poor for a popular car. The diesel engine is a lot noisier than other diesels, especially against the Vauxhall range. I had a Vauxhall Insignia diesel for a day and it was like a Rolls Royce compared to the Focus and road noise was very low compared to the Focus.

Ford Focus Estate 2004

The only problem with our 54 plate focus it the bearings on the wheel, which had to be changed a few months ago for £40. It’s been reliable for 2 years, but we’re trading it in this week for a 2007 model. We bought it from a company car dealership; there’s a lot of miles on the car, but usually only 1 previous owener and full service history. Tip: Get a second hand car with a recent MoT (within the last 8 weeks).

Ford Focus Estate 2007

Best car I have bought. Solid, hard wearing, good on fuel and nothing ever goes wrong. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Ford Focus Estate 1.8 TDCi Estate 2003

Ford Diesel technology must be lagging behind all their competitors. The Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi has to be one of the most unreliable cars I have ever driven. Starting problems, especially in winter, is very common with this vehicle. The Internet is filled with complaints from owners regarding inability to start when cold. Changed to date have been heater plugs twice, crankshaft sensor, mass flow sensor, injectors stripped and overhauled, battery, starter motor etc. Ford patrols are fantastic but having owned two Ford diesels I will never buy one again. The cost of ownership far outweighs any benefits from fuel economy.

Responses to this review

Owned a 2003 Focus tdci for 4 years and the only problem I have is with the dual mass flywheel. I never had a breakdown, it just kept going and going - Chris Dodd from England

Ford Focus Estate 5door hatch 2008

Having recently downsized to a Ford Focus 5 door hatch (Dec 2008) from a ten year old Honda Accord which I purchased new, I am reasonably satisfied so far, apart from the horrendous body/road boom. The slogan is ’feel the difference’ which for me is ’hear the difference’ Not on the same planet as the Accord I’m afraid, but must stick with it for the time being.

Ford Focus Estate 1999

Never owned a better car. Bought with 30,000 on the clock; now got 150,000. Only ever garaged for MOT and a cam belt change. Good fuel economy; excellent drive position and the 1.8tdi has loads of power through the range; tried all manner of other cars when I felt like a change but none seem to have the same grunt, so I’ve kept. Apart from tyres, odd bulbs and a few minor bits I’ve never had to buy much else. I’d now like a change but the damn thing still keeps happily running. I do all my own servicing on a regular basis and maybe that helps. The downside is that during the recent snow, when parked up in a layby for the day some van or lorry backed into the offside wing then drove off (I wasn’t there). Not sure whether to repair (costly?) or just trade her in as scrap!

Ford Focus Estate TDCI 115ps 2004

Bought it second hand from Ford dealer with 6 months warranty left. Initially liked the car... powerful diesel engine, clean gearshift and it drove pretty well with reasonable fuel consumption. Those are the good points though. After a few months I started to get starting problems. Then a funny sound from the gearbox/clutch area. Asked Ford what the problem was and they said pay us £150 to take the gearbox apart and we’ll tell you. Went to local mechanic and diagnosed dual mass flywheel problem. This is a common problem with most diesel engines where the flywheel is made from two halves and bonded together with rubber. The rubber is a vibration cushion and helps prevent gearbox strip-out due to the high torque diesel engines produce. It cost me just short of £1000 to fix. Next problem: squeaky steering arm. Again replaced at a cost or £125. Then more starting problems (new starter motor at £120). The seats are not a patch on my old Astra either. Sold the car. It’s cheap and tinny. I’ll never buy a Ford or a diesel again. I’ll stick to tried and tested petrol engines in the future. If there was a rating of zero, then that would be my choice. Incidentally, at no time did Ford admit to the major dual mass flywheel problem even though they must have known.

Ford Focus Estate Estate Titanium 2009

Great all-rounder (interior space/handling) save for: interior design / styling is a bit Soviet bloc for this day and age. Oh, and gearbox on the 1.6 tdci is as precise as moving a hammer round in a bag of nails.

Ford Focus Estate 2005

The worst car I ever owned. I bought it second hand from the local dealer. Electric problems just inside 3 year guarantee, and Ford refused to accept liability saying that the car doesn’t like driving in rainy conditions! Clutch failed; AA came to my assistance and said they had seen it all... Before then the air conditioning failed. Two days ago there was a total loss of gears - good old AA to the rescue again!! I can’t wait to get rid of it. Ford’s customer service is hopeless. All we want is a decent fairly modest estate car. Any ideas?

Responses to this review

I’ve just bought a 56 plate diesel Focus Estate. Seems OK, although I’ve only done 50 miles in it so far. If you are looking for a decent modest estate car - and you are completely put off Ford - check the Skoda Octavia range. I’ve been a customer of Skoda for about 10 years (since they introduced the Octavia). My last one was a VRs estate which is a very practical and fairly quick car. At 6 years old and 74,000 miles it was getting a bit expensive to run - hence the Focus Estate - but I certainly had a twinge of regret when selling it. Hope this helps - Andy from Oxfordshire

Ford Focus Estate 1.6 TTDCi 110 2005

"The Ford Focus is defined by its attention to detail. The exterior of the vehicle has a look that is sporty and refined, whilst the interior is thoughtful in design and high in comfort. Whether you choose the sporty 3-door hatchback, refined 5-door hatchback, sophisticated 4-door saloon or the stylish and practical 5-door Estate, the Ford Focus takes the best possible care of you and your passengers whilst making no compromise on the excitement of the drive." OK - that`s the official blurb, and I bought a `55 Diesel Estate 2 years ago on the basis of this kind of puff. Don`t get me wrong - the Focus is not a bad car - just do not believe the puff. The attention to detail (see above) falls way below what Ford were achieving 20 years ago. Items include switchgear, headrests, seats, pedals, visibility, storage, door pockets, the list goes on. Did you know that if you cannot put a child seat in the rear without pushing the front seats too far forward? Or that turning out of a "T" the hopeless headrests combine with the 20cm wide "B" post to create a dangerous blind spot? Or ---- The list goes on. It`s said Ford hired designers from VW/Audi Group to really buzz up the design of the Focus. If true, then VAG must be laughing all the way to the Bank ,to have got rid of their duds. And these idiots spoiled what could have been a very good car indeed. The Focus is "exciting to drive" - true - but it is neither stylish (sort of egg blob), "thoughtful in design", nor "refined". This is one of the noisiest cars I have ever owned - not engine (quite good) - but road rumble. It`s like being rolled down the gravel on Brighton Beach in an oil drum. And as it`s also one of the heaviest (same as my old Rover V8) - one wonders at 1.4 tonnes, (for a "small family car?") why there is no sound proofing? It`s bad enough you cannot have a conversation on most motorways, or listen to the radio, and after an hour or so, it really gets to you. I` d like to like the Focus it`s been bog reliable over 30,000 miles, - and buzzing 4 miles into town, it`s very nice (if you like heavy metal music -I don`t) - but on a long journey it becomes miserable. Only 3 1/2 years old - but it`s got to go. I`ve had enough of it. Badly designed, un-refined, bumpy, rough, noisy, and hard to live with. AS

Ford Focus Estate LX 1.6 auto petrol 2007

Only visited the dealer twice since new, both times merely for annual/12000m service with no faults reported. Car comfortable and capacious for external size. Only downside is poor fuel consumption. Never got more than 31mpg on trip average. In fact consumption is the same as previous 2.0-litre Picasso petrol auto.

Ford Focus Estate 1.6 Ghia auto 2005

Purchased my 1.6 Ghia auto estate in January 2009 - what a pleasant surprise! Excellent drive, comfortable, very roomy, auto box superb, good performance for a small engine, could extol it’s virtues for ever... superb.

Ford Focus Estate 1.6 Petrol LX Trim 2005

Overall, this is an excellent car. I was a little surprised by the comment from Ian Jones as the Focus feels incredibly solid, particularly when compared to rivals like the Citroen C4. In my variant, the engine is quite noisy at motorway speeds but the car always feel nimble and up to pretty much whatever you throw at it. The seats stain with water marks very easily, but realistic family buyers usually accept that small children will always find a way to ’customise’ your cars interior. This might have been improved with the 2008 models. I totally recommend this car.

Ford Focus Estate 1.6 TDI

Decent car, excellent on fuel consumption, car seats get uncomfortable however on long journeys if you are like me and have a dicky back. Also, the car felt very light, leaving you feeling a little exposed when passing larger vehicles.