Driving Ford’s small Focus Titanium five door hatch – with 1.5-litre DOHC EcoBoost turbo engine linked to a six-speed automatic with a thumb button on the selector lever for fast manual shifting – this is a very enjoyable driver – a very well sorted chassis makes it a delight on a winding road – just so assured in all it does. After the dual clutch automatic gearbox problems of the previous model this latest Focus automatic had to redeem itself with the buying public. Ford had upped the specification despite a $300 price reduction over last year’s model and its most comprehensive – it’s a little tight in rear seat legroom but front room is generous and it comes with a much improved 8-inch colour touch screen compared to the previous models inadequate 4.2 inch unit. Part of the reason for the marvelous ride and handling of this higher grade Focus is the large 18-inch alloys – disappointingly though it only gets a space saver spare wheel.

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