The small car market is a pretty competitive segment – 25 choices are available – the top three models in January the Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai’s i30. I recently tested Ford’s Focus which ranks 8 th best seller out of 25 small car choices under $40,000. Built in Thailand the latest Focus has a torque convertor six-speed automatic – far superior to the troublesome dual clutch auto fitted to the previous model which cost Ford Australia plenty in warranty. I drove the1.5 turbo Focus Titanium five door hatch at $32,690 – it now comes with safety tech upgrades including rear traffic alert and blind spot detection – also has active stop collision avoidance which now functions up to 50km/hour. The latest Focus Titanium is loaded with gear – including dual zone climate control,18-inch alloy wheels, leather sports seats, a mild body kit, keyless entry and start, auto lights and wipers. It also gets a much larger and more user friendly central touchscreen.

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