Perhaps the only rewarding experience with the Trend is its ability to tackle winding bends and zigzag roads with poise and precision. The MacPherson Strut / Control Blade Strut combination makes the Focus very obedient while the tight and transparent steering is the automotive equivalent of Nirvana. The four-wheel disc brakes are equally good and the pedal feel is absolutely solid, confident and spot-on. The Goodyear NCT 5 tires may squeal in protest during spirited driving, but the Focus’s chassis delivers enough driving fun and confidence to take corners a bit faster and leaving braking points a bit later. Sometimes, you would tend to think that the Focus was made to revoke your driver’s license.
Although you may argue that a base model car such as the Focus 1.6 Trend cannot and will certainly not be as well equipped or faster than its higher variant brethren, it feels less car inside and out to justify it as a private purchase. At roughly 96,000 pesos less than a 1.8 Ghia, you can’t help but think that you’re getting a much lesser car. Scrutinize the details: loss of leather bags, in-dash CD changer, electric driver’s seat, lumbar support, passenger airbag, chrome interior bits and trip computer (on the manual model) inside; skinnier tires and unpainted bumper moldings outside. All-in-all, if you add these as aftermarket accessories, it will cost more than just the stock 1.8 Ghia, and that’s not including the extra grunt from the Ethanol-ready 1.8 Duratec HE engine. You still get the handling, but unless you want your Focus with a manual, why shortchange yourself?
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| The interior's rather underwhelming even if there's some plastics in the middle. Finished well enough, but certainly not best in class. |
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| Manual transmission is slick, but clutch very tricky to operate. Center console can get in the way too. Aren't the gear numbers usually etched rather than printed on the gear lever? Feels cheap. |
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| 1.6 Trend MT loses trip computer in favor of calculator-like trip meter. The AT has it back. |
