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While the Focus does well as a driving tool, the biggest drawback has to be the driver's seat. It lacks lateral and bum support and as such, could be a pain even in just 2 hours of city traffic. The hatch has even stiffer seats. The story’s the same at the back, where the upright rake won’t win any favors from the passengers. Equally lacking is a powerful air conditioning system. Though equipped with a fancy dual-zone push-button computer-controlled set-up, things can get a bit sweaty during midday, even if the temperature setting’s already down to 16 degrees (the lowest setting). As the Focus is one of the most talked about products for this year, we made it a point to survey potential buyers who are ready to switch from their current rides. Most, especially women, didn’t like the lack of a remote switch for the hood, gasoline cap and trunk. They feel as if stepping down to open the hood or fuel filler cap at a petrol station opens them to unnecessary risk of getting mugged (it probably doesn’t happen in Europe). Small kids and vertically challenged adults (to my surprise, my 1.7 m frame is included) found the hatch a challenge to operate given the high opening angle. In this sense, the sedan is more practical. In addition, the sharply raked roofline on the 5-door robs the rear people of some headroom compared to the more-than-ample 4-door—a complete opposite of the Mazda3 4- and 5-door, where the 5-door provided more headroom. Avid golfers also found a problem in the loading bay. Though deep, wide and protrusion-free, they swear the 526-liter trunk can’t even fit one full set of clubs. The hatch packs a lot less space at 385 liters. At this point, it’s clear that the Ford Focus, whether in sedan or hatchback form, is far from being perfect. And perhaps its very European origins are to blame for this. Although it’s true that this car has single-handedly revolutionized driving dynamics and comfort, those migrating from their Corollas and Civics may find the European quirkiness a bit hard to swallow, especially given the price (P 919,000 for the sedan, P 988,000 for the hatchback). I certainly did. But after a while, you realize that though the Focus doesn’t have the best seats or a remote lever to open the hood, it does have one thing up its sleeve: engineering. For once, here’s a compact car that doesn’t rely on go faster aero parts, tacky wood, and heads-up displays to make you feel good on the road. It has gotten the basic ingredients right, and that makes one of the best in its class. |
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