NEW FORD FOCUS ST-LINE X. Short blog review.

The Ford Focus has been one of the U.K’s favourite cars since its launch way back in the late 90’s. The Focus has been seen as one of the benchmark cars in its class and I jumped at the chance to see if the new Focus moves the game on.

I got to test this rather sporty looking Focus ST-Line X, 1.5 TDCI EcoBlue automatic.
From both the front and rear there isn’t any car on the market that looks quite like it. From the side, however, it has a hint of a New Mercedes A-Class and Hyundai i30. …all of which is not a bad thing.

Inside this car ….things get really interesting.

The interior trim has a quality feel to the plastics and switchgear. My only gripe were the very small gear change paddles behind the steering wheel which felt very flimsy and cheap. I also found them a bit small but I dont think in everyday driving I would ever use them ….I would leave it in Auto mode and let the car change gear itself.

The round selector in the centre console is where I would select either park, reverse, neutral or drive. This rotary knob looks very stylish and adds to the premium feeling inside the car. This whole area seems very wide. You have a very comfy arm rest and two cup holders between the driver and passenger’s seat. There is a huge amount of room in both the front and rear. The front seats feel pretty wide too.

Now, this is a small thing….but I was most happy to see that this new Focus has lined door pockets pictured below. It is so much nicer to feel a lined door pocket rather than just hard plastic.

I found myself an excellent driving position and this press vehicle was fitted with a lot of optional extras. The Heads-up Display and the Drivers Assistance Pack (which includes Traffic Sign Recognition) was really clear to read whilst driving. The Heads-Up Display is an optional extra of £400 and the Drivers Assistance Pack is an extra £500 So £900 for both….but definitely worth it.

On the road I could definitely feel that I could cover many miles in this car. The 8 speed auto transmission is very smooth and the engine pulls very well with its 300 Nm of torque. The car doesn’t feel quick but with the way the suspension rides it was a really relaxing drive.

The steering is precise when on the move at speed and I did find at lower speeds there was a strange almost numb feeling when traveling in a straight line. I could turn the steering wheel left or right quite a lot before the car would turn in. Even when I wiggle the steering wheel the car would travel straight…. even though I was putting a lot of input into the steering.

I am sure in time it would be something I could get used to.

To sum up…..

The New Ford Focus has “grown up” with its roomy and pleasant interior. I do think that this model in Desert Island Blue (which is an exclusive colour) is the one to go for.

Plus this model looks so much better than the standard Focus.

This is a huge improvement on all previous Focus’s.

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Ford Focus ST-Line X