TEST DRIVE: Ford Focus 1.5L Ecoboost Trend - Is the entry level Focus good enough?

The C-segment car. This used to be the go-to segment of car that most people bought. It is a mid-sized compact car so they say. Engine size usually between 1.6liters to about 2.0liters. This is where cars like the Honda Civic, Mazda 3 and the Toyota Corolla sit and these cars were the ones that everyone drove. I somehow think that the C-segment is a perfect balance when it comes to size, space utilisation, refinement and performance for the regular Joe. I still do. But these days, with prices of the cars in this category going higher, nudging into the larger full sized D segment cars and the growing popularity of the smaller more affordable B segment cars like the Honda City as well as the growing SUV and MPV market, the C-segment car has somehow been a little lost.

However, this has not stopped manufacturers from coming out with interesting cars here. We have to note that cars like the Subaru WRX and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo are cars that belong to this segment also. This is an interesting segment actually and even now we get Honda throwing in some high tech stuff into their Civic with the 1.5liter VTEC Turbo. So this category is now the one filled with some performance stuff if you look closely. And speaking of the new Honda Civic 1.5 Turbo a lot of people have said that this an affordable way to buying performance.

A 1.5liter turbocharged engine gives you the performance of a 2.0liter but with the fuel consumption and road tax of something lesser (maintenance costs aside of course). The C-segment cars are actually the first level in buying truly affordable performance and refinement in a car and this turbocharged car is an option at slightly under RM140,000. However, the price of the car actually knocks on the door of the base Honda Accord 2.0. Whilst the Accord is a larger and slightly slower car, it is still an Accord and it offers a lot more car for the money. It actually handles quite well for a barge too.

So at RM140,000 the Civic turbo has its own stablemate to worry about in some ways. But it is not the only option if you want to go turbo. Now do remember that Ford launched the facelifted Focus just before Honda launched the Civic sometime in March 2016. It also has a 1.5liter turbocharged engine with more or less the same level of performance. And the best thing is that this car is that it comes in three variants – two high specced ones sell at RM139,888 (otr w/o insurance) and a lower specced one comes in at only RM118,888 (otr w/o insurance). Could this be the performance bargain we're looking for?

I think it is. I have driven both the higher priced variants (Sport+ review is here. Titanium+ Sedan is here.) and I was actually curious to know how this base model drives. The base car is called a Ford Focus 1.5L Ecoboost Trend 5 door hatchback (the pricer variants are the Titanium+ 4 door sedan and the Sport+ 5 door hatchback). This car differs from the higher priced cars in that it has no Daytime Running Lights, no auto headlights, a normal single control air conditioning system, a smaller 3.5inch LCD SYNC infotainment system/screen (instead of a TFT Colour SYNC2), a more basic manual driver's seat adjustment, two airbags (instead of six).

It also does not have all of the extra high tech safety stuff like front park sensors (only rear sensors), enhance (self) Park Assist, Active City Stop, BLIS – blind spot with cross traffic alert and no cruise control with speed limiting function. The Trend was supposed to come with fabric seats, but this car, which belongs to Ford/Sime Darby Auto Connexion's marketing department has some leather seats and a leather wrapped steering on it because they're testing this locally sourced leather. But fabric seats are nice in that they do not trap heat if you park outdoors.

Does it need all the stuff mentioned above? Not really. You still can SYNC stuff with the smaller screen media unit. The safety stuff you see here are all in cars priced much higher up and park assist is something any competent driver would not bother to use. The Active City Stop or the system that applies the brakes to slow down the car automatically if it senses an obstacle in front of the car is all good but if you actually pay attention whilst driving or like you're supposed to this extra equipment is very optional indeed. Maybe you could do with more airbags but it has ESP which I think is important as it would get you out of a spot before you need the airbags.

You still get a lot of stuff and it rides on 17 inch wheels and tyres (215/50/17) and a standard suspension setup - the Sport+ rides on 17inch wheels and a sports suspension whilst the Titanium+ Sedan rides on 16inch wheels and standard suspension. This is in between. You get big wheels but a stock suspension. So the Focus Trend gives you a bit of the sedan and a bit of the Sport+ in one package.

Anyway, I drove it around town (and elsewhere as usual) for a few days and I never missed any of the equipment that was found in the higher specced Focus variants. I also drove the car like I drove the Sport+ and I actually did not feel any noticeable difference in terms of actual cornering grip or handling. I think the Trend feels just as good in the corners as the Sport+. Well, maybe the car rides slightly better than the Sport+ but my behind cannot really feel any difference.

So let's take bits from the Focus Sport+ review and state it here as everything feels the same in terms of driving pleasure.

As with the Focus Sport+ and the Titanium+ sedan, the Focus Trend hatchback handles very well. The chassis is fluid and you'd expect such chassis sophistication from something that is the likes of a BMW 3 series instead of a compact hatchback. Chassis control is therefore very good. On the worn tarmac stretches and bends of an old B-road, the Trend soaks up all bumps with ease and corners without much drama. There is ample front end grip and a rear which can be mobile when you want it to be. You can trail brake into most corners without upsetting the balance of the car. The rear assisting the front as it does feel eager instead of being tied down. This fluid nature of the car is truly for the enthusiast.

The electric power steering system has good weighting and is nicely direct in terms of steering input and cornering angle. A little bit light and quick around town but on the b-roads it would wag its tail out a little if you enter a corner faster than you're supposed to. The tail would then come out so that the cornering line is tightened when you're shooting out of the corner. The Trend has none of the nose led stuff type of handling that you would normally find in most front wheel drive hatchbacks. It is quite throttle adjustable as well as adjustable on the brakes. I did find out that the throttle response is set to give you an initial burst where a little pedal movement easily moves the car off the line. It however has a longer travel once you cross over a certain point. The engineers basically have made the car feel like the car isn't just a boosted 1.5liter engine by playing with the throttle input. Nice.

But speaking about the brakes, I think Ford may have specced brake pads which are a little weedy even though pedal feel is decent. If I were to be technical, the pads have an operating temperature from 0-300 degrees Celsius. It should be higher. Right now the pads are adequate for normal everyday driving with one or two emergency stops on the highway but not good some someone taking it up and down Genting Highlands and on the brakes most of the time.

Anyway aside from this very correctable flaw (better performance pads later on), the Trend has the performance to back up its skillful chassis. The 1.5liter Ecoboost petrol engine may seem like something small that you'd find in a Toyota Vios but it is packed with a whole lot of technology like direct injection, variable valve timing and a turbocharger. This allows the little engine to make 180ps and a whopping, for a small engine, 240Nm worth of torque. It is smooth all the way to the 6,000rpm and a bit more redline. It is refined all the way and whilst I remember saying that it felt like a larger engine earlier, it does have moments where you'd notice that it has a smaller capacity when you're on a tight mountainside road with serious inclines.

Of course, on most Malaysian highways and in town driving, it feels quite powerful. Only on really challenging roads where you somehow need more torque does it feel its actual small engine size (and when you're modulating the throttle from the halfway point until the floorboards does the pedal travel feel long). I suppose it does feel like a 2.0liter normally aspirated car most of the time due to the throttle modulation. However it needs some revs to hustle 0-100kmh tested at 9.5secs which is actually down to the gear ratios I suppose. And since the 6 speed gearbox is now no longer a dual clutch job but a hydraulic torque convertor, it is smooth in gear shifts without any of the usual low speed dual clutch roughness. Shift times are not as fast as the dual clutch but is actually adequate if you want to hustle the Focus Trend a little.

I have to add that refinement levels are very high in the Focus Trend. The engine and gearbox is a refined combination with good mechanical refinement as well as good levels of soundproofing too.The overall refinement levels for the Focus is very, very good. It could be the best in its class even if you compare it to other European C-segment cars out there. Wind noise and road noise are actually minimal even at speeds of over 150kmh. We still can have a normal conversation at that speed. Again. High speed ride is good and the car feels very solid. The 90-120kmh cruise is silent. As quiet as something like the current Mercedes Benz C-Class. Really impressive refinement levels.

I actually think that the base Focus Trend is a better buy that even the higher specced Focus variants. The only visible difference outside are the lack of DRLs and the only visible difference are the smaller less colour media unit, PU Steering (not in this test car), fabric seats (but not in this unit though) and the lack of pedal shifters (you can use the gear knob to shift manually if you want and 180hp isn't dramatic enough for knuckle clenching driving actually). I did not miss them all actually as the drive is quite good.

At the price offered it is better than the other 1.5liter turbocharged car out there – the Honda Civic. I love the Focus' gearbox better than the one in the Civic (which is a CVT and not a nice one at that - the test drive review is here) and I also think that this car trumps it in terms of handling and also overall refinement. The only thing that the Civic pulls back is outright acceleration and a more fashion forward shape (which is actually subjective as the Focus hatchback also looks pretty good. But handling, refinement, high speed cruising, fun factor and affordability in terms of initial purchase price, the Focus Trend wins by a mile. No joke.

FORD FOCUS 1.5L ECOBOOST TREND HATCHBACK

Pros: Nice sporty styling, Very very capable chassis, ride and handling is excellent, refinement is supremely high, feels solid, good equipment levels, better plastics than pre-facelift model, better ergonomics, base SYNC system is good enough for everyone, Ecoboost engine is strong for its small size

Cons:  front passenger space is a bit tight, rear passenger space if you push the front seats a little too much, brake pad fade if you're really pushing the heck out of it, some may not like the futuristic dashboard design, better interior packaging would be welcomed, may be considered as slightly pricey

Conclusion: Did not miss any of the additional equipment in the better specced Focus. Probably one of the most refined sub RM120,000 hatchback around. Probably the most fun you can have in a sub RM120,000 hatchback. I did not miss any of the extra equipment and I think this could be the best C-segment car to have fun in and to cruise quietly in. Even that other 1.5 turbocharged car comes in second.

Ford Focus 1.5 Ecoboost TREND

Specification & Prices

Price

RM118,888 otr (w/o insurance) Peninsular Malaysia - Talk to the sales advisors for current deals (there should be one going on at the moment)

Warranty 

3 year or 100,000km (whichever comes first) and an additional 2 years or 100,000km (whichever comes first) extended warranty by Sime Darby Auto Connexion

ENGINE
1.5-litre EcoBoost inline four-cylinder Common-Rail direct injection, turbocharger
Capacity
1499cc

Transmission
6 speed torque convertor automatic
Front wheel drive

Power 180ps
Torque 240Nm @ 1600-5000rpm

Weight 1350kg (approx)

Performance:
0-100kmh in approximately 9+ seconds
Top Speed: manufacturer's claim - 220kmh.

Fuel Consumption: As tested - 10.8liters/100km in a combined cycle. Most should get it in the 9-10liters/100km range easily.

Below: Taking two pics from the Focus Sport+ because the engine and the boot looks the same.