Ford Focus 2015 review – Is the tech-loaded new-look Focus a Golf beater? - Performance and 0-60 time
Ford’s best-seller returns in its sleekest form yet
Performance and 0-60 time
Our test in the 123bhp (at 6000rpm) 1-litre three-cylinder confirmed the positive remarks we made after our first go with it in the Fiesta. It’s quiet, remarkably smooth for an in-line three and silent on tick-over, and even offers a decent amount of performance considering its size – 125lb ft of torque arrives from just 1400rpm ensuring 62mph comes in claimed 11sec. Top speed is quoted at 120mph.
The Focus’ added weight only shows when really wringing the little EcoBoost unit’s neck, with the lower end of the rev range feeling laggy and the engine turning a little breathless up top. The mid-range is where the 1-litre impresses, feeling like an engine almost twice its size.
Take the car onto the motorway however, and you’ll want one of the larger offerings from the engine range. We sampled the 1.5-litre TDCi diesel in 118bhp (at 3600rpm) spec, and it proved to be refined and smooth with a healthy 199lb ft of torque arriving at 1750rpm. It struggles when revved hard, but stick to the mid-range and the engine performs well.
Our pick of the bunch would be the 1.5-litre EcoBoost. As the biggest four-cylinder petrol unit on offer this side of the ST, it produces 179bhp at 6000rpm and 177lb ft of torque at 1600rpm. It can accelerate the Focus from 0 to 62mph in 8.6sec – just four-tenths shy of the ST TDCi – and has enough power once rolling to get the front wheels scrabbling for grip through quick changes into second.
Like its EcoBoost siblings, most performance is held within the mid-range, but unlike the smaller alternatives, the 1.5-litre pulls strongly from low revs and remains free-revving up top. It’s therefore the most flexible and responsive engine in the Focus line-up.
