Ford Focus

Used Car Of The Year 2007

How good is the Focus? Well, all of our judges wanted one to take home themselves...

Auto Express Car Reviews

April 2007

Here it is – our Number One! The best used car in Britain. The superb Focus proves that practical constraints and a limited budget are certainly no barrier to owning a great motor that’s also enjoyable to drive.


	The Ford was the overwhelming choice of our experts this year, thanks to its excellent value, all-round ability and, to coin a phrase, buyability

The Ford was the overwhelming choice of our experts this year, thanks to its excellent value, all-round ability and, to coin a phrase, buyability. What’s that? Well, during the selection process, our team often asked themselves if they could recommend a particular car to a close friend or relative. However, that didn’t really apply to the Focus, because all of our judges would happily take one home to keep!

Thanks to its status as a top-selling new motor, there’s already a huge variety of second-hand examples to choose from, despite the fact the fresh model arrived as recently as 2005. Prices start from only £7,000, and for that you’ll be getting a spacious, practical and reliable family car.

However, as with its predecessor, the current version doesn’t only tick the sensible boxes. With a quality interior, fine engines and excellent chassis, the Focus is genuinely desirable. Like any other Ford, you’ll also benefit from low running costs and a huge dealer network, so getting your car looked after won’t be a problem, either.

An impressive 19th place in this year’s Driver Power survey goes to show how popular the blue oval’s big-seller is with existing owners – and there are no finer judges than the people who actually drive and run them.

As well as both three and five-door options, there’s also a saloon and an estate. However, wise buyers will avoid the unloved four-door saloon variants and stick to the popular five-door hatchback and load-lugging versions, which will always be easy to sell on.

If you can’t stretch to the latest model, the original Focus remains a worthy second-hand choice. Its cabin looks dated compared with modern rivals, and its boot isn’t the biggest, but the first-generation car still cuts the mustard on the road and it remains a seriously cheap buy.

However, if you can afford it, the capable current car is excellent value for money – and never better than when someone else has taken the initial depreciation hit.

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