Ford Focus Estate review - Reliability and safety

There’s a lot of advanced technology in the latest Focus line-up, and some of the most impressive kit is designed with safety in mind.

The new C2 platform and body combines to generate 40% more frontal impact absorption than before, we’re told, while the array of driver assistance features includes Evasive Steering Assist that helps you avoid impacts should the autonomous emergency braking kick in.

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The Brake Assist now recognises pedestrians and cyclists as well as other cars, while the Co-Pilot360 adaptive cruise control can bring you right down to a standstill on the motorway with no driver intervention. Traffic sign recognition and lane assist are also in the Focus portfolio, along with cross-traffic alerts and blind spot monitoring. As you’d expect the new Ford also scores an impressive five stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests.

The new C2 platform and much of the tech is untested on the reliability front of course, but Ford has been making positive strides in that direction with the previous Focus appearing in the top half of our Driver Power satisfaction survey. New Focus owners will hope an upward trend develops. However, it should be noted that Ford finished a lowly 24th out of 30 manufacturers in our 2020 poll of best brands.

Warranty

Standard warranty cover is three years and 60,000 miles, but you can pay more to extend up to five years and 100,000 miles.

Servicing

Expect to pay around £500 for the first three years of maintenance, including two routine stops for servicing.