Certain cars seem to capture the public’s imagination when they are released. Notable examples in recent years include the Bugatti Veyron, Pagani Zonda and the Lamborghini Murcielago. However, even someone with the most cursory interest in cars would probably identify that these three particular examples are not within the budget of your average office worker in Dulwich. Still a car doesn’t need 600+ Bhp and 7 Litre 12 cylinder engines to provide driving appeal to the masses. Sometimes all a car needs is honest engineering, reliable engines, quality build and a very reasonable price tag. These factors alone are probably some explanation as to why the Ford Focus is the best-selling car in the United Kingdom.
I know what you’re thinking; “how can you start an article with words like ‘Veyron’ and ‘Zonda’ and all of a sudden end up at the Ford Focus?”. Well I appreciate your candour, but hear me out; the Ford Focus has a lot to get excited about. Principally, for the first time in my memory, there is a family car on the market that provides a genuinely pleasurable driving experience. Ford haven’t forgone quality in the name of practicality and for that I thank them. The New Ford Focus handles like a dream and feels like you’re driving a particularly nippy tank. This quality of weight distribution and safety is perfectly matched against the quality Ford motors. Whether you choose the sublimely sporty Ford Focus ST or the more conservative Focus Diesel 1.4, you are ensured a drive which will betray the price you paid for it. The Focus ST, generally available around the £19,000 mark, zooms off the starting line like a vehicle twice its price, but still retains the Ford practicality that the brand is internationally synonymous with.
This brings me to my second major point; considering that The Ford Focus has been manufactured solely as a family car, enormous care and attention has been invested into the vehicle making it a fun drive. Yes, you read that correctly, the Ford Focus is fun to drive. Test driving the Focus ST [http://www.forddealsdirect.co.uk/ford/ford-focus-st.shtml] around some country roads left me with a Cheshire Cat-like grin on my face; the genuine thrill of the tight corners giving way to huge rev straights in the Focus ST has rarely been rivalled at such a reasonable price point.
This is why the Ford Focus has been flying off the forecourts up and down the country ever since its inception in 1998. In very few cars can you find enough space for the whole family (plus the dog) and still experience a tight, responsive drive that truly delivers where so many other car manufacturers in this price bracket fail. The Focus’ main competition comes from the VW Golf, Vauxhall Astra and Citroen C4, all of which great value for money and impressive specs. However, none of them have the same self-assured feel of the Ford Focus or the quality feel of the interior. Comfort comes at a premium in most cars of this budget, it seems to come as standard in the Focus.
