New Ford Focus review
An impressive array of technology makes the new Ford Focus an attractive car for those that love their gadgets, but some packs are better value than others.
Ford DAB Navigation System
Satnav doesn’t come as standard, although it can be added to the Zetec for £750 and to the Titanium and Titanium X for £550. It’s pretty much what you’d expect from a modern satnav, with clear voice prompts, easy-to-search maps and clear directions displayed on the screen. However, it’s also very expensive and doesn’t give you anything extra that a handheld satnav will do for a fraction of the price. Unless you want the neatness of having everything integrated, this is one option to ignore.
Adaptive Cruise Control
A £750 option on the Titanium and Titanium X, Adaptive Cruise Control uses a long-range radar to detect the distance between you and the car in front. By setting a minimum timegap using the dashboard controls, you can follow the car in front safely, with the Focus automatically adjusting its speed to ensure that there’s always a safe gap.
If the road ahead clears, the Focus will accelerate back up to the pre-set speed automatically. It’s effective and simple to use, removing some of the annoyances associated with using speed-only cruise control.
The other part of this system is the Speed Limiter, which lets you set a maximum speed for the car, helping you avoid speeding tickets. It prevents the car from breaching this speed, by automatically adjusting the fuel intake. However, if you floor the accelerator, it disengages, allowing you to make emergency manoeuvres.
Standard equipment
The packs are great, but we also tested out the standard equipment installed in every Focus, regardless of engine capacity or trim. DAB radio works as you would expect; even in rural Scotland (where Ford invited us to test the car) we could pick up all the major radio stations. Another great inclusion is Bluetooth; we paired our iPhone 4 with the system in just a few steps and could instantly make calls using the buttons on the dashboard or steering wheel to browse the list of contacts. Ford has taken the technology one step further than making phone calls, as you can now use Bluetooth to wirelessly stream the music stored on compatible devices to the car stereo.
The option was automatically enabled when we connected an iPhone 4, but you still need to use your handset to change tracks. Sound quality was fantastic; we can see this technology quickly replacing in-car connection kits. A USB port will still let you play your music if you have an unsupported phone or media player, albeit using a cable plugged into the socket inside the glovebox.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that the new Ford Focus is technologically impressive. It’s incredibly good value given the number of gadgets included as standard, while the add-on packs give you all of the gadgets and gizmos of a luxury model for a fraction of the price.
If you’re buying a Titanium or Titanium X model, the Driver Assistance Pack is well worth the £750. In fact, we’d go so far as to say it would be mad not to buy this option with a new car. The Convenience Pack gives you the funky trick of letting the car park itself, but unless you have lots of difficulty parking, the City Pack with parking sensors is a more sensible choice for most people.
