Focus on a Budget
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- Does a new low-spec variant of the Focus put the ‘Ford’ in ‘Affordable’?
By Leow Ju-Len
IF YOU’RE IN the business of selling things, it’s probably a good idea to give people what they want.
And as far as cars are concerned, what people seem to want here is something with four doors, a 1.6-litre engine and an automatic gearbox, all wrapped up in a hopefully-car-shaped package.
Invariably, that’s the format to follow if it’s the biggest numbers on the sales charts that you’re after.
Not to be daunted, though, Regent Motors has placed something novel in its showroom in the form of a Ford Focus with three-doors, and powered by a 1.4-litre engine with a five-speed manual gearbox.
Think of it as a Focus-Lite: besides having two doors less and a smaller engine, it makes do without frills found in the 1.6-litre Focuses.
So, no electronic stability control system, no trip computer, no side airbags, and – bizarrely – no electrically-adjustable wing mirrors. That last omission is a big surprise. It’s annoying enough to have to reach over and fiddle with a knob to adjust the off-side wing mirror in a car as wide as the Focus, but then it also does plenty to lower the overall tone of the cabin.
The last time I saw finger-adjusted mirrors, I was driving one of the very cheapest cars Korea had to offer.
What do you get with the Focus-lite, then? Happily, the plastics are nice enough to elevate it from the dank bowels of bargain basement bin special status, and the overall fit-and-finish is far superior to what you’ll find in Ford’s other budget offerings, the Laser and Fiesta.
Still in place, too, are the frisky handling and supple ride that are hallmarks of the Focus range.
The Ford is all about balance. It’s nimble without being hyperactive, and has great body control without an overly firm ride. The result is an ability to spear into bends while inspiring plenty of confidence that you’re well within the limits of available grip.
It’s just as well that you can carry a lot of speed through corners, since the 1.4-litre struggles to build it up to begin with.
The gauges contain a little red arrow that lights up once you’re near 6,000rpm on the tach, and it’s a pretty handy device, for without it you might never be aware that the engine’s about to burst its heart in the name of maximum acceleration, so gently and without any drama does the scenery pass by.
At least the gearbox is a winner, with a nice precision to its action and snappy throws across the gate. Fittingly, too, the clutch action is light and easy to judge without being mushy.
The lack of straight-line speed is ironic, given how the Focus three-door is the most sporty-looking of the bunch by far. In any case, some buyers are apt to like what driving one says about them. Mainly,
“I’m young and I haven’t got kids.”
But perhaps we’ll leave the last word to the wry Regent salesman we met when collecting the Focus. “It’s a nice car,” he said. “Just don’t expect it to go ‘vroom’.”
NEED TO KNOW
FORD FOCUS 1.4 3DR
ENGINE TYPE 1,388cc 16-valve in-line 4
MAX POWER 80bhp at 5,700rpm
MAX TORQUE 124Nm at 3,500rpm
GEARBOX 5-speed manual
TOP SPEED 164 km/h
0-100 KM/H 14.1 seconds
PRICE $61,900 with COE
WARRANTY 5 years / 100,000km
CONTACT Regent Motors
TELEPHONE 6846-9088
