Ford Focus (2011 - 2014)
1.6tdci 115bhp Titanium
Good but with some problems.. Lots of problems in the end...
Covered 5000miles, been into the dealer 4 times. Since new it was very difficuly to get into first gear and required a 'wiggle' to get past the gate to engage first. Sometimes it was so bad that when sat with the engine on auto-stop, it would restart but not go back into first, taking 20-30seconds to get into gear. The problem was worse when changing down gears to overtake, once causing me to have no drive whatsoever due to being stuck in neutral (not good when overtaking). Ford have been very good with this matter each time it has gone in but the problem has never gone away, so i have given up.
The engine is very jerky, bogs down and kangaroos when setting off from a stopped position (seems to be a common problem with the 1.6tdci 115).
Rear drum brakes, really Ford? All models should have rear disks.
Titanium alloys are a nightmare to clean, brake dust and general crud gets stuck between the spokes and is difficult to clean out.
The voice control system is good and gets the commands correct 95% of the time, doesnt seem to like listening when the climate control is on auto mode for some reason..?
Doesnt have daytime running lights on any other model besides Titanium X. Pretty sure that European law states cars built after April 2011 have to have some form of daytime running light. Contact with Ford suggest the newer cars will just have the headlights switched on all the time.
Onto the good, the handling is superb. 16 inch alloys and standard car handle suprising well, slight body roll but you can really stick it into corners. Ride comfort is very good and the cabin noise is the quietest ive ever had.
Fuel economy of the 1.6 tdci start stop is not bad, comes nowhere near the published figures. An average 60 mile round trip with the majority motorway around the 70mph mark only sees about 52-54mpg.
Off the turbo the power is non-existant, on the turbo isnt too bad at all for a 115bhp engine and pulls very good on the motorway. Has been a good motorway cruiser so far.
Sub par headlight bulbs are easy to change, two simple screws on top of the headlight unit.
Technology on board is very good, driver assistance pack well worth the extra money.
Recall in August for software update, appears some cars had fuel pump constantly running causing battery to discharge. Worth checking this has been done before purchase.
Overall good car but has its problems.
UPDATE: The poor running, kangarooing and all the electrical issues are caused by the main engine wiring loom being too tight. As the car gets about 5000 miles it starts to pull on the loom and one of the main connections resulting in it coming loose and causing faults with the electrical system. Garage had the car for two days and completely re-routed the loom so it was much more free and loose, solution, runs like a dream, the car i always expected it to be. Seem to get better MPG as well, poss due to running correctly.
I have been told this affects all 1.6 tdci's, some of the other engines are affected also but not as bad as the 1.6tdci 115. The fault has been seen on similar age fiestas as well fitted with the 1.6tdci.
Hopefully this update will help someone with similar problems!
UPDATE again!
14000 miles. Been into dealers 12 times. Everything from software updates to wiring done on the car. Just had a custom engine map installed which has sorted the plethora of problems. Lost faith in the car and Ford, it is going back to the dealers and i have come out of the contract early. Really not worth the hassle of owning this car (especially since 12 months of ownership has been absolute misery!). Last ford i'll ever own. Hindsight i should of bought the new Astra which is a more reliable car.
Off to BMW to collect the new car.
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About this car
Price | £13,995–£33,580 |
---|---|
Road Tax | A–F |
MPG | 44.8–83.1 mpg |
Real MPG | 76.3% |