When I got rid of my Fiat Punto 1.9 JTD this time last year I was in the market for a slightly larger vehicle. I was having a love hate relationship with the back end of the Renault Megáne and the Citroen C4 was not released then (what it is about me and French cars I don't know!) although I thought that would be the ideal car. Nothing much was doing it for me (it's all about emotions when I buy a car) so we decided to go and have a look at Ford, in particular the Focus. We had heard great things about the Focus and it seemed only natural to go and see what they had on the forecourt.

The Ford Focus has had rave reviews since it's inception in 1998 and is probably the best selling car annually. The Focus raised the standard for cars in this class and well in my opinion stopped.

RELIABILITY

So, on passes the summer and we take the car on long trips. It is unquestionably more comfortable than the Fiat Punto that we had previously and this I am grateful for. So picture it now, the nights are drawing in and it's starting to get a it frosty in the mornings now. On getting in the car you turn the key, wait a bit for the glow plugs then start the car… Yeah, right. My Focus does not like starting in the winter months. I can keep the key turned and hear it try to fire about 5 times before it actually starts;. That was not what I expected with a car less than 2 years old. To confound the problem the car has now started to cut out whilst slowing down leaving you without brakes or steering. A return visit to Furrows establishes the fact that the dealers are absolutely useless and we should never have bought a Ford. Aside from that the problem continues throughout the winter and into the early spring. Now that the summer is here (fingers crossed), we only have to try starting it once and it catches on the second go (mostly) although chucks out a big black cloud of smoke.

The Focus has twin airbags and apparently received 4 stars in some crash testing thingy (I'm a girl, don't ask me). The car does not however have ABS as standard (as Matt found out at the crest of a blind hill!) this does mean that if you need to stop in a hurry you are likely to quite literally skid to a halt. Later models come with ABS however which should improve things a bit. In my opinion the number of cars getting 5 stars in the NCAP thing shows that the Focus isn't that great on all things safety. I'm not an expert however and you should really experience these things for yourself. What I would say is that I don't have complete confidence in the car and feel it could stall at any moment when pulling out of a junction, in my opinion, this means that the car is not particularly safe at all. I certainly don't feel that safe in it and find myself taking extra cautions.

Compared to my previous car the Focus is more spacious but that was the reason I needed the car in the first place. The cabin feels quite spacious although once you start putting stuff in the car it starts to get slightly cramped (by stuff I mean all the necessary bits and bobs that girls carry around with them at all times!). I can sit in the car comfortably and my head won't touch the ceiling in the front or back. In terms of what I can fit in the boot I find around £90of TESCO shopping in the boot quite easily (am lazy and try to shop only once a month, am not extremely rich!) In terms of carrying passenger I have had 3 adult passengers quite comfortably but would not like to travel with 3 adults in the back for any long journeys as it could get a bit cramped.

This car is more comfortable than the Punto, although I wouldn't like to do very long distance in it like I would the Subaru Legacy. I would say you could sit in this comfortable for around 2-3 hours. In fact we took it to Edinburgh but had to stop ½ way (before Carlisle) to stretch out and get rid of the numb bum!

Well, when the car is going I find that it handles very well indeed. It will stick to the road in the corners well and is quite a responsive little beast. The amount of torque makes it quite responsive at lower speeds (or so the other half says) with a lot of pulling power. I try not to drive it too fast round the corners (not as fast as this car drives me round the bend) so always feel in control, the other half lives a bit more dangerously than me however and flings the Focus around as if he was driving his old Impreza (although mine doesn't go that fast). The Focus performs quite well and he likes driving it so that's all alright then!

INSIDE STUFF

To me the focus is far from ideal. I know it has had rave reviews but I can not see the substance behind them. It's just like any other car to me, nothing stands out as exceptional and I for one will not be sorry to see it go tomorrow. I know it shouldn't be like this but cars are emotional purchases for me and I had no love for the Focus, in fact on occasion I had hatred, frustration and loathing for it. I have driven it for a year now and am disappointed. I was expecting more and the car failed to deliver. So tomorrow it goes and in it's place I'm getting a Renault Megáne Sport Tourer. Already I feel a bit of love for it and know that I will readily forgive its faults and that's what I think I failed to do with the Focus. I couldn't forgive its faults because the rest of the car didn't hold me captivated. A disappointment.