Ford Focus

Safety

The Ford Focus received the highest overall safety rating for both sedan and hatchback cars from the NHTSA, making it a vehicle that you can feel secure driving your family around in. Six airbags are standard in the Focus as of 2008, with optional anti-lock brakes and stability control to keep the car from skidding.

Safety upgrades on newer models from 2018 include:

• Lane Keep Assist to alert you if you start drifting out of your lane
• Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alerts to warn you of any vehicles at your side or at the rear

Interior

The Focus’s spacious interior is impressively roomy for its category, making it a popular choice both new and used. In some post-2011 models, like the SEL, you get dual-zone automatic temperature controls in the front, so the driver and front passenger can customize the heat and air conditioning on their respective sides of the car. Optional upgrades for more driving comforts include a leather-wrapped steering wheel so your hands stay toasty on chilly days.

Technology

A 4.2-inch centre screen infotainment system comes standard in the Ford Focus as of 2015. The screen switches to a rearview camera feed when you’re reversing—helpful when parking—plus it controls the stereo and your connected devices. Some find that the standard 4.2-inch screen is too small, but if you feel the same you can upgrade to an 8.0-inch centre touchscreen with HD Radio and SiriusXM satellite radio.

Other tech touches include:

• USB port
• Keyless entry remote
• Four-speaker radio system

Older models from 2009 have standard tech, like a four-speaker audio system with CD/MP3 player and an auxiliary jack, as well as optional satellite radio.

Space

You get 43.1 inches of legroom in the front of the Ford Focus, a comfortable number for a small car. The 33.2 inches in the rear seats means space can feel a bit tight for taller passengers. The sedan cars have 13.2 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk, while the hatchback has 23.3 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats. Flip those seats down if you’ve got a huge grocery haul—the hatchback’s total rear capacity is a generous 43.9 cubic feet.

Comfort

Powered by a 1 L EcoBoost(C) Engine, the Focus is great on fuel. Some people find the three-cylinder engine to be slower at accelerating on the highway, so if you want that extra power, think about getting the Focus ST for a 2.0 L high-output EcoBoost engine. All Focus models feature Standard Torque Vectoring Control designed to maximize the grip of the front wheels on the road—that means better control around corners and in slippery conditions.