Ford Focus EcoBlue

FIRST DRIVE New petrol family hatch impressed. Now we try diesel automatic.

- John McIlroy

WE delivered our early verdict on the all-new Ford Focus in Issue 1,530, heaping praise on the fresh hatchback as it took the fight to the Volkswagen Golf.

We rated the petrol model highly, and while diesel may be having a tough time, it’s still a good choice for people who rack up plenty of miles. The new 1.5-litre EcoBlue engine is designed to offer that option to family car customers, piggy-backing on the popularity of the small EcoBoost petrols, which have a reputation for being strong yet efficient.

There’s a 94bhp EcoBlue with 300Nm of torque and CO2 emissions as low as 91g/km, and then there’s the 118bhp (120PS) edition we’re testing here. The Focus range also includes a 2.0 diesel, with 148bhp and 370Nm. It emits from 114g/km, depending on wheel size.

There’s another factor that we have to consider here, though, and that’s the transmission. Because the new Focus is the first Ford to be offered with a new eight-speed torque-converter automatic box, a replacement for the old car’s unloved dual-clutch PowerShift set-up. We’ve driven it here for the first time.