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    Ford Focus 2021 review: Active

    The high-riding Focus Active is comfortable and handles the city well.
    Peter Anderson
    Peter Anderson
    Contributing journalist
    2 Jun 2021 • 9 min read

    Daily driver score

    3.7/5

    Urban score

    3.8/5
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    Ford's small hatch, the Focus, is criminally under-bought in Australia. The latest model is  one of the best hatchbacks on the road and when you chuck in the decent price, impressive equipment and absurdly powerful engine for its size, it's a winner.

    But you lot? You don't buy it in nearly the kinds of numbers it deserves. Partly because there isn't a bait-and-upsell boggo model to lure you in, partly because it's got a badge that is not exciting Australians any more and partly because it's not a compact SUV.

    Or is(n't) it? Because alongside the ST-Line warm hatch is the identically priced and therefore technically a co-entry level model; the Focus Active. Slightly higher, with plastic cladding, drive modes and a conspicuous L on the transmission shifter, it's a little bit SUV, right?

    Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

    The Focus Active wears a $30,990 sticker but the several people I know who  bought one haven't paid that much, so Ford dealers are obviously keen to do deals. Even at that price, it's got a fair bit of stuff. The Active has 17-inch wheels, a six-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, auto LED headlights, LED fog lights, sat nav, auto wipers, wireless hotspot, powered and heated folding door mirrors, wireless phone charging, a big safety package and a space-saver spare.

    • Up front are auto LED headlights. Up front are auto LED headlights.
    • The Focus Active wears 17-inch alloy wheels. The Focus Active wears 17-inch alloy wheels.
    • Underneath the boot floor is a space-saver spare. Underneath the boot floor is a space-saver spare.

    Ford's SYNC3 comes up on the 8.0-inch screen perched on the dashboard, which weirdly feels like it's facing away from you slightly. It has wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat nav, DAB+ and also looks after various functions in the car.

    The 8.0-inch touchscreen features Ford's SYNC3 system. The 8.0-inch touchscreen features Ford's SYNC3 system.

    The panoramic sunroof is a stiff $2000 and includes an annoying perforated cover rather than a solid one.

    Is there anything interesting about its design?

    For a fairly conservative hatchback, the Focus came under fire for what some termed its derivative styling. I quite like it, and not just because the styling work was led by an Australian. The front end is very much family Ford, as long as it's the European arm of the family, fitting in with its smaller sibling, the Fiesta. The Active scores the usual black cladding, higher ride height and smaller diameter wheels, in exchange for more compliant, higher-profile tyres. All of that takes nothing away from a design that I think looks pretty good.

    The Focus came under fire for what some termed its derivative styling. The Focus came under fire for what some termed its derivative styling.

    The cabin is well put together, with just that oddly angled touchscreen causing me a bit of a twitch. The design is a fairly steady Ford interior with a lot of switchgear shared with the Fiesta, but it's all quite nice. The materials feel mostly pleasant  and the hardwearing fabric on the seats feels right for this kind of car.

    The cabin is well put together. The cabin is well put together.

    How practical is the space inside?

    The Focus is quite roomy compared to other cars in its class. The rear seat has good leg and headroom, with the feeling of space accentuated by large windows. Annoyingly, though, all that work put into making the rear a nice place to be is ruined by a lack of amenities like cupholders, USB ports or an armrest. 

    The rear seat has good leg and headroom. The rear seat has good leg and headroom.

    Front-seat passengers fare better with two cupholders, a roomy space at the base of the console for a phone and a wireless-charging pad. The front seats are very comfortable, too.

    The front seats are very comfortable. The front seats are very comfortable.

    The boot starts at a fairly average 375 litres - clearly sacrificed for rear-seat space - and maxes out at 1320 litres with the seats down. While you have to lift things over the loading lip and down into the boot, it's one of the more sensibly shaped load areas, with straight up and down sides. Ironically, the smaller Puma has a noticeably larger boot.

    • Boot space is rated at 375 litres. Boot space is rated at 375 litres.
    • Folding the rear seats down increases cargo capacity to 1320 litres. Folding the rear seats down increases cargo capacity to 1320 litres.

    Explore the 2021 Ford Focus range

    What are the key stats for the engine and transmission?

    Ford does an excellent range of small turbo engines. The "normal" Focus range (such as it is, now the wagon has disappeared from the market) comes with a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine. Bucking the SUV-this-size trend (yes, I know it's not really an SUV), this punchy little unit delivers an impressive 134kW and 240Nm. They're both very decent numbers for such a small engine.

    The 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine produces 134kW/240Nm. The 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine produces 134kW/240Nm.

    The big numbers continue with the transmission boasting eight gears, a number you don't often find in a hatchback. It's a traditional torque-converter auto, too, so those of you who have bad memories of Ford's old PowerShift twin clutches should worry no more.

    Power goes to the front wheels only and you'll get from 0 to 100km/h in 8.7 seconds.

    How much fuel does it consume?

    Ford's official testing for the big window sticker delivered a 6.4L/100km result on the combined cycle. In my time with the Focus, I got 7.2L/100km indicated on the dashboard, which is a pretty solid result given the Focus spent a good deal of the time on suburban or urban roads.

    With its 52-litre tank, you'll cover around 800km if you manage the official figure, or just over 700km on my figures.

    What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating?

    The Active has six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, forward AEB (low speed with pedestrian avoidance and highway speeds), forward collision warning, lane-departure warning, speed-sign recognition and active lane-keep assist.

    Annoyingly - and I can't for the life of me work out why this is a thing - despite some advanced safety features in the base package, you have to pay $1250 extra for blind-spot monitoring, reverse cross traffic alert and reverse AEB, which are part of the Driver Assistance Pack. No, Ford is not the only company to do this.

    The back seat has two ISOFIX points and three top-tether anchors.

    The Focus scored five ANCAP stars in August 2019.

    What does it cost to own? What warranty is offered?

    What's it like to drive around town?

    Despite the very mild off-road pretensions, if it's a comfortable city ride you're after, the Active is the Focus to have. While the ST-Line isn't uncomfortable - not by a long way - the Active's more compliant tyres and higher ride height (30mm at the front and 34mm at the rear) iron out the bigger bumps without sacrificing much of the sportier car's impressive dynamic prowess, even with the low-rolling-resistance tyres.

    The cracking 1.5-litre turbo is responsive and well-matched to the eight-speed auto. The big torque number pushes you along the road and makes overtaking much less dramatic than a 1.5-litre three-cylinder has any right to. 

    The Active scores black cladding, higher ride height and smaller diameter wheels. The Active scores black cladding, higher ride height and smaller diameter wheels.

    Ford's trademark Euro-tuned quick steering is also along for the ride, making darting in and out of gaps a quick roll of the wrist, which has the added benefit of meaning you rarely have to take your hands off the wheel for twirling. That darting is aided and abetted by the engine and gearbox, with the turbo seemingly keeping the boost flowing with little lag. It's almost like they planned it that way.

    You have good vision in all directions, which almost renders the fact that the blind-spot monitoring is optional acceptable. Almost. It's very easy to get around in, easy to park and, just as importantly, easy to get in and out of. Compared to, say, a Toyota Corolla, the rear doors are very accommodating. 

    Pricing & SpecsInsurance Quote
    Verdict

    Ten years ago, the idea that the higher-riding version of a hatchback would be a good city car would have been laughable. The Focus Active is pitched as a kind of SUV with its different low-grip driving modes, which you'll never touch if you stick to the city.

    The Ford Focus is genuinely a brilliant car, no matter where you take it. The Active takes a terrific chassis, tweaks it for comfort but, ironically, doesn't lose much of the speed.

    $28,990 - $42,990

    Based on 5 car listings in the last 6 months

    VIEW PRICING & SPECS

    Daily driver score

    3.7/5

    Urban score

    3.8/5
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    Price Guide

    $28,990 - $42,990

    Based on 5 car listings in the last 6 months

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