2005 Focus.

Review by Chris Chase


The Ford Focus brought a little bit of European flair to the small car segment for the 2000 model year.
This was the company's second attempt in five years or so at building a car it could sell simultaneously here and on the
continent; the first was the Contour and Mystique twins that lasted from 1995 to 1999.

The goal with the Focus was to replace two cars: the mid-sized Contour/Mystique and the compact Escort, while coming
up with something that would prove that a small car could be practical and fun-to-drive.

The Focus succeeded on many fronts: the styling was unique in a class where looks took a back seat to more practical needs,
like miserly fuel consumption and a spacious, uh, back seat. Interior space was very good, too, and the Focus was available
in a variety of body styles, including the station wagon configuration that many previous Escort owners had come to appreciate.
This alone made the Focus a standout in terms of small cars.

But despite using proven components - the 2.0-litre engines employed here were carry-over units from the Escort
- the Focus had a rough go of it during its first two or three years in production.

Of the 13 recalls affecting the car, 11 were issued in its first two years on the market.

In terms of reliability, most of the Focus' issues seem to be electrical in nature: a rough idle is common, fuel pumps are prone
to failure in early cars, but the consensus in Focus-related web discussion forums is that this issue was fixed in later cars.
Many owners posting online complain of bad ignition lock cylinders that lock up, preventing the car from being started.
And power windows seem to fail frequently too, though this apparently affects the two-door ZX3 model more than four-door cars.
Generally speaking, though, later cars are much more dependable than earlier Focuses; reliability began to improve in 2002,
with 2003 or newer models being preferable.

All Focuses up to the 2004 model year got 2.0-litre engines: base wagon and sedan models used a 110-hp single
overhead cam (SOHC) version, while a 130-hp twin cam motor was standard in the hatchback and up-level wagons and sedans.
In 2005, the single-cam motor was dropped, and an ST sedan trim (which replaced the SVT hatchback as the sporty option)
arrived with a 153-hp 2.3-litre engine. The Focus got a mild styling update - inside and out - in 2005, and that same year also
brought some new model designations.

Fuel consumption, according to Natural Resources Canada's testing methods, shows the Focus to be a typically efficient small car.
The twin-cam Zetec 2.0-litre four-cylinder is rated at 9 to 9.5 L/100 km in city driving and 6.5 to 7 L/100 km on the highway,
depending on the model year in question and transmission choice; earlier cars with the single-cam 2.0-litre engine use
8.5 to 9 L/100 km in the city and 6 to 6.5 L/100 km on the highway. The hard-to-find 2.3-litre uses 10.6 L/100 km in the city
and 7 L/100 km on the highway; it was available solely with a manual transmission.

Crash safety is good, at least in frontal impacts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives these
cars four and five stars for front-seat occupant protection in frontal impacts, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
(IIHS) gives the Focus its "good" rating in frontal offset crash tests.

The Focus has been available from day one with side airbags for the front seats; I'd advise looking for a car with them.
Without, the Focus earned a poor rating in the IIHS' side impact test, and while the NHTSA gives the Focus as many as three
and four stars for side impact protection, its history is spotty: some model year cars got four stars for front-seat occupant
protection and just one for rear-seat passenger protection, while others got three for the front seat and four for the rear seat.
The main concerns for rear-seat occupants appear to be a high likelihood of severe head injury, and/or thoracic injury.

The Focus' resale values are bad news for those who bought these cars new, but good news for those shopping for
used examples.

Used values range from $18,300 for a 2006 ST sedan to $4,500 for a 2000 LX sedan. My pick would be a 2005 ST,
which, with a value of $16,000, is a pretty good deal for a small car with a peppy motor and suspension bits sourced
from the sadly defunct SVT.

While the Focus turned the compact car segment on its ear in 2000, it was a Ford subsidiary - Mazda - which did the
same in 2004 with the Mazda3. These days, the Focus pales in comparison to the little Mazda, and for many of the
same reasons the Focus was considered the fun-to-drive benchmark of the class back in its day.

For a spacious-but-small car at a good price, I'd recommend a newer Focus (don't go older than 2003, and 2004
and newer models are best), even if it's no longer the most four-wheeled fun you can get for about $20,000.

Canadian Red Book Pricing:
Year     Model                   Price today    Price new
2006    Focus ZX4 SES $17,525         $21,799
2005    Focus ZX4 SES $15,250         $21,756
2004    Focus ZTS          $12,875         $21,560
2003    Focus ZTS          $10,600         $21,260
2002    Focus ZTS          $8,850           $20,780
2001    Focus ZTS          $6,775           $20,520
2000    Focus ZTS          $5,750           $19,795