Ford Focus Estate (2005 - 2011) 1.6 TDCi Econetic (110ps) 5d (DPF) (08) (2008/57) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

That I'm a family man, not brave enough to buy an Alfa 159, but not smart enough to buy an Octavia estate.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

I'm selling it to a friend in couple of weeks, so at least one likes it! Otherwise, everyone else just says, "Told you so.".

Would you buy this car again and why?

No. Reliability issues ruined it for me, and it's not nearly as nice to drive as all the motoring publications lead me to believe. The poor quality interior is a drawback, as well.

What are you likely to buy next?

A Toyota Prius, or a Kia Cee'd SW.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Independent

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£6,000

When did you buy the car?

November 2011

Did you get a good deal and why?

I'm not sure - I bought it in Germany.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

Fell in love with my mum's first-gen Focus, and wanted one of my own.

What was the dealer like?

He bought and sold company cars one or two at a time, and worked out of his house. He was... German to deal with.

What's it like to drive?

It soaks up the ancient cobble stones and poorly maintained Czech roads quite well, almost not rattling at all. It's good around town, except that it doesn't warm up enough to produce cockpit heat until you've driven on a faster road for a few minutes, or up a long hill. Highway driving suites this car best, where the engine can settle down around 2400rpm at about 80mph. It's noisy and slow around town, though - I can only surmise all the professional reviews praised it as "refined" on the motorway. The gearbox is clunky, heavy and lacking feeling, too.

What's it like to park?

Fine, I guess. The fact that you can select "comfort" in the power steering settings would make it easier to turn the wheel, but visibility is also good all around.

Have you had any problems with the car?

DPF. Granted, it was my fault for choosing the wrong car for my mostly-city driving habits, but every time I took it on the dual carriage to clear its pipes, it started going into regen mode, and then into limp mode. The interval between forced regen sessions eventually shortened to a few hours. At that time I had to choose between fitting a new DPF, or just removing it and reprogramming the ECU. The later was cheaper and would never require any more attention, so I opted for that. I live in the Czech Republic, so it's not so difficult to get around MoT-equivalent tests. Since the DPF removal, the car's consumption has decreased from 42mpg combined to 45mpg, and seems nippier, too. The back passenger's side speaker has quit. Finally, the creaky driver's seat is annoying.

What's most practical about your car?

It's big enough, I suppose. The seats take well to long trips.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

I would say the factory GPS, but the SD/DVD for my region is only available from Ford for 180 quid. It's just not worth that much! It's nice, though, for when I'm driving around lost in Germany, from whence the car came. The leather steering wheel and gear shift are nice.