• Frugal petrol and diesel engines…
• … thanks to mild-hybrid assistance
• Cheap servicing across the line-up

What are the running costs?

The Focus Estate is available with a range of economical combustion engines, some of which are backed-up by mild hybrid assistance. Ford says its cheapest 125hp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine can manage upwards of 50mpg if driven carefully, while the 155hp mild-hybrid assisted version of the same engine achieves an official fuel economy figure of 54.3mpg.

We found these figures to be on the optimistic side for real world conditions – but all Ford’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engines can step into the high-40mpg bracket if you drive with a modicum of sensibility. The 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel is good, too, returning an average of around 45mpg and a maximum driving range of roughly 600 miles on a single tank of fuel.

However, Ford still doesn’t offer the Focus Estate with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, despite the fact that the mechanically similar Kuga SUV is available with the technology – meaning it should have almost been a bolt-in job. We think this is a serious oversight, as key rivals like the new Peugeot 308 SW and Volkswagen Golf Estate are available with the technology.

Servicing and warranty

There should be no unpleasant surprises when it comes to servicing and maintaining a Focus. Ford parts and labour costs are usually quite affordable. Ford’s dealers will also sell you a range of service packages, which allows you to lock in your servicing costs for the duration of your agreement.

Every Focus Estate comes with a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty, which you can extend to four or five years for an additional cost. Compared to the 10-year warranty offered by Toyota, Ford’s warranty looks quite mean.

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Reliability

• Ford’s overall reliability record is good
• Engines and transmissions are sturdy
• Current Focus has had some recalls

We haven’t heard any horror stories about the reliability of the Mk4 Focus. Reports in our owner’s reviews section all sing the same tune – the mechanicals are sturdy, but there are some electrical gremlins. It’s also worth remembering that lots of those reports will be based on the pre-facelifted version of the car, and we hope most of those complaints will now been rectified.

Pre-facelift versions of the Mk4 Focus have been subject to eight recalls. The first relates to a potential fault that causes the rear doors to open when the windows are lowered. There were some other minor electrical faults and an issue that required the rear seat belt anchors to be checked – so if you’re buying used, make sure all of these recalls have been fixed.