Ford Focus Hatchback (2005 - 2011) 1.8 Zetec S 5d Owner Review

To drive the 1.8 Zetec S is not too bad, you get a high range to rev up to and will happily pull in the higher gears like its no issue despite its lower torque numbers. The car desperately needs a 6th gear as at motorway speeds its revving at around 3500rpm which can get very annoying after many miles so to beat that id probably get the more powerful 2 litre version which has a 6th gear. The ride can be quite harsh on terrible roads but that is expected since it has sportier suspension and big 18inch low profile wheels, and as the reliability goes most of the issues have been generic wear and tear as it has also done quite a few miles (138,000) so best would be to get a lowers milage car so you don't have many issues in the same month. All in all i do love the car but to make it worthwhile it does seem you have to add a 3rd party element to it to enjoy e.g fancy new stereo, softer seats etc. Honest opinion would be to test drive one first before going into it long term because you may find the competition to your liking (VW Golf GT, Vauxhall Astra Sport, BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 etc)