Ford Focus....advice please?

Chipperf

Hi...hoping for some pointers here....

Am close to changing a BMW 316 (2004 reg) for a 2008 1.6TCD Ford Focus estate. We've 2 small kids, so we need the space the estate will give us, plus the BMW is having afew issues, and of course is not the most economical of cars to run.

My questions -is the Focus going to be reliable, and also very importantly what kind of mpg could I reasonably expect - a fair bit of city driving. Also, for comparison purposes, what kind of mpg was the BMW likely to be achieving.....

I'm not entirely lacking initiative here, but any searching I've done on these matters has seemed fairly inconclusive and even a little contradictory, so, I'm hoping some knowledgable sorts will help mo out....

Any advice or comments greatly appreciated....

BTW, BMW is petrol engine

The Tyre Dude

You should be getting 45mpg average at least, even with town driving. Reliability will bo good and Fords are cheap to keep on the road if you find a good Indy.

My main concern would be the 1.6TDCi is known for DPF issues with short journeys and town driving, if you get a in couple of motorway runs a week you should be OK.

Frank11

As a guide for you I have a 2006 1.6 petrol focus ghia and am getting 11.3km/l (8.85l/100km) which i am told is bad.
i started to look at the efficiency (or lack off) recently as am wondering if it would make sense to change to a low tax diesel. i use FuelLog app to record fill up's and km.

alexlyons

Frank11 wrote: »

As a guide for you I have a 2006 1.6 petrol focus ghia and am getting 11.3l/km (8.85l/100km) which i am told is bad.
i started to look at the efficiency (or lack off) recently as am wondering if it would make sense to change to a low tax diesel. i use FuelLog app to record fill up's and km.

presume you mean 11.3km/l.....

Chipperf

Chipperf wrote: »

...........2008 1.6TCD Ford Focus estate. .....................is the Focus going to be reliable.................

Hard to say, they don't take a skipped or late service too well, they must get the correct spec oil (as with most modern yokes) and also the oil must be drained out properly and not withdrawn using suction methods.

Could break your heart or be fine, lots of them out there in loads of different makes and models. At a minimum you should look for a full and complete service history with all services done on time (or before preferrably) by a very decent garage.

Frank11 wrote: »

As a guide for you I have a 2006 1.6 petrol focus ghia and am getting 11.3km/l (8.85l/100km) which i am told is bad..............

32mpg, if you are doing lots of urban spins that's not too bad really.

Draupnir

I have the 2008 1.4 Petrol in hatchback myself, next purchase will be an engine upgrade but I'll stay with the Focus. The car has been 100% reliable so far for me over the last 2 years, I get an average of 9km/l at last check, which I am reasonably happy with although I am working on improving it with a combination of short shifting and more consistent driving. If I drive it at all hard it tends to guzzle petrol.

dr.fuzzenstein

Draupnir wrote: »

I have the 2008 1.4 Petrol in hatchback myself, next purchase will be an engine upgrade but I'll stay with the Focus. The car has been 100% reliable so far for me over the last 2 years, I get an average of 9km/l at last check, which I am reasonably happy with although I am working on improving it with a combination of short shifting and more consistent driving. If I drive it at all hard it tends to guzzle petrol.

Wow, the 1.4 has a hard enough time dragging the regular Focus around, the estate must be glacial!
I have the 06 CMax 1.8 TDCI, does close enough to 50 mpg, is very roomy and comfy and quicker than one might think. Plus it does not have DPF that can clog up.
Go for the ZETEC spec with more toys and extra poke, you will always regret cheaping out.
If it's an 08, the 1.6 might be cheaper on tax, especially with DPF, but if you're just pottering around town, it's not worth the potential hassle.

OP, I reckon the 1.8 Focus diesel would be the way to go, one like DrF's

Draupnir

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Wow, the 1.4 has a hard enough time dragging the regular Focus around, the estate must be glacial!
I have the 06 CMax 1.8 TDCI, does close enough to 50 mpg, is very roomy and comfy and quicker than one might think. Plus it does not have DPF that can clog up.
Go for the ZETEC spec with more toys and extra poke, you will always regret cheaping out.
If it's an 08, the 1.6 might be cheaper on tax, especially with DPF, but if you're just pottering around town, it's not worth the potential hassle.

Mine is a 5 door hatchback, not the estate! If it was an estate I'd be better off walking.

dr.fuzzenstein

Draupnir wrote: »

Mine is a 5 door hatchback, not the estate! If it was an estate I'd be better off walking.

Sorry, misread, my bad. My uncle has a 1.4 estate, but he's 70 years old, I guess it's fast enough for him!;)

As for my CMax, 215k km and other than service, tires and one small electrical fault, zero problems.

Draupnir

Mine is the same, I got a decent set of tyres put on her and keep her serviced once a year. After that it's just regular fortnightly maintenance and it never gives me any trouble.

I've done about 35k kilometres in her since February 2010, about 40% of that being motorway. Overall, I couldn't recommend the Focus highly enough, except to say that I wouldn't go below a 1.6l engine again.

Divorce Referendum

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Wow, the 1.4 has a hard enough time dragging the regular Focus around, the estate must be glacial!
I have the 06 CMax 1.8 TDCI, does close enough to 50 mpg, is very roomy and comfy and quicker than one might think. Plus it does not have DPF that can clog up.
Go for the ZETEC spec with more toys and extra poke, you will always regret cheaping out.
If it's an 08, the 1.6 might be cheaper on tax, especially with DPF, but if you're just pottering around town, it's not worth the potential hassle.

The 90 bhp 1.6tdci which is very common in Ireland doesnt have a dpf either although Im not sure was this an option in the zetec spec. isnt the 1.8 tdci prone to dmf failure?

bazz26

Is the Focus an Irish car or UK import? The Irish 1.6 TDCi Focus estate was mostly sold in LX/Style trim here and they were the 90bhp versions which did not have a DPF fitted. UK imports are better speced and had a wider range of trim levels. The 110bhp version of the 1.6 TDCi was widely available in the UK Focus estate and this was fitted with a DFP.

The DPF gives trouble if the car is used for short trips and eventually it will get blocked and need to be replaced, not cheap. It also needs a regular refil of the DPF additive. The 1.6 TDCi is a solid engine but it needs to be serviced regularly and using the correct grade of oil is paramount othwise you will be replacing the turbo also.

Other common Focus issues include dodgy alternators, the 1.6TDCi also can suffer from a cracked turbo breather pipe and the rear boot lock mechanism which gets corroded from water leaking in through the rear windscreen wiper.

dr.fuzzenstein

Divorce Referendum wrote: »

The 90 bhp 1.6tdci which is very common in Ireland doesnt have a dpf either although Im not sure was this an option in the zetec spec. isnt the 1.8 tdci prone to dmf failure?

Well, the DMF can go, but 215k km and so far so good.
Every car has issues, when you read the internet you will find horror stories about every single make and model out there.
But there don't seem to be massive amounts of threads about the DMF on the 1.8.