2019 Ford Focus Trend Used Car Review

What’s life like on the other side of the Powershift debacle? Looking back ten years, the Focus was once a staple of the small car market. Now, it isn’t even offered in non-ST form thanks to lacklustre sales, a lack of small car buyers and European sourcing making it difficult to price competitively. But does the latest generation Focus make sense buying used? We tested the 2019 Ford Focus Trend to find out.

Price and Equipment:

The fourth-generation Ford Focus was introduced to the Australian market in November 2018, with prices starting at $23,490, which was more expensive than the comparable i30 and Cerato at $19,990 but slightly cheaper than the Mazda3 at $25,240. Honestly, an under-appreciated choice for those in the market for a practical, well priced hatchback with warm hatch performance, in all but the base Ambiente.

The 2019 Ford Focus Trend was second-from-base at $25,990 plus on-road costs, but came with considerably better standard equipment. It was certainly worth the upgrade for $1,500. Not only did you get a turbocharger with the engine – which added a full 44kW (from 90 to 134!) of power – and a new eight-speed automatic transmission, but also an 8.0-inch touchscreen with inbuilt satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, automatic lights and rain sensing wipers (which activate the headlights) and active fog lamps.

Other standard features include a six-speaker stereo, cruise control, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, auto emergency breaking (AEB), lane departure warning and intervention and speed sign recognition with an automatic speed limiter.

One option well worth seeking out was the $1,250 Driver Assistance Package, which added blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, reversing collision warning and mitigation, adaptive cruise control, electric heated and auto-folding mirrors and active lane keeping assist.

The exterior design of the 2019 Ford Focus Trend is sleek and modern but ultimately forgettable. In a sea of over-styled passenger cars, the Focus is regrettably inoffensive. The exterior vents and ducts are all functional, but there isn’t too much there to amaze you. The standard alloys are only 16-inch, but the thick tyres help fill the wheel arches. The Trend misses out on the adaptive LED headlights and taillights of higher trims but tries to make up for it with LED daytime running lights and halogen cornering lights.

Performance & Economy:

Firstly, the engine was an absolute cracker against some lacklustre engines from rivals. The 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine had comparable power to a Mazda 3 SP25 with 134kW and 240Nm, but is significantly livelier due to its tune. The nature of the turbo engine with the reasonably close ratio eight-speed automatic transmission makes metro and highway driving easy and enjoyable. It has an extremely punchy low and mid-range and decent power higher up and the three-pot engine note is charismatic, yet not over the top. At cruising speeds, the cylinder deactivation kicks in and the Focus runs on two cylinders, providing great economy. I’ve routinely seen mid 4L/100km on trips from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, which is excellent.

Claimed economy from Ford averages out at 6.4L/100km, meaning it can be a tad thirsty in stop start traffic. Fortunately, the auto stop/start is responsive and does help save fuel in peak hour. The 8-speed automatic is operated by a rotary shifter and steering wheel mounted paddles, it is not the most responsive gearbox I’ve ever driven, but generally gets the job done in a smooth manner.

Ride & Handling:

The standard Focus line’s suspension consisted of a torsion beam setup, leaving the independent suspension only for the ST-Line wagon and ST hot hatch. Although simpler and cheaper, the suspension is compliant over bumps and the 2019 Ford Focus Trend handles well in the twisties. Driving back roads under the limit is excellent, the steering is precise with good feedback, encouraging you to drive enthusiastically.

Unfortunately, as soon as you get towards the limit of grip there is significant understeer. Since the tyres are so cheap, that limit is rather low, leaving you with the feeling that the chassis has a hell of a lot more to give. Metro driving is a pleasant experience – it’s shockingly quiet inside, with barely any intrusive road or engine noise – and visibility is excellent too.

Interior & Practicality:

Often a long Focus weak-point, I’m pleased to say the interior is greatly improved over its predecessor. Gone are the sea of buttons and replaced with well placed necessary buttons and knobs. Central to the interior is the 8.0-inch ‘SYNC 3’ touchscreen infotainment unit which is responsive and intuitive to use and has great definition, black levels and colour saturation. In the Trend it includes native satellite navigation with live traffic, digital radio, a six-speaker sound system and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I used the system for about six months without Apple CarPlay and found that it was easy to use, all the functions worked as they should, and the call/audio quality was acceptable over Bluetooth. The native voice command worked well with it routinely finding the correct POI for navigation. The reversing camera is one of the highest definition cameras I have seen in any car under $100,000, though one gripe I have with the rear parking sensors is that the parking sensors are unnecessarily loud and can be heard by most of the neighbourhood.

Once I started using Apple CarPlay, I found the system connected quickly, looked beautiful and was responsive. My only gripes with it are that occasionally the “current song playing” doesn’t appear in the instrument cluster, voice command for Google Maps works intermittently and the tuning knob below the screen hasn’t been programmed. It would be tremendously beneficial to have the tuning knob function like a Mazda MZD control wheel or even a Subaru tuning knob while using CarPlay.

The instrument cluster is basic but functional, I personally like the flat style with the subtle screen implementation. The dials are crystal clear and the menus are intuitive to use. The controls for the Ford MyKey are found in the instrument cluster, where you can program a key to have a set speed limit, speed minders and a maximum volume on the stereo. This feature is great for parents lending their car out to their teen children.

The rest of the interior is a pleasant place to be. The steering wheel is decently meaty, the seating position is excellent and very adjustable, and the interior is relatively spacious. The Focus has excellent visibility in all directions. The front centre armrest is adjustable and has some storage and a USB-port inside. In the front there are two illuminated cupholders and one energy drink and a great spot for a phone underneath air conditioning vents, in upper trims there is a wireless charger here. One of my favourite inclusions are the felt lined door cards and rubberised cubbies to stop any loose items rattling around. There are soft, durable materials on the top half of the dashboard and doors and harder wearing plastic lower down. The rear seats are spacious, with plenty of leg room and enough width for 3 adults to sit abreast. Although material quality in the front was also carried back to the rear seats, you can tell that Ford saved their coins in the back seats as there are no air vents and no rear centre armrest, leaving no cupholders in the rear. Another drawback of the interior are the unsupportive front seats. They have adjustable lumbar support and a lot of height adjustment, but they are thin and don’t provide great thigh and lateral support.

The boot is a nice square shape with no intrusions. It is not the largest in class with 375-litres of capacity, but I have been able to fit multiple suitcases inside and even a couple of large moving boxes with the seats up. With the seats folded down the capacity expands to 1320L, with a considerable bump in the load floor. On models with the Bang & Olufsen audio, Ford sacrificed boot space (275L) for a subwoofer which provides a flat load floor. In its current form storage area is large enough to comfortably fit a road bike with both tyres left on.

Ownership Experience:

Ford introduced a five-year/unlimited km warranty in 2018. Servicing has been cheap and easy with capped price servicing set at $299, including a loan car and a year of roadside assistance. My local service centre provides a vehicle report card with every service, which helps you keep an eye on wear and tear items.

Unfortunately, I’ve had some teething issues with the gearbox in my car. A couple of months into my ownership I lost forward and reverse gears when I was stopped, only regaining them after pushing the car into gear. I’ve also had intermittent issues with the transition from drive to reverse, on hills it can take a couple of seconds to activate the reverse gear. Sometimes this results in a harsh jolt into gear and sometimes the car will drive the wrong direction for a moment. Most of these issues have been reduced with a transmission module update the dealership performed, but it is still something I notice.

The DiscoverAuto 2019 Ford Focus Trend Used Car Rating: 8/10

With a punchy engine and great handling, the 2019 Ford Focus Trend is a hidden gem for people who enjoy driving but need an efficient commuter. But importantly as well, it makes an excellent used car due to its good fuel economy, modern safety features and interior practicality. It’s also well priced as a used car, and servicing at Ford dealerships is well priced as well. We think it’s well worth a look.

Review by Calvin Krause