Focus-ing Attention

They're not usually backwards in coming forward ateconomical too. I managed to top 40mpg over a
Ford, but you certainly can't accuse them on beingmixed few days that included a cross country run to
first past the post with the first power operatedGoodwood for the Festival of Speed (mark it in your
coupe cabriolet they've put on the European market...diary as an event not to be missed on any count
In fact, they've sat back and watched their mainnext year) and a lot of motorway miles.
rivals take the plunge before giving the nod for thisAh yes, the motorway. Make a mental note to scan
neat version of the Focus.the sky more carefully before lowering the hood and
So are they coming up on the rails after giving thesetting off. The first few drops of rain were soon
rest a head start? Well, not exactly. Because whilefollowed by a torrential downpour between suitable
the Focus CC is undoubtedly a smart looker thatparking areas on the A3 and the 29 seconds it took
retains all the good points of the Focus hatchback -to shut out the weather quite enough when I
crisp handling, neat interior etc - in other areas it's aeventually stopped and ensured the interior of the
little disappointing. It's fairly well documentedFocus was well and truly wet. Me too. Don't you just
elsewhere that there have been the odd hiccough oflove the English summer? On a smooth road the
two with the mechanism of the Pininfarina designedFocus is in its best environment - you just don't
and developed hood. Problems that manifestnotice any rattles at all. But unfortunately roads in
themselves in more rattles per square centimeterBritain tend to be far from smooth these days... You
than you would reasonably expect from a car thatname it - manhole covers, potholes, discarded ring
outwardly shows such flair and brio and is sopulls from beer cans, they all have the ability to make
downright desirable if you hanker after the merits ofyou wince. It's not a secret either that there are
open top motoring if the sun ever shines and a snug'issues' with leaks developing on the early cars - we
interior come the cold dark days of winter.had a dribble of rainwater in ours - but it's not a
With the roof down (it takes 29 seconds) the Focusproblem Ford are unaware of and they've been
comes into its own. Eveything feels nailed down andworking hard to sort it before letting cars go out to
there's no scuttle shake (windscreen flexing) tocustomers. Nice gearbox, no sloppiness and it has a
worry about, and it's down to you to enjoy theprecise feel to it which helps you build up a good
experience of this full four seat coupe cabriolet. It'sflow on a cross country run as the Focus has the
not as smooth an operation as some of its rivals, inability to change direction quickly and efficiently. And
that the opening and closing of panels at the rear isof course it's a safe car with roll hoops that 'fire' into
accompanied by a resounding clunk in some instancesposition in just a tenth of a second if the sensors
that literally shakes the whole car. With your fingerdetect the car is going to roll.
on the button you can feel it all happening behindPrice wise, if you're in the market for a car like this
you, and I guess some people won't take to thatyou're going to have to spend in the order of
experience£20,000 for the privilege of a top end version.
Our test car came with the 136PS 2.0 diesel engine,The Focus CC sampled here (CC3) costs
the same unit as in the C-MAX that passed through£20,887 with its Bluetooth hands free option,
our hands the week before, but it came into its ownbut prices start at £16,795.It has that dash of
in this guise, where the lower kerbweight made itItalian elegance, no doubt about that. The design is
feel quicker still. Its certainly more responsive anddistinctive but still a Focus for all that.