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It deserves more than 115 bhp though. A diesel Focus with at least 130 bhp should be in Ford's immediate plans. They really should be keeping pace with VW in that race.
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>>They really should be keeping pace with VW in that race.>>
Why? The Focus 1.8 Zetec TDCI is quick enough for most requirements...:-)
You could suggest to Ford that it offers the Focus with the Mondeo's 130bhp version.
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My only comment is to make sure that the front seats are comfortable enough for you. They are semi-bucket type at the front, and a bucket is just what they remind me of ~ they're a bit like sitting om the rim of a bucket! Why not get a 2 litre petrol Ghia, which has supremely comfortable seats?
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L'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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My only comment is to make sure that the front seats are comfortable enough for you. They are semi-bucket type at the front, and a bucket is just what they remind me of ~ they're a bit like sitting om the rim of a bucket! Why not get a 2 litre petrol Ghia, which has supremely comfortable seats? -- L'escargot by name, but not by nature.
P.S. 129bhp
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L'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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The Zetec variants have the sports suspension; the TDCI also has a massive torque advantage over petrol equivalents and will still be easier on fuel costs.
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Engine torque is only part of the story. The important thing is torque at the driving wheels ~ assuming that the rolling radius of the tyres is comparable. Because a diesel is higher geared than a petrol, the torque at the driving wheels is reduced proportionally. The best comparison factor that is easily available is acceleration times, but I don't know which mag gives the most comprehensive information on this.
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L'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Believe me, the Focus Zetec 1.8 TDCI is pretty quick in-gear.....:-)
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Believe me, the Focus Zetec 1.8 TDCI is pretty quick in-gear.....:-)
It's no good just telling me "pretty quick" ~ I want to know how quick, preferably versus a 2 litre Ghia. (This is obviously a petrolhead versus dieselhead discussion!)
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L'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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The 1.8 115bhp TDCI 0-62mph is 10.7 secs; the 2.0 litre Ghia petrol 9.3 secs.
However, the 31-62mph sprint is 9.5 secs for the diesel and 9.6 secs for the petrol.
Combined fuel consumption for the TDCI is 52.3mpg and for the two-litre petrol 32.8mpg.
Top speed of the Ghia is 125mph and the diesel 122mph.
These are taken from Ford's official figures on its website.
The Ghia may well have more comfortable seats but it seems to have lost out here overall.
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I've had a Focus Ghia and the seats were absolutely awful.
They were far too hard, had little in the way of side bolsts to hold you in them, and if you dropped the seat height down (as I had to because I'm tall) you get a 3" gaping hole between the seat base and seat back.
The Zetec seats are marginally softer and have proper side bolsts, but you still feel like you're sitting on them rather than in them.
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Just changed a Focus TDCi Ghia after 35000 miles. It was OK, no better. The engine is quite responsive but after a while the noise from under the bonnet becomes too wearing for the car to be a relaxing drive - much better than a VW or Audi 1.9 TDi but still nowhere near good enough in my book.
Fuel consumption averaged 41 mpg, I know of two other former TDCi owners who got about the same. A 2 litre petrol would have been a much better buy I think.
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Realise I'm a bit late into this, but I couldn't agree more with the petrol side of this discussion. I've driven a lot of Focusses/Foci and without a doubt the TDCi ones are the least pleasant, and that includes Vs. the old TD ones. Yes, there is loads of torque, but it's only for a really narrow band and there's nowt below that, then it dies. They're also wearingly noisy if driven hard.
IMHO, the Mondeo TDCI is even worse. Really difficult to drive smoothly. I'm not saying impossible to drive smoothly, just far harder than a petrol would be. Don't think I've only taken these round the block, I've driven many thousands of miles in them.
A petrol Focus, even a 1.6, pulls cleanly from about 1300rpm to 6500; what does the tractor-fuel version manage? 2000-4000?
I'll duck back below the parapet now.
Andy
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Diesel drivers often quote this as a diesel advantage. It's true only if you don't change down, which any competant driver would when preparing to overtake.
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I'd much rather have a Seat Leon TDI 130 instead, similar money, similar insurance, quicker car and is a little less commonly seen. If dropping another car size down is a possibly, the Seat Ibiza 130 Sport/FR is quicker still.
I agree with the other posters who say that the Focus TDCi is underpowered. Most other manufacturers have their midsize diesels well over the 120bhp mark by now. Hopefully the Mondeo's 2.0 136bhp engine will be put into the new Focus - personally i think it seems to be a very strong engine, at least it is in my Dad's mondeo.
When comparing the TDCI Focus with the 2.0 petrol variant it really does come down to driving sytle. I went from a 90bhp Turbo Diesel to a 90bhp Petrol car, with similar performance on paper, but to me it always seems like i have to work the petrol car much harder to get the same performance. I like to 'press on', but dislike using 5000rpm all the time, so for me it'll always be diesels in the future.
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I haven't driven a TDCI Focus but I have been most impressed by a TDCI Mondeo. I have a 1.8 petrol Focus Ghia and I am somewhat underwhelmed by its performance. It undoubtedly pulls cleanly throughout the rev range but it doesn't pull very hard and it is rather thirsty.
I am currently wondering whether to get it checked out to see if there is anything wrong with it. It was purchased nearly new from a Ford dealer with 5k on the clock and I was told it would loosen up with a few more miles of use. It now has done 19K and is no better.
If it is typical then I have to say I was rather surprised to see that Clarkson recommended the 1.8 petrol as the pick of the focus range in a recent Sunday Times best car feature
Has anyone any suggestions? I always think it has that slightly soft woolly retarded ignition feel I remember from many years ago when I had a motorcycle with manual advance retard, however with modern engine management systems is this likely?
Peter Bowman
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>>I have a 1.8 petrol FocusGhia and I am somewhat underwhelmed by its performance. It undoubtedly pulls cleanly throughout the rev range but it doesn't pull very hard and it is rather thirsty. I am currently wondering whether to get it checked out to see if there is anything wrong with it.
Snap. I used to own a 2000 Focus 1.8 Ghia up until a couple of months ago. It went alright if you revved it hard, ie 5000RPM plus but for me that just makes driving tiresome and seem like hard work. I could have forgiven the cars other faults - the fact it was noisy, the seats were rock hard and uncomfortable, the ride was firm were it not for the fact that no matter how calmly I drove it, it would never better 32MPG. Most of the time, driven normally, it would do about 28MPG. My father in law gets 26.5mpg from his Audi A8 3.7 Quattro!
Next car had to be more comfortable and diesel powered. Went for the Mondeo 2.0TDCi 130. Got a reasonable used 2002 for £9k and I'm made up with it. Consistently returns 45MPG, even when driven reasonably hard. I don't find it hard to drive smoothly at all. 1st and 2nd gear are quite short, but once you get it into 3rd it really flies. Mine is the 5 speed version, and I would be interested to have a long drive in a 6 speed as apparently the ratios are a bit better spaced.
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"Because a diesel is higher geared than a petrol, the torque at the driving wheels is reduced proportionally"
Sorry L'escargot, wrong.
The fact is that a turbo diesel not only produces more torque than a petrol engine of similar size, it also produces it at lower rpm hence higher gearing is possible.
Focus 1.8 TDCi 280nm @ 1800rpm
Focus 2.0 petrol 180nm @ 4500 rpm
Therefore at 70mph in top the TDCi (approx 30mph/1000)is puling around 2350rpm right in the middle of a fat torque curve where the petrol (approx 23mph/1000) is pulling around 3000rpm though is 1500 off it's peak torque. I.e. the petrol is only able to match the TDCi in gear figure because it is revving a lot higher.
I like the chareteristics of a free revving petrol engine, that is why I have 4cyl superbike, also my next car might well be petrol because I do not do the mileage I used to do.
However when it come to torque, facts are facts, turbo diesel rules.
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