Ford Focus Titanium diesel review

Ford Focus Titanium diesel review

There’s another factor that we have to consider here, though - and that’s transmission. Because the new Focus is the first Ford to be offered with a new eight-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox - a replacement for the Mk3 Focus’s unloved dual-clutch PowerShift set-up. The unit is also offered on the larger diesel, plus the 123bhp 1.0 and 148bhp 1.5 petrols.

So while you can have your Focus diesel with a six-speed manual, we’re testing the eight-speed auto here - thereby sampling two of the freshest elements in the new package.

There’s no mistaking the fact you’re in an auto when you climb inside - because there’s not even a stubby auto gear selector in place of the regular six-speed stick. Instead you get a slim rotary dial positioned at the base of the centre console. It may not rise majestically into use as the car fires up – as it does in Jaguar’s similar configuration – but it does free up a little more space between the front seats. And it’s a doddle to use, too.