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| Forget the flower power; this is a Focus, and that's good enough for us |
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Some cars have that magical, mysterious ingredient that makes you want to own them, keep them, and drive them for the sheer pleasure of being behind the wheel. The Focus Econetic - perhaps surprisingly - is one such car. It's surprising because you wouldn't expect a vehicle which claims fuel economy of 74.2mpg to be all that inspiring to drive; and indeed, if you're a speed freak, you might find yourself yawning as the 107bhp 1.6 turbodiesel engine takes all of 11.8 seconds to propel you to 62mph. So what is it that makes this 5-door hatchback so desirable - at least to us?
Well, it's certainly not the gimmicky eco-enhancing displays - such as the digital flower petals you're awarded for economy gearshifting, anticipation and efficient speed. Nor is it the over-enthusiastic upshift light, which encourages you to change up a gear when you probably feel you should be changing down. Certainly, the truly gobsmacking fuel economy and rock-bottom emissions have something to do with it: we got 61.2mpg on a mixture of A-roads and B-roads - still some way off the official claim, but then we often refused to obey the upshift light. Even so, it's not the economy which really endeared the car to us.
No, what really swung things in favour of Ford's eco-conscious 5-door hatchback is that it's... er... a Focus. Despite all the planet-saving niceties, it still feels like the car which is known throughout the motoring world as one of the best-engineered, best-handling cars of its type. The Focus Econetic retains all the well-known plus points of Ford's famously standard-setting hatchback, able to waft you along in a relaxed fashion until you ask more of it - when it will gladly deliver remarkable agility, excellent handling, and that extraordinarily good ride. This is extreme fuel economy in a highly sophisticated package.
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