Like the Mazda3, the first thing I that comes to mind when I hear the words Ford Focus, is hatchback (BTW, the Focus and Mazda3 used to share platforms). Both of these cars are also available as sedans, and this week we reviewed a 2017 Ford Focus Titanium sedan.

Prices

Some other manufacturers, Mazda included, charge a premium for the hatchback version of their cars, but not Ford, for the most part. The Focus sedan and hatchback have same prices for all trim levels except for the SE, where you do pay a premium on the hatchback, which is probably because of the different engines on that trim in the sedan and hatchback.

The Focus S sedan has a starting price of $16,648, the SE starts at $19,348, the SEL at $23,388, and the top of the line Titanium sedan starts at $26,158. These prices do not include destination and delivery and taxes.

Engine

With the exception of the SE trim, all other trims on the sedan come with a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine with direct injection, producing 160 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 146 pound-feet of torque at 4,450 rpm. These engines are offered with a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmissions. The SE sedan comes with a 1.0 liter EcoBoost 3-cylinder engine, which we reviewed in the Fiesta SE. Thie little engine produces 123 HP at 6,000 rpm and 125 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm. It comes with a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission.

Our review car was the Titanium trim with a 6-speed automatic transmission, which should consume 9.2/6.6/8.0 L/100 km in city/highway/combined driving. For my week-long review, I drove 90/10 city/highway, the trip computer showed consumption of 9.0 L/100 km. This is spot on with what Ford claims, but lags behind the newly designed Civic and Elantra. The Focus is one of the older cars in this segment, with first being introduced as a 2011 model, so when the new Focus comes out in the next year or so, I’m expecting fuel consumption to improve.

Performance

The Focus might be an older design, but it’s still one of the sportiest in the segment, if not the sportiest. The car is quite fun to drive and the steering has a nice weighty feel to it, it really makes you want to zip in and out of traffic. I really enjoyed the feeling of the quick steering. The suspension is also quite firm compared to other cars in the segment, maybe some of that goodness from the Focus ST and the Focus RS is wearing off on the regular Focus.

The power was more than enough for city driving, the throttle response was quick and the car felt quite zippy. On what little highway driving I did do, the Focus easily kept up with traffic and passing wasn’t a big deal. Overall, the Focus shines when it comes to driving dynamics, obviously it’s not a sports car but for what it is, it’s quite fun to drive.

Styling/Interior

The Focus hasn’t changed much over the last six year, there have been minor updates along the way but the overall styling on the outside and inside remains the same, which we have documented over the years with all the review of the Focus we’ve done.

Overall Impressions

The Ford Focus might be an older design but it’s still very good car, it’s at the top of the spectrum when it comes to driving dynamics in its class. Some of the competitors in its class have grown in size, offering more room and comfort but the Focus does have all the latest technologies that are offered on its competitors. I’m assuming Ford is going to be redesigning the Focus soon, maybe in the next year. Hopefully Ford keeps the sporty feeling of this car and improves it even further along with the rest of the car.