Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet 2.0 Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet 2.0 range
Prices: £18,495-£19,495 - on the road
Insurance Group: 11
Emissions: 179g/km
Performance: Max Speed 129mph / 0-60mph 10.2s
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 37.7mpg
Safety: Twin front airbags, ABS with brake assist
Dimensions: Length/Width/Heightmm 4509/1834/1448

FORD’S FINEST FLIP TOP

Our Rating: 7.3 / 10

Although the novelty of a folding hard top may well have worn off some time ago, Ford’s Focus Coupe-Cabriolet 2.0-litre remains an appealing choice. Andy Enright reports

Can we level for a moment? Really get down to the crux of the matter? There’s something about cars with folding hard tops that I have a little trouble coming to terms with. Given that a convertible car is all about looking good and feeling good, why is it that the market is populated with quite so many cars that are, shall we say, aesthetically challenged? I can understand the appeal of folding metal drop-tops like the Volkswagen Eos or the BMW 3 Series Convertible because they look the part. The Peugeot 308CC and the Nissan Micra C+C I have a little more of an issue with.

Halfway between the two sits the Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet. From some angles it’s a stunner, from others it looks as if it has, to coin a phrase, a bit too much junk in the trunk. Still, no car is perfect and the Focus counters with a sharper driving experience than any of its direct rivals can serve up.

Buy the 1.6-litre version of the Focus Coupe Cabriolet and it’s hard to escape the nagging suspicion that you’ve not bought a whole lot of engine, the lion’s share of your money having gone on the basics and that fancy folding tin top. Things get a little more satisfying if you’re prepared to dig a little deeper and get the 2.0-litre petrol model we look at here.

This engine feels as if it’s made for the Coupe-Cabriolet. Dragging around a hefty welter of electric motors isn’t child’s play and the 143bhp 2.0-litre will punch the car to 60mph in 10.2 seconds. Coincidentally, this is exactly the same time as the 2.0-litre TDCi diesel manages but Ford rather greedily wants another £1,500 model for model for the oil burner. Most will stick with this petrol option. A top speed of 129mph may be academic to some but it’s indicative of just how much the Focus has in reserve when cruising at typical UK motorway speeds. Suffice to say, you’re not flogging the car’s guts out to keep pace.

Like all Ford Focus models, the multilink rear suspension is set up to handle the worst you can throw at it, although the springs and dampers on the Coupe-Cabriolet have been tuned to offer a more supple ride than the surprisingly well focused hatch. The electrically-assisted steering system is one of the better examples of its ilk, although owners of Mk1 Focuses will still probably mutter about how good the original was before realising they sound like their fathers.

In the early days, most coupe cabriolet models looked rather ungainly, with huge distended rears that would open up like something from a Bond movie and then swallow the hood mechanism whole. That’s no longer acceptable. Nor is having a car that features next to no luggage space. That sort of thing is all rather 2001 and the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet counters with 500-litres of room when the hood is up, although this does drop when the folding roof cartridge is in place. A full four-seater, the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet may not be the answer to the family motorist’s prayers but it’s a lot more practical than its fun-loving agenda may suggest.

The two-piece electrically-operated hard-top roof operates at the touch of a button and takes just 29 seconds, with no catches, latches or levers needing to be manhandled. Once the roof is stowed in the boot, the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet’s lines are a good deal more elegant, with a classic rising waistline and a clean rear deck. Inside, the car’s dashboard layout follows the style of other Focus models, but with a different colour scheme developed to distinguish it as a flagship. Two different colour schemes are offered: dark, sporty Ebony/Flint, and the warm, elegant Iris/Camel.

There are two trim levels on offer with this engine – CC-2 and CC-3. Even the CC-2 comes with 17in 10-spoke 'Vignale style' alloy wheels, three-spoke leather steering wheel, Sony MP3 player and Ford’s excellent Quickclear windscreen defroster. Opt for the CC-3 and you’ll also get leather seats, cruise control, a Sony six-CD system, auto lights/wipers/mirror as well as a chrome detailed front fog lights and grille surround.

Prices start at around £18,000 for the CC-2 and you’ll need to tack another £1,000 onto that for the CC-3. Safety of course is paramount in a car like this and Ford’s new Rollover Protection Device (RPD) plays a vital role in increasing the Coupé-Cabriolet's passive safety performance. In addition to standard front and side airbags, the RPD