Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet range
Prices: £17,617-£21,532 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 8-11
Emissions: 156-179g/km
Performance: [2.0 petrol] Max Speed 129mph / 0-60mph 10.2s
Fuel Consumption: [2.0 petrol] (combined) 37.7mpg
Safety: Twin front airbags, ABS with brake assist
Dimensions: Length/Width/Heightmm 4509/1834/1448

AIR APPARENT

Our Rating: 7.6 / 10

The Ford Focus Coupe Cabriolet is the perfect folding tin top for those who don’t fancy a French car and can’t run to a premium German badge. Andy Enright reports

One of the biggest growth sectors in the car market over the past few years has been that of affordable coupe-cabriolets. Time was when you had to buy French but there’s now a bigger choice and the very best drive of the lot is this Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet. Even in the latest facelifted form, it’s no great looker though and that could be key for some.

There no getting away from the fact. As a nation we have gone ga-ga over small cars with folding hard tops. If statistics are to be believed, we’ve already bought more drop top cars than France, Italy and Spain combined, notwithstanding our decidedly aqueous climate, and now that manufacturers can factor in the additional safety and security of a metal roof, there’s no stopping us. Perhaps we should pause for a moment and ask ourselves what convertibles are really all about. It’s the wind in the hair and, yes, looking good, which is why it’s all the more perplexing that most compact folding hard top cars look about as sexy as mini-skip.

Enter Ford’s latest 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.

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.

Benefiting from Ford’s ‘kinetic design’ approach to styling, the latest Focus CC has been smartened up around the front end. Trapezoidal grilles, swept back headlamps and bolder wheel arches are the key changes. Inside, the more upmarket aura continues. Nicer soft-touch plastics now cover the instrument panel as well as the upper front door trim and this is complemented by plusher seat fabrics plus a variety of more attractive fascia finishings.

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 colou