Ford Focus Mk3 overview
Range overview: petrol, diesel or electric; manual or automatic; almost all front-wheel drive (Focus RS has all-wheel drive); hatchback, saloon and estate body styles
Reliability: average for class
Cost to repair: cheaper than average
Most common: Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 TDCi 115 hatchback
Best for economy and long-distance driving: Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi 105 Econetic
Best for urban driving: Ford Focus 1.0T EcoBoost 125
Our favourite performance version: Ford Focus RS
The third generation of the Ford Focus went on sale in 2011.Three body styles were offered in Ireland, which were the four-door Focus Saloon, the Focus Estate and the also-five-door Focus hatchback, and it is the last of these three that is by far the most commonplace on the used market.
On driving the Focus Mk3 with the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine for the first time, CompleteCar.ie said: “Game-changing, a new dawn, the biggest revelation since the Ford Model T. There's been plenty of hyperbole bandied about for this new engine, but does it really deserve it? It's not a tough question to answer, and the result is a resounding yes. Never before has a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine combined quite so well with a sensible family car.”
Next section: Engine and range options for the Ford Focus Mk3