Focus on great deals; STYLISH - the Ford Focus Style's dashboard; TRIED AND TESTED - the Ford Focus Style hits the road

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), August 31, 2007

Byline: By STEVE HUGHES

WITH Ford's bestselling Focus due for a facelift in a few months, there are some cracking deals on the current crop.

The range is huge, encompassing more than 30 models including saloon, hatchback and estate versions with a choice of a dozen petrol and diesel engines.

There was even a swish coupe cabriolet model for a short time, although that has temporarily been withdrawn to sort out water leaks, compounded by a hurricane wiping out the Italian factory where it is made!

However, the mainstay of the range is the tried and tested hatchback, which continues to be the UK's favourite car.

The best seller is the Style version, which comes with a choice of 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8-litre petrol engines and diesel options of 1.6 and 1.8 litres.

List prices start at pounds 13,000 for the 1.4-litre three-door Style, although dealers are currently knocking an average of pounds 1,500 off that sticker price.

Not bad for a car that comes with 100mph performance and 40mpg economy, plus oodles of kit including remote locking, electric windows and side airbags. Cream of the crop is the 1.8-litre turbodiesel version with a list price of pounds 15,600 discounted down to about pounds 13,500.

There is a top speed of 120mph for effortless motorway cruising and impressive economy of about 50mpg. Style versions of the Focus estate start with the 1.6-litre five-door model at pounds 14,950 with a real-world transaction price of under pounds 13,000 while the 1.8-litre turbodiesel model is listed at pounds 16,500 but is currently up for grabs for about pounds 2,000 less than that.