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If Victor Frankenstein ever worked in the automotive industry, he would certainly have worked at Ford during the 2000s. And he would have built many children, some successful and others catastrophic. Whether the Ford Focus II was a failure or a success remains to be seen in today’s article.

We talked about the Ford Focus I, a car that demolished the competition in its class when it was launched. A car that came with semi-independent suspension, a low price, bags of fun and practicality. It’s just that Ford has been greedy and wanted to create a successor that would take things to a new level: the Ford Focus II. Greed that has spread to other companies, with Ford aggressively borrowing parts from Mazda and the newly acquired Volvo.

What goods does the Ford Focus II bring to the table?

• If the first generation of Focus was dedicated rather to the cheaper adrenaline junkies, episode II also wanted to address family members, not only the hair gel consumers. Of course, the semi-independent suspension remains standard for all models, being one of the few cars in its class that can boast such a thing, but now you have more space inside, plastics that do not fall every time you take a pothole and an interior that did not was drawn by a person with Alzheimer’s.


• One of the major changes is on the engine side, being brought a container with engines donated by various manufacturers, willingly or not. Only one engine on the Ford Focus II is 100% Ford, the rest are borrowed and bought. The irony of fate is that the Ford engine is a diesel. The Americans managed in Europe to build a single engine, and it’s a diesel one. It’s as if Jamie Olliver only knew how to cook American burgers. It’s as if Tom Jones would know how to sing only reggae music.

Ford Focus II Engines

Petrol

• 1.4 Duratec of 80 horsepower – Formerly 1.4 Zetec-SE, the Ford Sigma engine was built in collaboration with Yamaha. Very good engine anyway, only that it was launched in 1995 and has only 80 horsepower, far too little for the Ford Focus II. The antique Ford Sigma is still being manufactured, being put on the current Ford Fiesta, which matters that it is over 20 years old.


• 1.6 Duratec of 100 horsepower – The same story as 1.4, only at 100 horsepower is a decent engine that does its job admirably. Fast, reliable and quiet, this is the most popular petrol engine on the roads. It will not soil your underwear when you accelerate, but it does its job brilliantly in any situation.


• 1.8 Duratec of 125 horsepower – A Mazda engine, guaranteed for performance. However, it is a 1.8, so again it is the middle road between 1.6 and 2.0.


• 2.0 Duratec of 145 horsepower – The Mazda 2.0-liter engine is sensational, coming with enough power and reliability to make it worth it. Moreover, it comes with a timing chain meant to last for several millennia. An engine heavily used by Ford, the Mazda L propels even today’s Ford Mustang in the 2.3 supercharged version.


• 2.5 Duratec of 225, 305, 355 horsepower – An engine from Volvo, the famous T5 found its Ford Focus II in the ST and RS variants. An engine start, accompanied by an angelic heart.

Diesel

• 1.6 TDCI of 90, 100 and 109 horsepower – An PSA engine, the famous 1.6 hdi came to ruin it for the Americans. Renowned for eating turbos, the 1.6 TDCI has issues with both the particulate filter and the engine block that has a habit of cracking. The only viable version is the 90 horsepower version, which is also the only one without a DPF.


• 1.8 TDCI of 115 horsepower – The only pure Ford engine, it is lifted directly from the previous generation of Focus. Noisier than French diesels, this internal combustion Rambo is slightly more reliable and hardworking.  Sometimes the injectors fall off, but don’t panic.


• 2.0 TDCI of 110 and 136 horsepower – Another impeccable PSA engine that devours turbos with the frequency with which slavs devour cheap vodka every Friday night.

Ford Focus II General Issues

• Diesel engines unfortunately come particulate filters and double-mass flywheels. Should any of these 2 components fail, prepare your money for intimate moments, without consent and without lubricant. Particulate filters have a life of about 150,000 km, and the cost of a new filter can easily reach the sum of the car.


• The insulation made of out of chewing gum stolen from the nearest kindergarten makes it’s debut in this generation Focus. An issue common especially with the station wagon versions, where it will rain in the boot. Check if the spare wheel is rusty or damp, so you can tell if it’s raining in the car.


• As in the previous generation, the wiper assembly does not retain water properly and thus there are leaks in the engine. It probably wasn’t raining in America and that’s why they didn’t do anything about it.


• The rear wheel bearings are more sensitive than a nun arriving at a stand-up comedy show.


• The automatic gearboxes are still as good as when you drop the food on the floor or like that girl you talk to for 1 hour in a bar and then discover that her boyfriend is calling her.

Ford Focus II Verdict

Ford Focus II is one of the best options you can make when looking for a used car. Halfway between the Opel Astra H and the VW Golf V, the Ford Focus II is that good car at all, but it doesn’t excel at anything. There is a body type for each of us, there is an engine type for each of us. Do you want to die slowly? Get the 1.4 petrol. Do you want an excellent city car? Get the 1.6 petrol. Do you want something that offers performance and does not ruin you financially? Get your 2.0 petrol torpedo. Do you want something that will ruin you financially? Get a PSA diesel. Do you want an honest diesel that does its job and is with you? 1.6 TDCI of 90 horsepower is the answer.

Ford thought in 2010 to come up with the idea/concept of the global car. A car that can handle anything, anywhere, anytime. They just didn’t realize they had been doing it since 1998 when they launched the first generation Ford Focus. In 2004 they launched the Ford Focus II and in 2008 they came with botox and facelift, thus creating a multipurpose car. Of course, if you don’t take the 1.4 petrol engine, because this way you will have only a slow car.