Buttons to operate the cruise control and speed limiter are on steering wheel mounted underneath the buttons that the onboard computer is operated

Last Monday I had to hand my VW Touran for end lease. My replacement car was delivered at the point of return (temporary car). This proved to be a Ford Focus.

After 3.5 years ago once made a test drive in a Focus, I had great expectations. In addition, it is a beautiful color, namely Magnetic, a dark gray color.

This is a Ford Focus 1.5 CDTi 95 hp in the Trend version. In addition, this car features the Technology Pack, which inter alia includes an embedded touchscreen navigation system with voice control, Bluetooth, front center armrest and rear parking sensors.

After a few days away (about 700 km), drop me a number of things.

1. Pleasant navigation

Besides a fine control (via touch screen or via voice control), the screen display is clear and pleasant. Where many navigation systems from bird's eye view toggle to lane assist, the system displays it in split screen both again. Also nice that the voice (route guidance) can be plotted. Moreover, the system also displays traffic information.

2. No comfortable chairs

I sit on average 2 times a day 1 or 1.25 hours in the car. So far I got even with back pain and pain in my knee after every ride. The seats are not very nice, are far from comfortable.

3. Turn blink first or third time?

Today, every car has it; a small movement of the turn and the lights flash three times. But what strikes me is that when you go to the right one time to three times flashed be, but sometimes once. I can not figure out what is the cause.

4. Hill Hold?

This feature is "on" in the menu, however, I notice there is very little of it. Or maybe this system works only with steeper slopes? All in all I would not attach too much importance to this feature, as at a traffic light you just roll backwards (or forwards) ...

5. Illogical place control cruise control

Buttons to operate the cruise control and speed limiter are on steering wheel mounted underneath the buttons that the onboard computer is operated. This place is very illogical and impractical. Will operate only when you either get your eyes off the road, or you have more or less "ready" put your fingers over the keys. You can not "feel" what key is.

6. Short armrest

You can actually call any armrest more ... At best, your elbow resting just this. Too bad they have made it no longer, or movable (so you can slide it forward).

7. Little storage

Well VW Touran naturally excels in the number of storage compartments, but this focus has very little. Except in the doors and the glove box, there is a very small space on the left under the steering wheel (for coins ...?) And a compartment under the armrest where just some small things may. No subjects in the headlining, no boxes under the seats. Rear trunk no compartments under the loading floor (where the spare tire and further can not help with is), only two boxes behind the wheel arches, which are not much larger than the size of the instruction booklets ...

8. Annoying squeak by lamps / door

Earlier many people built a beeper or buzzer in the car in order to avoid that you would leave the lights on when you leave the car. Nowadays automatically go to (almost) all the cars off the lights. At the Ford Focus as well, but if you set the switch to "lights on", you get the key from the ignition and opens the door, there is a squeaker until you close the door again. Very annoying, especially you know that the lights do go out by itself.

9. Consumption

I estimate that I make about 75% to 80% highway mileage, but there also some kilometers daily spend in a traffic jam. Nevertheless, I recorded an average consumption of 4.9 l / 100km in recent days. At least that gives the onboard computer on. Perhaps this also differs from reality, so that the actual consumption will be higher. The manufacturer is not feasible for that you have to drive continuous highway 90 km / h without traffic jams or congestion.

All in all I'm somewhat disappointed in the Focus, I had expected more. In particular, the seats are tremendously against me. A few weeks ago I had a few days a VW Polo for a repair to my previous car, which even were a lot better chairs. If Ford would sometimes put better seats in the car, the Focus would definitely be a consideration in selecting the next car. Now I would just all these to drop off the chairs.