2018 Ford Focus

Overall, the 2018 Focus sedan is a good vehicle for navigating through city traffic, but its highway capabilities are limited by its modest engine. In addition to the sedan variant, the 2018 Ford Focus is also available in a hatchback and an electric hatchback model, which will be reviewed separately. With four trim levels and a starting price tag of $17,950, the 2018 Focus Sedan competes with the likes of Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Hyundai Elantra. 

There are four trim levels available for the 2018 Ford Focus Sedan. These trims are named S, SE, SEL, and Titanium. Prices for the Ford Focus sedan start around $17,950 and go up to $24,270 for the top-of-the-line Titanium trim. The base S trim is available only as a sedan and comes with necessary features, such as power front and rear windows, push-start ignition, 15-inch steel wheels, 4.2-inch central display, and a four-speaker sound system. After that comes the SE trim that replaces the 2L inline-4 engine with a 1L turbo inline-3 engine along with bigger 16-inch alloy wheels and a 6-speaker sound system. 

On the other hand, the SEL trim comes with some other exciting additions such as a moonroof, ambient lighting, an upgraded infotainment system, and a larger interactive screen. While, in the top trim, leather-wrapped seats with a heating feature and a remote start system become standard and the Voice Activated Dual Zone Front Automatic Air Conditioning makes up for the ambiance regulation. As far as safety is concerned, tech-ends like the Electronic Stability Control and Mykey System have also been integrated. Hence, the Ford Focus is a host of the array of values.

Which Trim should you buy?

Our recommendation is the SEL trim. It costs almost $1,200 more than the base trim and about $5,000 less than the top trim. The features integrated into this trim level, such as the standard moonroof and larger infotainment screen, give it an edge over the base format. To get some more comfort features like electrical power-adjustable seats with heating features, you will have to upgrade it to the top trim, which is a little pricey. Therefore, SEL will fit within your budget considering ergonomics and other aspects. 

Ford offers buyers two engine options for the 2018 Ford Focus. In particular, the SE trim comes equipped with a 1L Inline-3 Turbocharged engine that produces 123 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque. All the other trims are equipped with a standard 2.0L Inline-4 engine that produces 160 horsepower and 146 lb-ft of torque. The base trim's powertrain is paired with a 5-speed manual, while the SE trim's turbocharged variant is coupled with a 6-speed manual. On the other hand, the top trims offer you a 6-speed automatic transmission that empowers the front wheels. 

In comparison with its rivals, Ford's acceleration felt a bit slow here. The acceleration from a standstill to 60mph takes about 8.3 seconds. With those performance figures, we can say that it is a good option if you are considering it for regular office and short commutes. However, the 2018 Focus won't impress you much on highways.

Compared to the Civic and Corolla, the Ford Focus sedan does have an advantage in terms of performance specs. While others come with 2L Inline-4 engines as their base, the Corolla comes with a feeble 1.8L Inline-4 engine as standard. As a result, the acceleration is sluggish and it is 1-2 seconds slower than the rest of the competition. Moreover, where others come with a manual transmission as standard, the Toyota offers a CVT unit for power transmission. As per conclusion, in terms of power pursuit, Elantra seems to be better, owing to its lightweight.

How well does the 2018 Ford Focus Sedan handle?

In general, the 2018 Ford Focus Sedan does a good job on the road, and the driver will undoubtedly enjoy driving it. The steering wheel is light and responsive thus maneuvering and parking the car in tight spots is a breeze. The turning radius is quite good as well. Although this is an excellent car for short city commutes, the highway driving experience is a bit disappointing. 

However, its suspension is tuned to absorb every bump and undulation making the drive more insulated. One of the concerns is that there is a noticeable body roll especially on sharp corners and winding roads that comes inherent with it but to tackle that engineers have put on anti-roll bars both in the front and rear. Therefore, one can mark it decent as per its price tag but flooring is not at all advisable with it. 

2018 Ford Focus Braking Performance

The 2018 Ford Focus sedan is arguably the heaviest in its class. As standard, you get 10.9-inch rotors at the front and 9-inch rotors at the back. These figures with such mass are not a major issue but it does affect its braking performance to some degree. For 60-0MPH, it travels about 130 feet forward before coming to a complete stop. Other than that, it has been loaded with various other features like the Brake Assist and 4-wheel ABS that aid you in braking in general. However, it lacks an automatic emergency braking system, which is a major flaw.

When it comes to braking, the Honda Civic is the best. The brake rotors are larger, and the bodyweight is balanced quite well. Because of this, it stops at 127 feet from 60-0 mph, which is marginally better and can be a determining factor in some cases. Meanwhile, the Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla come at the bottom stopping at a distance of 130 feet with Elantra being undefined in this section. 

As far as power and acceleration are concerned, we found the 2018 Ford Focus to be a bit disappointing. However, it also turned out to be a little more fuel-hungry than its competitors. A single gallon of gas can take the vehicle 25 MPG in the city, and 34 MPG on the highway. If you drive in mixed conditions, you can expect around 28 MPG. The 1L turbo engine offers a slightly better fuel economy of 30mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. The fuel tank size of this vehicle is 12.4 gallons, which is relatively small. Due to these figures and a smaller tank, this sedan's overall on-road range is affected and restricted to only 412 miles.

The Honda Civic here has the best fuel economy, while the Ford Focus Sedan lags. Corolla has an underpowered engine with a smooth-shifting CVT unit but still, it couldn't match the fuel efficiency of the benchmark. Moreover, the Elantra also offers slightly better fuel economy than the Focus by 1-2mpg. Along with that, it is equipped with a larger fuel tank, which measures 14.0 gallons that put its maximum driving range well over 500 miles.

Inside the 2018 Ford Focus, you will be greeted by a clean, sophisticated interior with all the expected features. Again, getting in and out of the cabin is easy, and the seats are well-positioned with good padding. It is quite spacious in the front and there will be no problem for anyone, even those 6 feet tall won't have an issue. From the driver's perspective, the controls are easy to reach and easy to use. A leather-bolstered seating area and heated front seats are also included in the top trim. Moreover, the driver seats can be flexed electrically eight ways while the co-passenger seats are manually adjustable.

However, the legroom in the rear is quite low and a tall passenger's knee might hit the front seatback. Aside from that, the vehicle has many features that make driving as pleasant as possible that include dual-zone automatic climate control, power steering, moonroof, ambient lighting, etc. Coming to the cargo space, it is yet again average at 13.2 cubic feet, which is okay, but slightly less than its competitors.

Ford Focus sedan offers decent front-row space, but the rear space is less than adequate. The rivals like the Honda Civic are in the lead here with arguably best-in-class interior space and cargo capacity at 15.1 cu ft. Toyota Corolla on the other hand trades cargo volume for a more balanced cabin with equivalent space in both front and rear rows. What’s further visible common among all is their genetic tendency to seat in 5 in a go but the gap is that the rivals can do it better. 

Standout interior features:

• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Recaro leather seats
• 8-way power-adjustable driver's seat
• Heated front seats
• Heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Interior Air Filtration

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The entertainment engagement is at its best when it comes to the SE trim because it is adorned with a bigger 8.0-inch screen and Ford's SYNC 3 infotainment system. Whereas the base trim of the Ford Focus sedan houses a smaller 4.2-inch screen with SYNC software. Display quality is quite good, and touch inputs are incredibly responsive. At some points, however, you may experience some lag, which is slightly disappointing. Apart from that, you will get a 4-speaker stereo, USB ports, a 4.2-inch instrument cluster display, and an HD radio. The larger infotainment unit with Ford SYNC 3 comes with a 10-speaker Sony audio system, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay support.

Standout infotainment features:

• Ford SYNC 3 infotainment system
• 8.0-inch touchscreen
• HD Radio
• 10-speaker Sony audio system
• Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay support

Given its price, the looks of the Ford Focus sedan are quite satisfactory and attractive. The sedan has an aerodynamic outflow and a long hood to make it look more expansive. In addition to the horizontal grille, this car also has projector headlamps which add to its stance on the front fascia. The top trim comes standard with LED headlamps including DRLs while fog lamps are common throughout the trims. 

In terms of wheel masculinity, the base trim comes with 15.0-inch steel wheels, whereas the SE gets upgraded to 16.0-inch steel wheels. On the other hand, the upper trims are attached with 17.0-inch wheels available in a variety of finishes. On the whole, 2108 Ford Focus looks good enough to attract anyone in this segment. But the ground clearance of this sedan is a little on the concern side.

As per the datasheet, the 2018 Ford Focus sedan weighs approximately 150 pounds more than the rest of its competitors. Due to its expansive design, this sedan also looks quite long, but the Honda Civic here is the longest. Having a ground clearance of 5.9 inches, the 2018 Civic also has the highest ground clearance in the segment. In terms of wheelbase, all cars, except for the Ford, have a similar rating. The fact of all such figures reveals to us that the variation among them is negligible meaning all will maneuver equally and desirably at par with one another. All three competitors, Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai have a similar wheelbase of 106.3 inches, two inches longer than the Ford. 

Standout exterior features:

• Power Heated Side Mirrors
• Fog Lights
• Sunroof
• Chrome exterior trim
• 17" Polished Aluminum wheels

NHTSA has given the Ford Focus sedan a perfect 5-star rating. Even the IIHS has rated it a “Good” overall mark. Though in the small front overlap test, the IIHS rates this sedan as acceptable but that is not a major disadvantage per se. Furthermore, this sedan is equipped with a variety of advanced safety features that ensures that the people inside remain protected. This includes the mentioning of the Blind-spot monitoring, Rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, and SOS Post-crash alert system. On the whole, the Ford Focus is quite a case in this phenomenon.

Standout safety features: 

• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Rear parking sensors
• Lane departure warning
• Automatic high beams
• active park assist
• SOS Post-crash alert system

2018 Ford Focus Sedan vs 2018 Honda Civic

The 2018 Honda Civic might cost a little more than the Ford focus Sedan, however, the Civic is way better than the Ford Focus in every way. With a larger space, more power, and superior fuel economy, the 2018 Civic is the best in its class again. The Honda Civic's looks and features are also great. So without a doubt, you should consider it over the Ford Focus.

2018 Ford Focus Sedan vs 2018 Hyundai Elantra

Similarly, we will take the same stance in this section as we did in the previous ones. Ford Focus seems underpowered and more gas-guzzler than Hyundai Elantra. In addition, the Elantra is more affordable than the Ford badging while offering a better value proposition. Moreover, Elantra's looks are more refined and the front end is much more dominant than the Focus. The Elantra's infotainment system is also much more intuitive, contributing to its overall effectiveness as a family car.

2018 Ford Focus Sedan vs 2018 Toyota Corolla

Toyota Corolla seems to be underpowered in this comparison but the frugal engine and the CVT unit help it deliver slightly better fuel economy than the Focus sedan. Moreover, when it comes to interior space, Corolla wins hands down with a spacious interior in both front and rear rows. However, the Focus is less expensive than the Corolla and offers better value when it comes to performance. So it becomes a matter of choice of what sort of owner is investing in it. 

The 2018 Ford Focus sedan seems very average in its segment, and it lacks any special features to stand out. However, rivals such as the Honda Civic and the Hyundai Elantra have more to offer buyers for almost the same price. The powertrains of both the aforementioned rivals are much more responsive and powerful. The Civic also boasts the best fuel economy, which is considered the most important aspect of this segment of the market. Therefore, we recommend that you opt for Civic or Elantra rather than Ford Focus in this segment.