New Ford Focus: still the family favourite (sponsored)

The Ford Focus is one of Britain’s favourite family models. But you don’t need an expert reviewer to tell you why the latest generation of this massive-selling car is so good. Surely it’s better to hear from a real family how the new Mk4 Focus makes everyday life easier? That way, you can see for yourself how the Ford could work for you.

So meet the Robinsons. Like any modern family, every member probably has different priorities in a car: Dad’s attention might be drawn towards the infotainment system and safety features, for example. Meanwhile, Mum may be more interested in how easy the car is to drive and the level of practicality it offers. And for teenager Sam, a fun driving experience is crucial, alongside stylish good looks and technology such as the FordPass Connect Wi-Fi hotspot.

Any parent with children of a certain age will be used to running a taxi service, and it’s essential that the family car you own can keep the kids happy. It has to be a talented all-rounder, and that’s exactly what the new Ford Focus is. Whether it’s swallowing teenagers’ bags in the boot or allowing youngsters to easily sync their phones to listen to the playlists on their phones, the car makes life simple.

Yet at the same time, the Ford Focus is always keeping watch in the background. Features such as head-up display and adaptive cruise control with stop and go take the strain out of family driving. “This head-up display is so cool,” Dad enthuses after his first time behind the wheel. “It tells you what the speed limit is; it’s got the outline of the road sign and everything!”

Mums and dads in the driver’s seat will also love the Park Assist function. This makes manoeuvring into a parallel space for a quick drop-off at the end of a journey an absolute breeze, and couldn’t be easier to use. “Press the button, indicate,” Dad demonstrates. “So it’s scanning the spaces here. And then I put it in ‘N’, and it’s like the wheel’s doing it itself. You see? How good is this?”

The sat-nav also ensures you’ll always take the quickest route to your next destination, and the hi-tech secondary instructions will appeal to younger drivers. “Wicked!” grins the teenager in our modern family as he discovers this feature. “I’ve put it in the sat-nav, and it’s even got it in the head-up display.”

Wherever you’re going, it’s not just everyday luggage the Focus can carry; fold the rear seats, and it can also take more awkward items. Loading a mountain bike into the boot is really easy, for example, because of the way the space has been designed. So the car is simple to use for those who enjoy the outdoor life. Yet this practicality doesn’t come at the expense of refinement. On her way to the country park for her bike ride, our mum describes the Focus as “so smooth, so comfortable”.

Comfort is also important to the youngest driver in the family, who says the new Ford’s seats “have to be the most comfortable I’ve ever sat in. And being able to electrically move them was pretty cool”. But as you’d expect, driving thrills and the street cred of the latest tech are more crucial for teenagers and twentysomethings taking the wheel. Young Sam Robinson tells us the Focus is “really fun to drive, really good”, before adding: “Wi-Fi was wicked as well.”

It all adds up to a compelling package that appeals to every member of the modern family. The new Ford Focus is practical, stylish, fun to drive and crammed with tech, all of which you can find out more about at ford.co.uk. “It’s got great quality, a great feel,” Dad tells us, while Sam sums it up best by adding: “Thank you very much, Ford.”