WE SAID this two years ago when the last Focus was launched, but now we are sure about it: if Ford does not become a force to be reckoned with in the high-flying small-car segment with the safer, better-value and broader-spectrum LT Focus, then Australians simply cannot spot a great car if it slaps them across the face. Even against new rivals from Toyota and Nissan, the latest Focus is one of those rare vehicles that brings pleasure to both the head and the heart. Drive one before you buy anything else in the sub-$25,000 segment.

Ford LS Focus
Released: 2005
Ended: 2007
Family Tree: FocusA MUCH more rounded proposition than its edgy LR Focus predecessor, the LS benefited form significant increases in space, refinement and performance, and many buyers responded. Under the stubby bonnet lies a gutsy 107kW/185Nm 2.0-litre twin-cam four-cylinder engine, mated to a five-speed manual or four-speed sequential shift automatic gearbox. But the real important thing lay underneath these – a four-wheel independent suspension system that sees the Focus lead its class for driving pleasure and overall dynamics. Five models were sold here – the base CL, followed by the LX, Zetec, Ghia and hot hatch class-leading XR5 Turbo.
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