Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 115 Zetec 5dr Reviews

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Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 115 Zetec 5dr
★★★☆☆
3.3
58.0% of users recommend this
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Latest Reviews

“Wish I had it now”

★★★★★

written by Kasa on 24/07/2011

I part exchanged this 2007 Focus 1.8 TDCI 115 car for 2011 Focus 1.6 TDCI 115. I averaged before the winter of 2010-11 63.9 mpg. At exchange I averaged 59mpg from 57mpg and still improving up to part exchange. I used this car whilst I was a courier averaging 1000 miles a week. I did get black smoke from exhaust but only occasionally from heavy acceleration. In 60000 miles I only had problems with the Catalyst when a main dealer did not have the required new part, under warrenty and something in the exhaust system that gave ne start up problems on 4 occasions. The 2011 car is difficult to maintain 60mpg even though the book says combined average 67mpg. I have over 5000 miles on the clock now. Wish I had my 2007 car back.

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“Black smoke at 46,000 miles. I am disgusted with the...”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 27/06/2011

I am a driving instructor. I have my car serviced at the required intervals. In June 2010 (car was still in warranty) I asked Ford to look at my car and stop the thick black smoke coming from the exhaust. They have replaced the EGR unit (for which I had to contribute)and and one injector but the car is smoking as badly as it was before. Ford say that it is because my car is used for driving instruction - what utter rot! They think that I only use my car at slow speeds - on the contrary I use the M5 on a daily basis, I only work part time as an instructor and it is also our family car. So Ford are trying to say that the Focus is not a "town" car and one shouldn't use it for short journeys! My flywheel is now vibrating - the car is 3 years and 4 months old. My last Focus was 4 years old when the same thing happened. I refuse to buy another Focus and will fight Ford to the end to get satisfaction. I am disgusted with the service I have received. They have no idea why my car is smoking - I thought they made the cars!!!!

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“I'm a former driving instructor, member of the IAM...”

★★☆☆☆

written by rnicomps on 09/01/2011

I'm a former driving instructor, member of the IAM (Advanced Driing Test) and qualified ambulance service driver. I ALWAYS eco-drive. Last car as a Volvo s40 1.9D. It returned 47mpg on general duty (mostly 20 miles on the A19 dual carriageway with 2 miles urban at either end and very little in town driving) and up to 59 on longer (100 miles plus to scotland A1, A68 or A697) runs. Focus struggles to give low 40's mpg on the same general runs. It stalls in 1st gear, fails to respond to accelerator pressure at junctions after the over-run and is DESPERATE for a 6th gear.
A great disappointment.

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“I bought a used 06 Focus 1.8 TDCi Sport 5 months ago....”

★★☆☆☆

written by on 02/08/2010

I bought a used 06 Focus 1.8 TDCi Sport 5 months ago. Prior to this I had a 1.8 petrol Focus for nearly 5 years which gave me no bother. I changed to a diesel due to the mileage I do, and the car seemed ok though I wouldn't exactly call it sporty, but it drove ok once you got used to how easy it is to stall at low speed, and my fuel costs came down. I started getting an intermittent engine systems fault light a few days ago and it now turns out the turbo needs replaced at huge expense! Needless to say im not impressed as it only has 40k on the clock. I will be getting rid of it ASAP.

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“Having not owned a Ford for 16 years, when I first...”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 24/01/2010

Having not owned a Ford for 16 years, when I first passed my test, I recently bought a 2nd hand Focus TDCI. What an absolute pile of dung, my Mitsubishi was 10 years old when I got rid of it, still on it's origonal clutch and flywheel, something it seems a Focus diesel would struggle to do even if it's lifespan was 3 years. Acceleration was ok and the car handled quite well, once over 55mph it screams out at you for a 6th gear that doesn't exist. I thought my Mitsubishi was old hat with drums at the back but the four discs on the Focus brake as though you're towing a Winnibago full of scrap iron. The car has developed a clunking knocking sound that I expect is major clutch/flywheel issues, both items I've never had go on any car. After 16 years of Ford free motoring, I can't wait to get back to that state of affairs again, I'll never make the mistake again of trusting Ford to produce a car worth bothering with. Stick to Jap cars.

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“I bought my 1.8 TDCI Sport from a a dealer with 62,000...”

★★★★☆

written by on 04/09/2009

I bought my 1.8 TDCI Sport from a a dealer with 62,000 miles on the clock. Over all it is a fantastic car, the handling is superb, the engine is excellent, and it looks great. Slightly disappointed with a few things - the position / size of the doors mean they would scrape on every pavement if you didn't hold onto them, the wiper set up is complicated, and it loves to stall when pulling away in 1st (no it's not my driving!), and poor MPG compared to similar size diesel cars. Still despite all this I wouldn't change it for anything! Roomy, fast, build quality is excellent, and it is such a comfortable drive.

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“Have owned a 03 plate 5 door for just over 12 months...”

★★★★☆

written by on 09/05/2009

Have owned a 03 plate 5 door for just over 12 months now, it came with full dealer service history with just over 100k miles. One minor niggle when cam sensor failed a few weeks after picking it up but it was cheap to fix. Be careful when buying the Ford Focus TDCi, any blue/ gray smoke from the exhaust under acceleration or flat spots at higher revs or rattling from the turbo please walk away or knock at least £800 off asking price to get new turbo. The turbo had to be replaced on mine and the price will make you wince. Now its repaired the car is excellent one the best turbo diesels i have ever driven. These cars are economical and sporty when you want it to be, just make sure you get a good one as certain faults will empty your bank account pretty quickly. Insurance is fairly cheap sub £250 for my wife and myself (we are in our mid 30's). All in all i love this car for its looks performance handling and economy. Some tips to help to save the turbo.
1 change oil every 6 months
2 don't thrash it until the engine is warm
3 leave idling for at least 1 min.
4 do not rev engine before switching off as turbo will continue spinning without oil flowing to turbo bearings when engine is switched off.

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“I have recently bought a new 1.8 tdci focus and for...”

★★★★★

written by Stanko on 01/04/2009

I have recently bought a new 1.8 tdci focus and for now I'm really satisfied whit it.

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“Average MPG in mis 40's, not 53 as stated in all data...”

★★★★★

written by on 04/10/2008

Average MPG in mis 40's, not 53 as stated in all data books. great driving position, brilliant steering responce, powerfull enough to smoothly overtake on motorway with out hesitation.
a-roads are a doddle and fun. when the duel mass fly wheel goes you better start running!

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“I bought an 04 Focus estate Ghia in March 08 with a...”

☆☆☆☆☆

written by nickrutter on 18/08/2008

I bought an 04 Focus estate Ghia in March 08 with a full service history. The drivers side arm rest brke off the first time I tried to use it which is linked to the lumbar support.
Last week I loaded it up with two kids and headed for France. !0 miles short of the tunnel the oil light came on and the engine went bang immediately after a pile of black smoke came out and the engine leaked oil and water everywhere. It was serviced, it's water and oil were fine I checked them before the leaving. The AA man said I was unlucky. I will never trust this make and model of car again and it's going to cost me £2,500 for a recon engine. I no longer want this pile of rubbish, I am absolutely livid that this has happened.

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“i just love this car it is one of the best all...”

★★★★☆

written by on 11/07/2008

i just love this car it is one of the best all rounders I have owned. Quick off the mark, plenty of oomph in the engine.
very comfortable inside.
very economical on motorway runs.

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“Design,engine,road preformance,comfty... I recommend...”

★★★★★

written by on 07/04/2008

Design,engine,road preformance,comfty... I recommend the Ford Focus to everyone, since it is superb in its driving performance.

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“It is a good economical, quick and stylish car for a...”

★★★★☆

written by Fattus on 13/03/2008

It is a good economical, quick and stylish car for a 24 year old. It is not too expensive to run and insure but I am not happy about the turbo. Nice to drive, rapid when you need it to be and good on fuel when you are cruising. Like the heated windscreen, AC and indicator switch radio controller.

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“Pretty harsh ride, little too low in drivers seat....”

★★★★☆

written by on 15/02/2008

Pretty harsh ride, little too low in drivers seat. Brakes not really assuring enough for sport. Otherwise nice car plenty of good feedback from friends who are mature enough to give an honest opinion.

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“My first diesel - the Mark 1.5 (facelift) version of...”

★★★★☆

written by bgnukem on 01/11/2006

My first diesel - the Mark 1.5 (facelift) version of the Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 115 Zetec 5dr. Pretty noisy compared with other diesels driven, and the ride is pretty harsh over rough roads with Zetec suspension. Pulls well from around 1750rpm but high gearing blunts acceleration in 4th and 5th gears and engine stalls easily when pulling away. Getting about 48mpg in general driving - short trips and occasional motorway runs. Appears to be very solid and well-built, but interior looks cheap. Good handling but brakes a little marginal given extra weight of diesel engine - fitted uprated brake pads. Gear change initially quite obstructive - improved by adding auto transmission fluid to manual box. Annoyingly, rear seat back cannot be folded flat with front seats fully back. No problems so far, as expected. Common as muck but popular for a reason.

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“I only had the Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 115 Zetec as a...”

★★★☆☆

written by coachchris on 22/08/2006

I only had the Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 115 Zetec as a rental for 3 weeks but covered just over 2000 miles in that time so I got a good idea of what it is like to own and live with.
The good points for the car are its handling, you can see why the it the sector leader in this respect, its very sure footed and always feels like you could give it a bit more round the corners.
The build quality was good but I think that's the case with most of it established rivals as well now. The 1.8 TDCi engine that was in my rental was powerful for the car and the fuel economy was very strong, around 45-48 mpg at high motorway speeds.
However as can be seen at the top of this review I would not want to recommend this car to a friend, or even an enemy! There are three main reasons for this:
1. The engine while being powerful is very unrefined. I now own a 2001 307 HDi and that is so much quieter at all speeds than the Focus. You would have thought the Focus would have been the 5 year old car. It's like Ford just took the engine right out their Transit and just left it at that.
My second gripe is with the design and look of the car. The first Focus was a great looking car, it looked cutting edge when it came out and still did when the current Focus was brought in. This one, however, looks unfinished and rushed, the rear is a complete mess and looks out of proportion to the rest of the car. The three door isn't much better and pails in comparison to the Astra which really does look fantastic.
Lastly the interior in very boring, again the old Focus had that cutting sweep to the dash that looked great, however for this car Ford have gone back to boredom with a very plain layout. I also found the cup holders were positioned in such a location that if you had anything in them then it got in the way of the handbrake and 2nd gear, which is very poor really.
To sum up, the Focus is nice to drive but is let down to its styling and a rather old diesel engine. It may be the best selling diesel in the country but I think that's thanks in no small part to massive fleet purchase and sales to large rental companies.

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“I got my Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi (52) in Feb of this year...”

★★★★★

written by cockneytrafficmagic on 15/04/2006

I got my Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi (52) in Feb of this year with 75k on the clock from a dealer and it's had 1 owner from new, who was obviously a rep with what's on the logbook. I've modified it with filter, s/steel exhaust etc and it hasn't smoked once goes very well. It's lowered with bigger wheels on it and handles like a dream. Try Redex diesel treatment if yours smokes, I've just put some in to clean the fuel system out before it ever does.

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“I bought this Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 115 Zetec 5dr car...”

★★★★☆

written by bobbyblue on 16/08/2004

I bought this Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 115 Zetec 5dr car from a Ford main dealer with 12000 miles on the clock. I wanted a car that was comfortable with good headroom as I am rather tall, in this respect the car scores highly, especially the seat lateral support (In the Zetec you get more supportive seats).
The engine is a real gem, it pulls strongly but I found that it stalls at low speeds very easily until you perfect the clutch action. I have managed to get about 45MPG with brisk motorway driving.

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Technophobe's Response to bobbyblue's Review

Written on: 10/09/2004

Ford 1800 diesel 4 door 45mph smokes sports car hello?

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“My Ford Focus only had 10,000 miles on it when the...”

★★★☆☆

written by Patricia Collins. on 15/09/2002

My Ford Focus only had 10,000 miles on it when the check engine light came on. I took it and the company replaced it and it lasted for about 3 weeks and now it is back on again. My brakes also squeak. The car runs really rough. How can I get Ford to replace it with another car or give me a deal on another kind? Any Ideas?

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52300_John Norman Smithe.'s Response to Patricia Collins.'s Review

Written on: 20/11/2002

Umm... yes ... I had a Ford Focus once.... I was so vexed when at 93,000 miles, the parcel shelf clip came out.

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Loovloov's Response to Patricia Collins.'s Review

Written on: 28/05/2004

I wish I knew the answer to your question. I'm at home now after having my 2000 Focus towed to the dealership for probably the 12th time since I bought it new. It has 70,000 miles on it and the brake pads and rotors were replaced two years ago and I now that's what needs to be done again. Now it's not even starting. They are going to have a huge fight on their hands because I am refusing to pay for the brakes this time. This car is a lemon and I don't know if the lemon law still applies or how to go about doing that.

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Chris2007's Response to Patricia Collins.'s Review

Written on: 04/04/2004

I've had a Focus for just over a year (02 reg) and it has recently begun playing up, so I have been looking at some of the Internet sites and amazed how many problems people seem to have with their Focus. - One of my problems is engine warning light, see my review.

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95410_Wendy.'s Response to Patricia Collins.'s Review

Written on: 06/05/2003

My Focus has around 28,000 miles. Problems thus far:3 out of 4 wheel barrings went out.
<br>sticking throttle that had to be replaced,
<br>unusual wear on all 4 tires and NO explanation as to why,
<br>2 sensors to be replaced, and
<br>car would not crank at all at one time (apparently bad sensor)
<br>These problems don't even count the service problems I have had with the dealership. I can definately sympathize!

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