Gadget Zone: 2017 Focus is a peppy pleasure

A few weeks ago, I had a chance to drive the 2017 Ford Focus Titanium.

The Focus is Ford’s compact car entry, which starts at $16,648 plus HST. (Remember: Under Ontario’s All-In Pricing Law, all a dealer can charge extra on top of the advertised price is HST and licensing; don’t get conned into paying additional fees!) I drove the Titanium hatchback.

The Titanium Focus is the top-of-the-line car with the 2.0L Ti-VCT direct-injection I-4 engine and 17-inch aluminum wheels, with a price that starts at $26,158.

From a driver’s perspective: The 2017 Focus Titanium is a peppy little car that is a great pleasure to drive. It had enough power for both city and highway; good sight-lines all around, and enough in-car features (I do love satellite radio with the old-time radio shows on Sirius) to make even a long drive quite pleasant.

The pickup on the Focus was fine, it is easy to manoeuvre, and generally it felt like a car that I’d be happy to own. It had good fuel economy too.

I’ve been test-driving Fords for the past few years. As someone who began driving on 1980s Ford Pintos – they bounced jarringly like riding on a 4′ by 8′ slab of plywood with wheels on it – I have been extremely impressed by how much Ford has upped its game in recent years. These are much better cars than they were decades ago. The 2017 Ford Focus Titanium in particular is one that I would consider buying (and that hasn’t been true of all of them). Check it out for yourself at www.ford.ca/cars/focus.