@darren3695 Piss off. My mam and dad have a 2000 MkI 2.3 Zetec Galaxy. It wasn't serviced since they got it in 2005 with 50k miles, 55k miles later, it finally gets a service, sounds like a brand new car. And the interior and exterior look pristine 11 and a half years on.
@telhacerta My father is giving me his focus this week. It will be my second car, but I'll consider it my first because it's been in the family since 2003. I'm excited!
The Focus mk1 is a great car. Nice high driving position and a comfortable cabin. The Ghia with the colour matched bumper strips and door handles still looks modern. Watch out for 3rd gear synchro issues.
@28DLFTW Hello. I own a 2002 Ford Focus for one year now and I think it's a fantastic car to drive. The steering especially is great, very sharp and responsive. Changing gears is a bit on the heavy side, but it has a really solid and accurate feel to it. The suspension is firm, but not uncomfortable. Despite the sporty handling, the car is very smooth and quiet.
lemme just get this straight, this car ISNT boring because its a ford. wait, what makes a car boring then?
and two, the focus, ONLY the focus is european. we didn't get it until 2000-2001. why is it that their focus always seems to be newer than ours? the only focus that was built here was the 2009 one because they don't have it in europe.
just bought a 2002 (52) 1.6 lx 5 door hatchback in black 84,500 miles on the clock and it drives like its just come out of the showroom i have driven cars with lower mileage with more aqeaks and rattles than a toddler group this sparing the odd interior scuff and inevitable paint work chips and scuffs (which will be sorted in ude course) is in showroom condition
i really think that ford did a great job on the original shape ford and the restlyed version
@kernals12 That doesn't make it an American car, you fucking idiot. What the fuck is your problem anyway? You think anything outside the USA is automatically crap? Most American cars are cheaply made, gas-guzzling machines with ancient techniques that Europeans wouldn't dare to put on their cars (like leaf springs).
Also, trying to offend me by offending Rover doesn't make much sense because firstly: I drive a Ford Focus, not a Rover and secondly: I'm from Holland.
@enisijzer I never said foreign cars are crap and how was I supposed to know you were dutch? Ford is a well respected American car company and for the record the Focus that we got between 2000 and 2004 was built in Michigan and the American Focus still is built in Michigan you pot-smoking Hippie!!!
@kernals12 Listen fucktard this actual ford focus is the EUROPEAN version. The Americans have their own version of the focus. So you cant call this version american idiot. There is something called Ford EUROPE.
@TheIceMurder why do you euros think everything American is crap, at least our cars are affordable and we don't have union problems, and for the record we got the same Ford Focus you got.
@kernals12 Only the mk 3 focus is universal but the previous focus we had was different from your american counterpart. We even had a wider choice of spec and engines sorry bud. Look at you guys ford fiesta it only comes in a 1.6L.
Ford Europe is not Ford America..Ford company is American but Ford Europe its a completely different segment of the company, thats why alot of time cars sold here arent in the US
@JonnyW2912 actually the Focus was a global car with several design teams from around the world including America and so that equals it out and if we calculate that Ford is an American company, it's an American car, so just admit it, we made a good car!
my couzin tht drives a bmw says its a horrible car, he drives a 318i and I sed to have a race, and he thought he could thrash the focus, .....he was wrong!!! focus 1.8 vs the 1.9 bmw andthe focus was glued onto the road and tarmac unlike the bmw loosing its tail!! Much rather this than a 318i
I still think the Escort was a good looking car, the focus however is just an awkward mass of conflicting lines and curves and bears no real resemblance to a car... horrible...
Jeremy keeps hammering on about how fun it is and how much driver involvement there is. If you want driver involvement you buy a proper sports car like an S2000 not a dull Focus 1.6. And if you want a fun 4 door car you buy a Honda Civic 1.8 VTi or a Seat Leon 20VT. Focuses are just dull cars like all the other Astras and Golfs, I think the point about them serving an A-B purpose has been forgotten. Hello wake up and smell the coffee its just an Escort replacement, its not a sports car.
@eludereluded Congrats! I own the 3-door hatch version from 2002 model I love it! The 3-door hatch is the best looking in my opinion. Which model did you buy?
What I love about the Focus is that it doesn't matter wether you're driving in a city, the countryside or the highway, it's never boring. It just sticks to the road, the steering is sharp and even changing gears is fun. It's a very satisfying car to drive. Have fun with your Focus! :-)
I got the 5 door hatch. Its looks like new on the inside and the outside, the engine is very good. But I have to change one of the wheel bearings, because it makes howling noise. And have to find someone to look up the electronics, because the airbag light is on when I'm driving, but the car hasn't been hit.
Overall I'm satisfied with my choice, the Focus is very stable on the road, fast for its 100 hp, and rides smoothly.
@eludereluded Very nice. It's a good thing that the previous owner took good care of it. What a coincidence about the wheel bearings. Today I was out driving with my brother in his car and one of his wheel bearings started to howl.
I can easily confirm the stability of the car. It makes it feel very safe and secure. You can hardly believe it's a product from 1998. It really was ahead of its time.
That's a proper top gear review... I love supercars who doesn't but life is not all about supercars... It's about normal cars... Wish Top Gear can do a proper review of a proper car again... P.S I love the Focus of that era !!!! <3
you don't know what you talking about. people think in those brands and think they are the best, but ford has grown much in these years, and if you compare ford with brands as opel, renault, ford is the best with no doubt.
99 1.6 is my first car and i love it. I've been searching for hours and hours for what car should i buy and Focus it was. I think, that if i ever sell it, i will miss it for the rest of my life.
Jeremy Clarkson: To sum up the Focus very simply: It is more spacious, quieter, more comfortable, much nicer to drive, more economical and possibly safer than any other car in its class. It is superb. The end
Exactly the car I drive, silver, 5drs, 1.6l. 12 years later it is still a nice car to driven and it hits 180 km/h easily. The handling is still one of the bests ever.
lol I remember my dad had a Focus estate diesel as a company car 10 years ago and he never had any problems with it. Why does Jeremy actually dislike diesels?
I remember when they hit the road, To think that`s nearly thirteen years ago, I don`t think he said enough about the difference between the crap old Escort and the new model Focus, He only implied " It`s hard to think of this as a Ford " Which is a bit of a cop out.
This car is just amazing I got a 2000 2.0L 16V Tc ZX3 162k stock engine (never swaped) stock radio (Works perfectly) never did a paint job on it and still the only little problems I got with it is a bit of rust in the bottom of the driver's door and passenger's side mirror getting a little loose. People who trash talk about the Focus just never been behind the wheel of it.
i had this exact focus it was a t reg it was lowered with gas shocks all round it was brilliant it only cost me 1300 pounds i sold it to my dad who wrecks cars lol he had it a year and 18 things were wrong for the mot it cost me 145 quid including the mot to fix i done most things my self apart from the catalic converter then he sold it to a friend and 4 years and 180k later its still going and looking great
Nope. Never liked the first Focus. It just never appealed, plus Jezza bangs on about the safety but, some time after this, they were doing some ENCAP testing and found that, in some respects, the last Escorts were actually safer. They fixed that, of course, but that was well after the first machines hit the road. The later version looks a lot better. Oh, and Jezza never saw a bonnet lock before? My 1968 Ford Escort Super had one. Nothing is new under the sun...
Focus is the best car,I have Mk1 2003 awesome car 1.8 16v 115HP magnificent machine no problems at all :D Audi,VW,Opel ??? lol audi is a good car but jesus crhist spare parts cost fortune,VW everyone will try to steal it,and the Opel Astra HAHAH ugly thing with a terrible engine new one looks fine but the enterior is cheap and ugly looks like a poligraf from the 60's
i have one too but mine is station wagon, and i bought the new station wagon from focus in 2008 with the tdci but i keep my 1999 focus because is amazing!
ive hurd so many people who are not interested in cars and driving comment on how nice there focus is to drive. Ive got a new Mk 7 fiesta, its good but still prefer my Mk1 focus to drive, i had 3
@discocreator76 my god look at what people say about you... you must be a pretty sad and nothing in your life if you have to write a bitchy comment just becouse i made a minor spelling error 10 months ago...Twat
i now own one, after driving a mk4 astra renault megan and mk4 golf, its more comfyer safter spacious, everything he said is a fact, the focus is just truly awesome
Hahaha i love my focus. 2007 with 44 000km only cost me $4500 Australian. and I was amazed with the front badge flipping to unlock the bonnet that was like the key feature that amazed all my friends
@BeattieBullet94 The badge flip is another one of Fords penny-saving ideas from macdonalds. Ford want you to think its an amazing feature when really, it saves ford having to put a bonnet release through to the inside of the car. If they make you put the key in the grille badge its cheaper for them to make and its more likely to go wrong as its prone to weathering and crash damage. It means you have to fumble around in the rain and you can't run the engine and open the bonnet simultaneously.
@1ns4ne1d10t You really are one bitter s.o.b. I know its hard to take for a Ford-hating VAG-lover like you, but they are great cars, and have been for a while. If for instance this Focus was anywhere near as bad as you claim it to be, it wouldnt have been the best selling car in Europe for years, now would it?
I have an 11 year old 2ltr ghia focus with cruise control. Traction control. Cd changer. Heated door mirrors. It was the top of the range for the year. U say things go wrong? Its done 80,000 miles an everything still works perfectly. Im 19 an have had this car for over a year. I challenge any1 to find a car of this quality an with all these toys for £1000. Fukin 1999 vauxhall astra? The mk1 focus may look slightly dated but the astra looks like its from the 70's. An for all extensive purposes.
@22jmarley I can find a car which urinates all over a Mk1 Ford Focus in quality, refinement, gadgets and comfort. Ever heard of a Mk1 Audi A3? You can buy one for 1k or less and it puts a Focus to shame on everything. My cousin just got one, its still shining paint, head lights still sparkle and all the electrics work for 900 quid. Not like a Focus of that age, green yucky algae and fish living in the headlights, dulling paintwork, gremlyns playing havoc with electrics and the rest...
i have one with 11 years to but mine is station wagon 1.6ltr, cd, ac... and it has 200 000km (125 000 miles) and still running like it was new, simply perfect, never had problems, i drove this car since completly new and never get bored!
@EscarepioSenior Yawn! Ford is shit and so dull and boring!! all ford owners are dull and boring and afraid to try anything different. Cheap nasty crap! And ford is failing in the UK. Sales have fallen by 20 percent in the last 5 years and risen with most other cars such as Bmw, Audi, VW. Ha
@joshieboi005 Yet the Focus and Fiesta are still all these years on still the No.1 and No.2 selling car despite the huge competition. I had a Golf GTI before my Focus. The Golf was the worst car I ever owned, dreadful handling, boring cheap interior and it spent more time in the garage than on the road.
@pipoo1 But the people who buy these cars only buy them simply because they are the N0.1 and No.2. Normally old people who dont give a crap about cars. I'm sorry but there is so many interesting cars on sale these days theirs no need to buy comman cars like this anymore. These sort of cars don't turn heads just blend into the grey background. Everyone knows German cars are the best for build quality and most reliable. Compare the new Golf with the new Focus. There is no comparison.
LOL, I can remember when this car was first launched and thinking how revolutionary and dynamic it looked, and now 12 years on it just looks like part of the furniture. Great bit of machinery, right car right time but I don't think that Ford will ever make a car that will have as much of an impact as this one had, I'm certainly not blown away by the current model.
The current model still looks like a square cereal box, they made it very good-looking at the front & made the back lights/tailgate chrome but its still got that awful ski-slope at the rear. The interiors still the same style except Ford threw in a few silver-look handles, chrome lining around the radio & made the interior a lighter shade of colour to make you think "Wow its better" its a mind trick for a polished turd.
Clarkson you are forgetting something, It went on to suffer from low-RPM misfire, sudden dead batteries, dreadfully unreliable 1.8 TDCi engines, then all those interior electrical toys stop working. The Golf 4 1.6 did 125 miles an hour compared to 115 & it wasn't the safest car in its class either, The Golf 4 also scored 4 stars. I'm sure its a good car but it doesn't beat a Golf 4 mate!
And the terrible interior quality, and the chocolate suspension componentry that needs replacing, expensively I might add, at every 60K miles or so, not to mention relatively inferior engines to the competition.
I loved my Focus but I've spent the equivilent of a Banana Republic's total GDP on trying to keep it roadworthy. They just didn't nail the quality down and this is something the reviewers either skipped around completely or just downright ignored.
Focuses are great cars to drive, I work for Enterprise but they just don't carry quality like our VW Golfs & Audi A3's. Call me sad but I recently parked a new Mk6 Golf next to a new Focus II. A ruler it explains everything! Panel gaps measured 0.4mm all round on the Golf on the focus it was anything from 0.6-1cm. I was sad doing it but people always say Ford are better cars, Not after the gaps I saw.
The new Astras are miles ahead of the old 'polished turd' Focuses, I drive them all the time. Enterprise has them even before they are advertised on T.V so I get the privilage to test drive brand new models well before other people get their mits on them. Focus II's are pants mate, the interior is a really shit build. The current 'kinetic' version is a polished turd!
You're an idiot - No one cares about how brilliant you think the astra is and how poor the focus is. You're privileged to drive a vauxhall astra? - Don't ever drive an Aston then....nah, you'd probably complain the astra has a smoother ride still. The fact is, the Focus is bigger, bigger boot, best to drive in its class. And Notice the styling of the astra includes the indicators mounted in the lower bumper like a 12 year old ford focus - Nice modern styling there....
@westland2323 The best to drive in its class? you know absolutely nothing do you? go work for enterprise & drive them yourself. The new Astra corners much better than the current Focus you idiot, the new Astra is bigger & has a bigger boot. You are a real idiot who doesn't know what day of the week it is!
I have to say its unfair though to compare the brand new Astra with the current focus, since it has been made since 2004 with minor tweaks. It beat that generation of astra by miles....and when the new generation focus comes out next year...it will once again pass the astra by miles...
@westland2323 I'll see it when I believe it & it hasn't happened yet... In my experience with them Ford are just overrated piles of turd & everyone thinks they are the sliced bread because Jeremy says so. I have never found Focuses to be what people self-proclaim them to be in my own experience.
@1ns4ne1d10t what is your experience of the focus i have had 2 and they were both 100% relaible far better drive than any astra or golf i test drive both before i drove the focus the ford was in a different league
@Gazzafiesta I don't know why I'm bothering to comment in a biased world of Jeremy Ford lovers to be honest, they are poor quality and Ford only chuck them together in the factory its apparent when you've ever worked on any Ford. Never mind, I guess you lot don't know any better until you move over to Audi's. See ya!
i have to focus station wagon one from 1999 (petrol engine 1.6 zetec-s) and one from 2008 (2.0t tdci 136cv) and let me tell that the are just amazing, the first focus it drives easly than the new one. when i bought the new focus the guy in the dealer ask me if i wanted to sell my focus from 1999 because is value was very poor, and i tell him NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! i've drove so many different cars and no one compares to the focus, in every ways!!
@westland2323 The steering on Focuses wander off course & have a mind of their own sometimes, you have to push your foot right down to the floor to get the correct amount of revs because those shitty little TiVCT engines want to stall all the time. "Its the best in its class" because motor reviews sayso oh what trash you talk boy...
@westland2323 I agree with you 1000%!! The Ford Focus is an excellent car to drive, the handling and involvement of the driver is excellent. A friend of mine recently bought a 2006 Focus 1.6 LX and he thinks its absolutely fantastic.
Astra's are so bad, dull, boring, rubbish and you can never have anything good to say anything about them!
Yeah tbh I think the people who buy astras are trying too hard because they don't want to be seen in a Ford. Now that the 2009 Astra has caught up with the ford they started making in 2004, Ford are just about ready to release the 2011 Focus, which should leave the Astra behind for another 4 to 5 years eh haha? .... ;-)
Watching old Top Gear videos is easily the best way to find out how good your potential first car is before you buy it.
philliedit 22 hours ago
@darren3695 Piss off. My mam and dad have a 2000 MkI 2.3 Zetec Galaxy. It wasn't serviced since they got it in 2005 with 50k miles, 55k miles later, it finally gets a service, sounds like a brand new car. And the interior and exterior look pristine 11 and a half years on.
VOLVORULEZ1995 1 month ago
anyone have the footage for the t230 focus? cant find it anywhere :( wason old top gear and pulling power....
t238 1 month ago
bag of crap like all fords after a few miles the engine sounds like a bag of spanners !
darren3965 1 month ago
Very good
ratboy9111 1 month ago
Why are the stills painted black? never seen that before.
nileskrane 2 months ago
@nileskrane i mean sills of course :S
nileskrane 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@nileskrane i mean sills of course.
nileskrane 2 months ago
@nileskrane they are a plastic cover, not painted :p
pugsy36 2 months ago
My father gave me his Focus as my first car. I love it, it's my child.
telhacerta 2 months ago 5
@telhacerta My father is giving me his focus this week. It will be my second car, but I'll consider it my first because it's been in the family since 2003. I'm excited!
bobbawon 4 weeks ago
@bobbawon Congrats!! =D Take care of it, as if you were gonna give it to your son one day. At least, that's what I'm gonna do. =)
telhacerta 4 weeks ago
Huge panel gap at 0:38
zupperm 3 months ago
I have a 2000 model love it, it handles like its on rails, doesn't rattle and is reliable; Great car, not so sure about the new one?
lffit 4 months ago
This was also my first car and it was a 5 speed. It was such a fun car that I totalled it!
zeech2011 4 months ago
lol this car is nothing like the one they released in america. This one is much much better
richardm80 4 months ago
Still the best shape back then.
AdamAus85 4 months ago 2
@AdamAus85 still a great shape now.
29fetch 1 month ago
ford focus brasil
JhonnycageZz11 4 months ago
This is my first car that i learned to drive a manual transmission on. And I LOVE IT!!!!!!
unreal3010 4 months ago
The Focus mk1 is a great car. Nice high driving position and a comfortable cabin. The Ghia with the colour matched bumper strips and door handles still looks modern. Watch out for 3rd gear synchro issues.
djcondra 5 months ago
They are awesome. That is all you need to know. lol
zx3bmx 5 months ago
Has anybody ever had a focus? What are they like to drive because I'm getting one next year in April. Detailed answers only please.
28DLFTW 5 months ago
@28DLFTW Hello. I own a 2002 Ford Focus for one year now and I think it's a fantastic car to drive. The steering especially is great, very sharp and responsive. Changing gears is a bit on the heavy side, but it has a really solid and accurate feel to it. The suspension is firm, but not uncomfortable. Despite the sporty handling, the car is very smooth and quiet.
If you get the chance, make a test drive!
enisijzer 5 months ago
who says Jeremy hates American cars?
kuruptzZz 5 months ago
0:24 "because top gear is a responsible consumer program" wait, Are you sober Mr Clarkson ?
03iamhopeless 5 months ago
lemme just get this straight, this car ISNT boring because its a ford. wait, what makes a car boring then?
and two, the focus, ONLY the focus is european. we didn't get it until 2000-2001. why is it that their focus always seems to be newer than ours? the only focus that was built here was the 2009 one because they don't have it in europe.
blueburaq 5 months ago
just bought a 2002 (52) 1.6 lx 5 door hatchback in black 84,500 miles on the clock and it drives like its just come out of the showroom i have driven cars with lower mileage with more aqeaks and rattles than a toddler group this sparing the odd interior scuff and inevitable paint work chips and scuffs (which will be sorted in ude course) is in showroom condition
i really think that ford did a great job on the original shape ford and the restlyed version
im looking forwards to years in this one
voiceofreason2008 6 months ago
why is everyone bashing it. I think its american and if it is its an american car he actully likes!
ewandenis 7 months ago
@ewandenis Not really, the Focus is a product from Ford Europe.
enisijzer 6 months ago
@enisijzer Ford is an AMERICAN nameplate, you guys save it for your Rovers, oh that's right they were so stupid that they couldn't make a good car
kernals12 6 months ago
@kernals12 That doesn't make it an American car, you fucking idiot. What the fuck is your problem anyway? You think anything outside the USA is automatically crap? Most American cars are cheaply made, gas-guzzling machines with ancient techniques that Europeans wouldn't dare to put on their cars (like leaf springs).
Also, trying to offend me by offending Rover doesn't make much sense because firstly: I drive a Ford Focus, not a Rover and secondly: I'm from Holland.
enisijzer 6 months ago
@enisijzer I never said foreign cars are crap and how was I supposed to know you were dutch? Ford is a well respected American car company and for the record the Focus that we got between 2000 and 2004 was built in Michigan and the American Focus still is built in Michigan you pot-smoking Hippie!!!
kernals12 6 months ago
@kernals12 It was made in EUROPE not in america dumbfuck.
TheIceMurder 6 months ago
Comment removed
kernals12 6 months ago
The BMW X3 is made in South Carolina but it's still a German car, it's the brand that determines origin not assembly location dumbass
kernals12 6 months ago
@kernals12 Listen fucktard this actual ford focus is the EUROPEAN version. The Americans have their own version of the focus. So you cant call this version american idiot. There is something called Ford EUROPE.
TheIceMurder 6 months ago
@TheIceMurder why do you euros think everything American is crap, at least our cars are affordable and we don't have union problems, and for the record we got the same Ford Focus you got.
kernals12 6 months ago
@kernals12 Only the mk 3 focus is universal but the previous focus we had was different from your american counterpart. We even had a wider choice of spec and engines sorry bud. Look at you guys ford fiesta it only comes in a 1.6L.
TheIceMurder 6 months ago
@ewandenis
American car lol its a Ford Europe car..thats why it goes round corners
JonnyW2912 6 months ago
@JonnyW2912 Ford is an AMERICAN nameplate and it's American, that's why it's affordable
kernals12 6 months ago
@kernals12
Ford Europe is not Ford America..Ford company is American but Ford Europe its a completely different segment of the company, thats why alot of time cars sold here arent in the US
JonnyW2912 5 months ago 2
@JonnyW2912 actually the Focus was a global car with several design teams from around the world including America and so that equals it out and if we calculate that Ford is an American company, it's an American car, so just admit it, we made a good car!
kernals12 4 months ago
my couzin tht drives a bmw says its a horrible car, he drives a 318i and I sed to have a race, and he thought he could thrash the focus, .....he was wrong!!! focus 1.8 vs the 1.9 bmw andthe focus was glued onto the road and tarmac unlike the bmw loosing its tail!! Much rather this than a 318i
mrzkhan1 7 months ago
I still think the Escort was a good looking car, the focus however is just an awkward mass of conflicting lines and curves and bears no real resemblance to a car... horrible...
discocreator76 7 months ago
Thumbs up if you think Ford should sack their current UK designer.If you don't believe me, look at the B-Max.
mage1724 7 months ago
does anyone know the song from 2:59 till 3:34?
joranpoort 7 months ago
@joranpoort
Nena - 99 Luftballons (99 Red Balloons)
rhinomb 7 months ago
@rhinomb thanks! bad song accuactly :P
joranpoort 7 months ago
got a 2002 focus se zetec pretty nice only thing i wish would be a little more power
YEAHILIKECOOKIES 8 months ago
I bought a 2002 Focus today. It's a fantastic car. Everything is very refined and well thought out. I couldn't be happier.
djcondra 8 months ago
Jeremy keeps hammering on about how fun it is and how much driver involvement there is. If you want driver involvement you buy a proper sports car like an S2000 not a dull Focus 1.6. And if you want a fun 4 door car you buy a Honda Civic 1.8 VTi or a Seat Leon 20VT. Focuses are just dull cars like all the other Astras and Golfs, I think the point about them serving an A-B purpose has been forgotten. Hello wake up and smell the coffee its just an Escort replacement, its not a sports car.
1ns4ne1d10t 8 months ago
@1ns4ne1d10t go get a girl pregnant and try putting the kid in the backseat of an S2000 moron
kernals12 6 months ago
@kernals12 Did you read what I put? If you want a fun 4 door car you buy a Honda Civic 1.8 VTi or a Seat Leon 20VT.
1ns4ne1d10t 6 months ago
I'm getting Ford Focus 2002 tomorrow :D So happy
eludereluded 9 months ago
@eludereluded Congrats! I own the 3-door hatch version from 2002 model I love it! The 3-door hatch is the best looking in my opinion. Which model did you buy?
What I love about the Focus is that it doesn't matter wether you're driving in a city, the countryside or the highway, it's never boring. It just sticks to the road, the steering is sharp and even changing gears is fun. It's a very satisfying car to drive. Have fun with your Focus! :-)
enisijzer 9 months ago
@enisijzer
I got the 5 door hatch. Its looks like new on the inside and the outside, the engine is very good. But I have to change one of the wheel bearings, because it makes howling noise. And have to find someone to look up the electronics, because the airbag light is on when I'm driving, but the car hasn't been hit.
Overall I'm satisfied with my choice, the Focus is very stable on the road, fast for its 100 hp, and rides smoothly.
eludereluded 9 months ago
@eludereluded Very nice. It's a good thing that the previous owner took good care of it. What a coincidence about the wheel bearings. Today I was out driving with my brother in his car and one of his wheel bearings started to howl.
I can easily confirm the stability of the car. It makes it feel very safe and secure. You can hardly believe it's a product from 1998. It really was ahead of its time.
enisijzer 9 months ago
That's a proper top gear review... I love supercars who doesn't but life is not all about supercars... It's about normal cars... Wish Top Gear can do a proper review of a proper car again... P.S I love the Focus of that era !!!! <3
AlexF931 9 months ago
not bad
pumpkinman3211 9 months ago
you don't know what you talking about. people think in those brands and think they are the best, but ford has grown much in these years, and if you compare ford with brands as opel, renault, ford is the best with no doubt.
EscarepioSenior 9 months ago
Honda had independent rear suspension over 10 years before this
MaddDogg81 10 months ago
pfft a locking trunk wasn't on the Focus first. Hondas had a lock on the inside levers for the trank and gas release
MaddDogg81 10 months ago
Fuck a Focus. I have a turbo RSX-S and always love it. Black lowered on 19 inch chrome rims
MaddDogg81 10 months ago
@R33Racer does he still have it?
VOLVORULEZ1995 10 months ago
i had first crash with this car :)
netidom 10 months ago
what song is it second?
campulik98 10 months ago
"Top Gear is a responsible consumer programme with its feet firmly on the ground"
Lol wtf i think i was watching one last week with a Lexus supercar for 300,000 quid
FromhellcomesSTEVE 10 months ago
lol man this is so 90's
benzbubblecat 10 months ago
Clarkson actually had a Focus for a very long time.
R33Racer 11 months ago
Proud owner of a MK1 1.8 TDdi 3 door of the year 2000.
Brilliant!
kinorm07 11 months ago 2
@kinorm07 Lucky, stateside we don't get the mpg+++ diesel version.
newengland72 10 months ago
@kinorm07 "Proud owner"... Loser.
JELH 10 months ago
@JELH Let me rephrase that... VERY proud owner!
kinorm07 10 months ago
the old focus looks brilliant. the new one is ugly
thestonecoldandy 11 months ago
99 1.6 is my first car and i love it. I've been searching for hours and hours for what car should i buy and Focus it was. I think, that if i ever sell it, i will miss it for the rest of my life.
OkulSmoK 11 months ago
Jeremy Clarkson: To sum up the Focus very simply: It is more spacious, quieter, more comfortable, much nicer to drive, more economical and possibly safer than any other car in its class. It is superb. The end
OkulSmoK 11 months ago
Im not that big into Ford but I gotta admit It was ahead of it's time and it's aged quite well.
tokyokurisu 11 months ago
Exactly the car I drive, silver, 5drs, 1.6l. 12 years later it is still a nice car to driven and it hits 180 km/h easily. The handling is still one of the bests ever.
TheMrsorso 11 months ago
@GAC1984 Pacific green you say? My parents have a pacific green MKI Ford Galaxy. I love the colour.
28DLFTW 11 months ago
Ford Focus, great car the best car I have ever driven, I passed my driving test in the Mk1 facelift version.
My Dad had a Ford Focus mk1 5 door hatchback in Pacific Green, now he has the mk2 5 door hatchback in Colorado Red.
Both were 1.8 Petrol engines.
GAC1984 11 months ago
lol I remember my dad had a Focus estate diesel as a company car 10 years ago and he never had any problems with it. Why does Jeremy actually dislike diesels?
TheCarismaGT 11 months ago
I remember when they hit the road, To think that`s nearly thirteen years ago, I don`t think he said enough about the difference between the crap old Escort and the new model Focus, He only implied " It`s hard to think of this as a Ford " Which is a bit of a cop out.
xmoroseguyx 11 months ago
too bad the inteligent tailgate design is completly foiled by putting the reverselight below the bumper
Headphoneguy92 1 year ago
@Headphoneguy92 It's a shame they couldn't get a full cluster up there to avoid that and the combined-brake-and-turn signal on the US cars.
nlpnt 1 year ago
Ford Focus is a 5/5 star car
whoiszizou 1 year ago 10
This car is just amazing I got a 2000 2.0L 16V Tc ZX3 162k stock engine (never swaped) stock radio (Works perfectly) never did a paint job on it and still the only little problems I got with it is a bit of rust in the bottom of the driver's door and passenger's side mirror getting a little loose. People who trash talk about the Focus just never been behind the wheel of it.
66Mambo99 1 year ago
i had this exact focus it was a t reg it was lowered with gas shocks all round it was brilliant it only cost me 1300 pounds i sold it to my dad who wrecks cars lol he had it a year and 18 things were wrong for the mot it cost me 145 quid including the mot to fix i done most things my self apart from the catalic converter then he sold it to a friend and 4 years and 180k later its still going and looking great
somervillearron 1 year ago
@mazerhat me too
kym3raFPS 1 year ago
Still probably the best looking focus I reckon.
AdamAus85 1 year ago 4
Hold on...
41MPG? In 99? Hoookay... now we rave about 'class leading 32MPG' out of a Fiesta.
Needless to say, the 2.0SPI Focus has been Ford's best World car to date.
TracingPeeps 1 year ago 2
@TracingPeeps Don't forget UK gallons are larger than US gallons
law44uk 1 year ago
Nope. Never liked the first Focus. It just never appealed, plus Jezza bangs on about the safety but, some time after this, they were doing some ENCAP testing and found that, in some respects, the last Escorts were actually safer. They fixed that, of course, but that was well after the first machines hit the road. The later version looks a lot better. Oh, and Jezza never saw a bonnet lock before? My 1968 Ford Escort Super had one. Nothing is new under the sun...
mistie710 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
"Top Gear is a responsible consumer program with its feet firmly on the ground".
Thank goodness that changed!
deepmelody1991 1 year ago
Thanks for this upload mate
RubberBullet91 1 year ago
The code name for the Focus was "Pimp" as it was said that this car will own the Escort.
vpole 1 year ago 2
Well, this focus is the exact car I have over here in the US. And I must agree with Jeremy's grade. It is a nice little car. :)
jkeelsnc 1 year ago
Still looks fresh 12years on! Would buy one over the equivalent Audi A3 anyday
livc44411 1 year ago
Good car, but you just need to watch your head when the tailgate is open, bashing your head into a sharp corner like that is not pleasant at all
godjp821 1 year ago
WHATS THE SONG AT THE START CALLED?
dysfac 1 year ago
@dysfac
I'm not sure which song of theirs it is but it is definitely by Catatonia.
928GTSR 1 year ago
Focus is the best car,I have Mk1 2003 awesome car 1.8 16v 115HP magnificent machine no problems at all :D Audi,VW,Opel ??? lol audi is a good car but jesus crhist spare parts cost fortune,VW everyone will try to steal it,and the Opel Astra HAHAH ugly thing with a terrible engine new one looks fine but the enterior is cheap and ugly looks like a poligraf from the 60's
hercegovac00 1 year ago 4
@hercegovac00 my friend has a 1999 zetec, very good car.
B789c 1 year ago 2
i have one too but mine is station wagon, and i bought the new station wagon from focus in 2008 with the tdci but i keep my 1999 focus because is amazing!
EscarepioSenior 1 year ago
ive hurd so many people who are not interested in cars and driving comment on how nice there focus is to drive. Ive got a new Mk 7 fiesta, its good but still prefer my Mk1 focus to drive, i had 3
buzzman1982 1 year ago 8
@buzzman1982 It's spelled "heard" you fucking stupid braindead fuckwit!!!
discocreator76 7 months ago
Comment removed
buzzman1982 7 months ago
Comment removed
buzzman1982 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@discocreator76 my god look at what people say about you... you must be a pretty sad and nothing in your life if you have to write a bitchy comment just becouse i made a minor spelling error 10 months ago...Twat
buzzman1982 7 months ago
@discocreator76 Spealt*
fannypenis 6 months ago
@fannypenis "spealt" ??? LOL go back to school you buffoon!!!
discocreator76 6 months ago
@discocreator76 Yea I know, I am in education. Still, Spelt* 2-1.
fannypenis 6 months ago
Comment removed
buzzman1982 7 months ago
ford focus is the best if you ask me. Jeremy didn't say 1 downside about it at all. and i completely agree with him.
Jordzindaplace 1 year ago 3
The Focus was first released 12 years ago and I still think it's better to drive than most modern cars.
enisijzer 1 year ago 4
y cant ford use 4wd and a cossie engine for the rs
mofunzonecom 1 year ago
i now own one, after driving a mk4 astra renault megan and mk4 golf, its more comfyer safter spacious, everything he said is a fact, the focus is just truly awesome
Gazzafiesta 1 year ago 2
The Viper had an accident rofl.
qwayker 1 year ago
Hahaha i love my focus. 2007 with 44 000km only cost me $4500 Australian. and I was amazed with the front badge flipping to unlock the bonnet that was like the key feature that amazed all my friends
BeattieBullet94 1 year ago
@BeattieBullet94 The badge flip is another one of Fords penny-saving ideas from macdonalds. Ford want you to think its an amazing feature when really, it saves ford having to put a bonnet release through to the inside of the car. If they make you put the key in the grille badge its cheaper for them to make and its more likely to go wrong as its prone to weathering and crash damage. It means you have to fumble around in the rain and you can't run the engine and open the bonnet simultaneously.
1ns4ne1d10t 1 year ago
@1ns4ne1d10t You really are one bitter s.o.b. I know its hard to take for a Ford-hating VAG-lover like you, but they are great cars, and have been for a while. If for instance this Focus was anywhere near as bad as you claim it to be, it wouldnt have been the best selling car in Europe for years, now would it?
Nakke144 1 year ago 4
@Nakke144 Its overrated if you ask me.
1ns4ne1d10t 1 year ago
Thats my car :p
DeepSpaceAlien 1 year ago
I have a 2003 Focus Mk1 which I bought recently as my first car. it's a nice drive, hard to go wrong with one.
Morriusvids 1 year ago
I have an 11 year old 2ltr ghia focus with cruise control. Traction control. Cd changer. Heated door mirrors. It was the top of the range for the year. U say things go wrong? Its done 80,000 miles an everything still works perfectly. Im 19 an have had this car for over a year. I challenge any1 to find a car of this quality an with all these toys for £1000. Fukin 1999 vauxhall astra? The mk1 focus may look slightly dated but the astra looks like its from the 70's. An for all extensive purposes.
22jmarley 1 year ago
@22jmarley I can find a car which urinates all over a Mk1 Ford Focus in quality, refinement, gadgets and comfort. Ever heard of a Mk1 Audi A3? You can buy one for 1k or less and it puts a Focus to shame on everything. My cousin just got one, its still shining paint, head lights still sparkle and all the electrics work for 900 quid. Not like a Focus of that age, green yucky algae and fish living in the headlights, dulling paintwork, gremlyns playing havoc with electrics and the rest...
1ns4ne1d10t 1 year ago
i have one with 11 years to but mine is station wagon 1.6ltr, cd, ac... and it has 200 000km (125 000 miles) and still running like it was new, simply perfect, never had problems, i drove this car since completly new and never get bored!
EscarepioSenior 1 year ago 16
@EscarepioSenior Yawn! Ford is shit and so dull and boring!! all ford owners are dull and boring and afraid to try anything different. Cheap nasty crap! And ford is failing in the UK. Sales have fallen by 20 percent in the last 5 years and risen with most other cars such as Bmw, Audi, VW. Ha
joshieboi005 9 months ago
@joshieboi005 Yet the Focus and Fiesta are still all these years on still the No.1 and No.2 selling car despite the huge competition. I had a Golf GTI before my Focus. The Golf was the worst car I ever owned, dreadful handling, boring cheap interior and it spent more time in the garage than on the road.
pipoo1 9 months ago
@pipoo1 But the people who buy these cars only buy them simply because they are the N0.1 and No.2. Normally old people who dont give a crap about cars. I'm sorry but there is so many interesting cars on sale these days theirs no need to buy comman cars like this anymore. These sort of cars don't turn heads just blend into the grey background. Everyone knows German cars are the best for build quality and most reliable. Compare the new Golf with the new Focus. There is no comparison.
VW Golf !
joshieboi005 9 months ago
@EscarepioSenior Well you're obviously a very boring person with no life.
joshieboi005 9 months ago
no, but you are looking at a mirror!
EscarepioSenior 9 months ago
@EscarepioSenior You don't make sense. Learn proper English.
joshieboi005 9 months ago
and you a looser. you speak english because is your language, but no mine. I can speak several languages for you information!
EscarepioSenior 9 months ago
Song is Catatonia- mulder and scully
LouiseM297 1 year ago
Comment removed
LouiseM297 1 year ago
Independent rear suspension? Nice
Throw that in the freaking Mustang already. Or at least the GT.
dahgutone 1 year ago 2
What is the name of the song at 0:39
SVHDMovies 1 year ago
@SVHDMovies Its called Catatonia- Road Rage and the one in the intro with the Dodge Viper entering is Catatonia - Mulder and Sculley.
haz924 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
"Top Gear is a responsible consumer programme with its feet firmly on the ground" Not True...
SVHDMovies 1 year ago
those are DAMN good cars.
BMan100 1 year ago
LOL, I can remember when this car was first launched and thinking how revolutionary and dynamic it looked, and now 12 years on it just looks like part of the furniture. Great bit of machinery, right car right time but I don't think that Ford will ever make a car that will have as much of an impact as this one had, I'm certainly not blown away by the current model.
Lolf88 1 year ago
The current model still looks like a square cereal box, they made it very good-looking at the front & made the back lights/tailgate chrome but its still got that awful ski-slope at the rear. The interiors still the same style except Ford threw in a few silver-look handles, chrome lining around the radio & made the interior a lighter shade of colour to make you think "Wow its better" its a mind trick for a polished turd.
1ns4ne1d10t 1 year ago
i love this car
Gazzafiesta 1 year ago
Clarkson you are forgetting something, It went on to suffer from low-RPM misfire, sudden dead batteries, dreadfully unreliable 1.8 TDCi engines, then all those interior electrical toys stop working. The Golf 4 1.6 did 125 miles an hour compared to 115 & it wasn't the safest car in its class either, The Golf 4 also scored 4 stars. I'm sure its a good car but it doesn't beat a Golf 4 mate!
1ns4ne1d10t 1 year ago
@1ns4ne1d10t
And the terrible interior quality, and the chocolate suspension componentry that needs replacing, expensively I might add, at every 60K miles or so, not to mention relatively inferior engines to the competition.
I loved my Focus but I've spent the equivilent of a Banana Republic's total GDP on trying to keep it roadworthy. They just didn't nail the quality down and this is something the reviewers either skipped around completely or just downright ignored.
Lolf88 1 year ago
Focuses are great cars to drive, I work for Enterprise but they just don't carry quality like our VW Golfs & Audi A3's. Call me sad but I recently parked a new Mk6 Golf next to a new Focus II. A ruler it explains everything! Panel gaps measured 0.4mm all round on the Golf on the focus it was anything from 0.6-1cm. I was sad doing it but people always say Ford are better cars, Not after the gaps I saw.
1ns4ne1d10t 1 year ago
@1ns4ne1d10t
The brand new Vauxhall Astra as well as the previous model are much better made than the Focus.
Lolf88 1 year ago
The new Astras are miles ahead of the old 'polished turd' Focuses, I drive them all the time. Enterprise has them even before they are advertised on T.V so I get the privilage to test drive brand new models well before other people get their mits on them. Focus II's are pants mate, the interior is a really shit build. The current 'kinetic' version is a polished turd!
1ns4ne1d10t 1 year ago
@1ns4ne1d10t
You're an idiot - No one cares about how brilliant you think the astra is and how poor the focus is. You're privileged to drive a vauxhall astra? - Don't ever drive an Aston then....nah, you'd probably complain the astra has a smoother ride still. The fact is, the Focus is bigger, bigger boot, best to drive in its class. And Notice the styling of the astra includes the indicators mounted in the lower bumper like a 12 year old ford focus - Nice modern styling there....
westland2323 1 year ago 2
@westland2323 The best to drive in its class? you know absolutely nothing do you? go work for enterprise & drive them yourself. The new Astra corners much better than the current Focus you idiot, the new Astra is bigger & has a bigger boot. You are a real idiot who doesn't know what day of the week it is!
1ns4ne1d10t 1 year ago
@1ns4ne1d10t
I have to say its unfair though to compare the brand new Astra with the current focus, since it has been made since 2004 with minor tweaks. It beat that generation of astra by miles....and when the new generation focus comes out next year...it will once again pass the astra by miles...
westland2323 1 year ago 4
@westland2323 I'll see it when I believe it & it hasn't happened yet... In my experience with them Ford are just overrated piles of turd & everyone thinks they are the sliced bread because Jeremy says so. I have never found Focuses to be what people self-proclaim them to be in my own experience.
1ns4ne1d10t 1 year ago
@1ns4ne1d10t what is your experience of the focus i have had 2 and they were both 100% relaible far better drive than any astra or golf i test drive both before i drove the focus the ford was in a different league
djrowley1 1 year ago 2
@djrowley1 Absolute Bullshit.
1ns4ne1d10t 1 year ago
@1ns4ne1d10t
That aimed at me, is one not allowed to express there opinion, i have one and imho its one of the best cars i've ever driven
Gazzafiesta 1 year ago
@Gazzafiesta I don't know why I'm bothering to comment in a biased world of Jeremy Ford lovers to be honest, they are poor quality and Ford only chuck them together in the factory its apparent when you've ever worked on any Ford. Never mind, I guess you lot don't know any better until you move over to Audi's. See ya!
1ns4ne1d10t 1 year ago
i have to focus station wagon one from 1999 (petrol engine 1.6 zetec-s) and one from 2008 (2.0t tdci 136cv) and let me tell that the are just amazing, the first focus it drives easly than the new one. when i bought the new focus the guy in the dealer ask me if i wanted to sell my focus from 1999 because is value was very poor, and i tell him NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! i've drove so many different cars and no one compares to the focus, in every ways!!
EscarepioSenior 1 year ago
@westland2323 The steering on Focuses wander off course & have a mind of their own sometimes, you have to push your foot right down to the floor to get the correct amount of revs because those shitty little TiVCT engines want to stall all the time. "Its the best in its class" because motor reviews sayso oh what trash you talk boy...
1ns4ne1d10t 1 year ago
@westland2323 I agree with you 1000%!! The Ford Focus is an excellent car to drive, the handling and involvement of the driver is excellent. A friend of mine recently bought a 2006 Focus 1.6 LX and he thinks its absolutely fantastic.
Astra's are so bad, dull, boring, rubbish and you can never have anything good to say anything about them!
haz924 1 year ago
@haz924
Yeah tbh I think the people who buy astras are trying too hard because they don't want to be seen in a Ford. Now that the 2009 Astra has caught up with the ford they started making in 2004, Ford are just about ready to release the 2011 Focus, which should leave the Astra behind for another 4 to 5 years eh haha? .... ;-)
westland2323 1 year ago 4
@1ns4ne1d10t So, was that a European designed and built Ford Focus? Or American?
Northax 11 months ago
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R33Racer 1 year ago
Clarkson still owns a ford focus that he bought in 1998.
haz924 1 year ago 2
@haz924 Really? how do you know?
VOLVORULEZ1995 1 year ago
@VOLVORULEZ1995 Said so in an episode of top gear, when he was testing the Focus ST
haz924 1 year ago
The best compact in America for several years and FORD's first successful Euro-transplant to the US. I hope the 3rd Gen Focus delivers just as well.
DocWolph 1 year ago
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superipermeganet 2 years ago
Looks like Britains knows best :)
846524162 2 years ago