Ford Focus Hybrid – electric boost and a manual gearbox

The Ford Focus hybrid has arrived, hard on the heels of the Puma, Kuga and Fiesta and in line with the blue oval’s commitment to offer an electrified version of every passenger car. They will include all varieties of hybrid as well as battery electric models.

The Focus is a mild-hybrid, so normal petrol engine performance and range but with an electric helping hand to add some zip and boost efficiency, but with nothing to plug in. The better news? You still get a manual gearbox.

Exactly as was recently launched in the Fiesta range, the EcoBoost Hybrid powertrain teams the familiar 1.0-litre three-pot engine with a 48-volt starter-generator for a choice of two power outputs: 125PS (123bhp) or 155PS (153bhp). The result in the 125PS version is WLTP CO2 emissions of 116g/km  and a 17 per cent fuel efficiency improvement – now 51.4mpg – compared with the 150PS 1.5‑litre EcoBoost petrol model that it replaces.

Ford UK chief Roelant de Waard said the car would have been “the stuff of dreams just a few years ago.”

“Our electrified powertrains are designed not just to save drivers money on fuel, but also to boost the fun-to-drive character of our vehicles,” he said in launching the car.  

The 48-volt hybrid drivetrain option joins other premium-car features available across the range such as a configurable 12.3-inch dashboard display screen and voice-activated connectivity to help ward off hatchback competition from Audi, BMW and Mercedes.

A secret weapon in the Focus’s fight arrives later this year in the form of a cloud-based system that warns of real-time hazards – crashes, road works, stray animals – in the road ahead, independent of the satnav.

“What makes Local Hazard Information different is that it is the cars that are connected – via the Internet of Things. There is no reliance on third party apps,” said Ford engineering chief Joerg Beyer.

The hybrid Focus is available across all trim levels and in hatch or estate body styles, at prices starting from £23,610.