1.8 or 2.0 TDCi?

I am just about to get my new 2.0tdci.... I have driven the 1.8tdci and I have to say that is pretty rapid. I notice the tax band is higher at 148 quid being band C instead of 110 quid. Looking at the mpg figures it seems you lose about 4mpg... but hey thats much better than your worst petrol engine. The fact you have to face is that the 2.0 produces 136 brake horses...whereas the 1.8 produces 118... this has to be translated into faster acceleration. Ill know for sure in about 6 weeks... after I have had the beast for a month and have worked out the MPG performance figures..but I think that will be too late for you.

Hi Paul,

I'm trading in my 04 reg 2.0 307 hdi 110bhp for a Jul 06 2.0 focus zetec climate tdci and have now been on two test drives ...... and boy does it go!!!

Really first class performance ..... and it just keeps on coming .... particularly good from 30-60 or so for overtaking.

We're getting a 6 month old ex demo one from Ford Direct. It has 4300 miles on. We're well impressed and looking forward to getting it next weekend.

I wouldn't worry about the difference in mpg ... what you lose on mpg you gain on RFL.

I notice an ad in todays press for zetec climates from just a bit more than we are paying for our 6 month old one. Guess that will be with the 1.4 petrol engine and won't have the park assist and bluetooth that we are getting in ours .... so I don't feel toooooo bad about it!!

See ya,

Phil C

I've had a 2.0 TDCi Titanium since early November - it replaced an '02 reg

So far, fuel consumption looks like it's about 5 or 6 mpg worse but hard to tell for sure yet as it's early days and I've been doing a lot of uncharacteristically short journeys recently. The old 1.8 was doing nearly

The handling on the new Focus is firmer, the car feels more secure on the road and through bends (not that the old one was in any way bad). I like the automatic lights, wipers and rear-view mirror, but overall I'm disappointed with the interior trim level. Perhaps I didn't pay enough attention to the spec, but I miss the climate control AC from the old Ghia, and inexplicably there is only one 12v power outlet, buried in a cubbyhole in the front console. The poverty-spec trip computer will only show temperatures in deg C if you have fuel consumption in l/100km... lots of little niggles that take the gloss off what might otherwise have been a first-class motor.

In message , biggirlsblouse writes

Thanks for the info. One thing though, looking at the CO2 figures of Fords site and the tax bands on the DVLA site, it would appear that both the 1.8 and the 2.0 TDCi models are in band C. Band C is currently £110/year.

The 2.0 TDCi produces 148 g/km of CO2 and I think you have got this confused with the annual cost.

In message , Mark Scott writes

Thanks for that Mark. I'll be going for the Ghia as I'm currently driving a Ghia X Mondeo and I've got used to the toys. As for the six speed box, I should be able to make good use of sixth gear as 90% of my driving is at motorway speeds. Hopefully this will help my mpg.

In message , Phil C writes

Cheers Phil. I hope to test them both tomorrow. I'm also looking at buying Ford Direct with 5-10k miles on the clock.

Hello Paul,

We thought about the Ghia and the Titanium but decided the budget for changing the car was better spent on the firmer suspension of the zetec climate and the 2.0 engine rather than a bit more for the ghia/titanium and perhaps having to compromise on engine size. We have all the toys in our pug 307 (c/control, auto wipers, auto lights, 6 cd stack, half leather seats, auto dipping mirror) and decided that we could live without them. If anything the auto dipping mirror is the best thing .... and the way the exterior mirrors pull in when you switch the ignition off. We also now realise that the passenger seat in the focus is not height adjustable where it is in the pug .... but what the hell ... its a done deal now.

Have fun.

Phil

In message , Phil C writes

Hi Phil,

To be honest, I'm trying to avoid the Zetec because of the firm suspension which seems to be too firm for some people. I also want to avoid the Titanium because it doesn't have cruise control (which I use a lot) and because I want to get away from the leather seats. I've got full leather on my Mondeo at the moment and it was a great novelty at first but to be honest, it isn't top quality leather like you get on a Jag or Aston Martin and even with the seat heaters, they can be cold initially and they can also be painful in hot weather. I think the Ghia is my best option.

Cheers,

Hello Paul,

Sounds like the 2.0 Ghia is the one for you then. Seats are just a bit too 'comfy' for us.

I'll let you (the group) know how my Ford Direct purchase goes and whether the car comes up to expectation. (We did have a Focus a few years ago (W Reg) and like it then ... and keen to get back to another one.

See ya,

Phil