Things I Like About My Ford Focus: Space Versatility

Every car is a compromise. Generally, size is traded off against fuel economy and weight, and practicality against driver enjoyment. When I bought my Ford Focus, one of the main priorities was fuel economy. However, I also periodically find myself wanting to transport a reasonable amount of cargo, and so the obvious solution was a hatchback, giving me good load access and the ability to fold the seats down for a large cargo space. Last weekend I headed to Phillip Island for the weekend, and took with me a collection of musical equipment plus a few personal items. As you can see in the photo above, with two of its rear seat folded the Focus swallowed up everything I could possibly need, while leaving room for two (admittedly non-existant) passengers.

I am also into a bit of cycling and own both a road bike and a mountain bike. While I do own a clip-on bike rack, there's nothing like the convenience of flipping the rear seats flat and chucking the bike in the back either whole (road bike) or after removing the quick-release front wheel (mountain bike), making countless beautiful bike rides only a short drive away.

Compared to similar sized hatchbacks, the Focus has a slightly longer boot area thanks to its swooping styling, which also results in better cargo access compared to hatch with a more vertical tailgate like the Mazda3. Personally, I also like this style of a more fastback-like design, but given the rarity of this style in today's hatchbacks, clearly many automotive designers disagree. I pleased to see that Ford has retained this style in the upcoming new Focus.

I often long after cars that are smaller, or sportier or just simply less versatile in their load lugging abilities (such as my recently mentioned BMW 135i), but every time I pack my focus to the brim for a weekend away, or effortlessly throw my mountain bike in the back for a long day of riding I am reminded that unless my needs for cargo-carrying reduce I should always own a vehicle with at least as much load space as my Focus.

Comments

Car Lust: Audi A1 Sportback

It has been quite a while since I last posted anything here. To be precise (I do like to be), it has been exactly 284 days since my last post. Since then many things have kept me from posting, and with every week that passes it has only become harder to give any attention to HaveCar WillDrive. But this week I have come down with such a terrible bout of car lust that I couldn't help but share it here. Yes, I am lusting badly for an Audi A1 Sportback. You may be asking yourself "what could be so exciting about a tarted-up overpriced Volkswagen Polo?" At first glance you may have a point, but let me explain.

When Is A Diesel Not A Diesel? When It's A Fiat...

Like most small cars, the Fiat 500 is sold with an optional diesel engine in Europe. To date Australia has only had the choice of petrol-engined Fiat 500s, so when I heard that Fiat had announced the Fiat 500 Diesel for sale in Australia I was excited at the prospect of a new version of the funky Italian hatchback offering spectacular fuel efficiency while burning those long-chained hydrocarbons once reserved for trucks and tractors. Unfortunately, my hopes were soon dashed like a diesel-powered boat caught on a rocky coastline. Instead of being a diesel powered version of the miniature Italian, the Fiat 500 Diesel is a special edition of the regular petrol-powered 500 with trimmings designed by an Italian fashion house. 'Which Italian fashion house?' I hear you ask. That's right, you guessed it: Diesel.

Review: 2003 Mazda 6 Luxury

If you are looking for an unbiased review on a used family car, I suggest that you leave this page immediately. For this is a review of a car that is quite close to my heart, my dad's 2003 Mazda 6 Luxury sedan. This is the first car I ever drove, and the a car I regularly borrowed when I had just passed my license test. Even once I've had my own car, I have borrowed the Mazda on multiple occasions, either for holidays not suitable for my then current transportation or just because I wanted a spin in my first automotive love. I've been thinking about writing this review for quite some time, but I was waiting for the timing to be right. Having recently spent a whole week driving this car according to my usual routine, reminding me all of the car's joys and shortfalls alike it feels like that right time is now.

Have Car, Will Drive

Search This Blog