Ford Focus Estate [C519] (2018 - 2021) used car review

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By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

The fourth generation 'C519'-series Ford Focus Estate launched in 2018 put its maker right back into contention in the compact estate segment, with more boot space, sleeker looks, a more user-friendly interior, more efficient engines and some suspension tweaks that aimed to remind us what made this station wagon Focus great in the first place. It's not the biggest or the cheapest estate in its sector from the 2018-2022 period, but it might just be the most appealing all-rounder.

Models

[petrol] 1.0, 1.5 & 2.3 EcoBoost / [diesel] 1.5 & 2.0 EcoBlue

History

Ford's Focus is best known as a family hatch, but if you need a little added practicality, it's this estate version that'll suit you best. Here, we look at the fourth generation version, sold in its earliest forms between 2018 and 2022.

Such is the pull of small SUVs that the small estate car seems to have had its last rites read time and again, yet still the compact station wagon struggles on. Models like this are still around because they're a good idea. What's more, if people were honest about why they really needed a vehicle, a family hatch-based estate car would often make more practical sense than an equivalently-sized Crossover. After all, a traditional station wagon can carry just as much as many SUVs, yet will be better to drive, lighter and more aerodynamic which means better efficiency. And a family hatch-based estate will almost certainly be cheaper to buy too.

Ford's brought us some brilliant estates down the years but as much as customers have warmed to the Focus hatch, the five-door estate has never occupied a huge slice of the overall Focus sales pie chart. This MK4 version aimed to formulate a more convincing argument. It got an all-new C2 platform that enabled a longer wheelbase that for the first time allowed this car to offer properly class-competitive rear seat room and luggage space - there's up to 728-litres of it. Buyers could also choose an SUV-orientated 'Active' trim level, which made a bit more of a lifestyle statement and offered some useful low traction driving modes.

Much changed beneath the bonnet too for this MK4 design, with clever cylinder deactivation for the petrol models and the new 1.5-litre three cylinder petrol unit we first saw in the Fiesta ST. The diesel engines were re-designed too. As was the much higher quality cabin, which featured half the number of previous buttons. On top of all that, the brand claimed class-leading camera-driven safety standards too. This MK4 Focus Estate was updated with a mild hybrid version of the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol unit in 2020; then fully facelifted at the end of 2021. It's the pre-facelift 2018-2021-era models we look at here.

What You Get

Like its Hatch stablemate, this fourth generation Focus Estate matured in almost every way. It was taller and longer than its predecessor, being nearly 1.5-metres high and stretching to nearly 4.7-metres in length, with a rear overhang almost a foot longer than that of the equivalent hatch model. As with that body shape, the wheels of the MK4 model were further apart and the glass area was larger, all of this part of the brand's 'human-centric' design philosophy.

Inside, Ford hoped buyers would find the ambiance of this fourth generation model much more inviting. To that end, the dashboard was pulled forward and there was a slimmer, lower centre console, plus the new body shell freed up more room for shoulders and knees. As a result, you no longer feel quite so hemmed-in at the wheel, but by the same token, there's also slightly less of the cockpit-style positioning that we rather liked before. You can't fault the cleaner, sharper ergonomics though, aided by a massive 50% reduction in button clutter, with as many functions as possible relocated to the cabin's prominent SYNC 3 infotainment screen that, in keeping with current automotive fashion, sprouts from the top of the dash.

All of which is interesting - but perhaps not quite so fundamentally significant as the changes which took place further back in this fourth generation model. The space on offer here certainly didn't redefine what the compact estate segment could offer, but at the launch of this MK4 model, it did at least begin to typify it. In a Focus, back seat folk were with this fourth generation design treated much as they would be in a rival Golf Estate, thanks to 56mm more knee clearance, 78mm more legroom and 60mm more shoulder room.

The boot offers up to 728-litres of space if you load to the roof. That's quite a big increase on the figure you'd get in a Focus Hatch - up to 443-litres. Fold down the 60:40-split rear bench and you're looking at up to 1,620-litres for the Estate and up to 1,320-litres for the Hatch. Bear in mind that these figures will reduce if you opt a car fitted with for either a full-sized spare wheel or the optional B&O audio system.

What You Pay

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What to Look For

As usual with a family estate, check the interior for child damage. And with top-spec versions, check the alloy wheels for scratches. Look for any dents, dings and scratches to the panelwork - 'base 'Style' and 'Zetec' models didn't get parking sensors, so may be more susceptible here. And ensure that the clutch engages smoothly and that the car goes into gear easily. The 1.5-litre diesel engine is fitted with a diesel particulate filter, but this may be clogged up if the previous owner hasn't completed too many highway journeys.

There were a few recalls that should have been applied to any early MK4 Focus models you might be looking at. On some cars built towards the end of 2018, the brake pedal hinge may not be to specification. And some owners of early 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre petrol models were getting a warning message for the particulate filter incorrectly stating it to be full; this required a dealer trip to reprogram the system. Some cars built between April and August 2018 had issues with the rear child locks; there were some front suspension bolt issues on cars made between September and November 2018; there were some wiring loom recall issues between March 2018 and March 2020; an issue with the power distribution box on some cars made in October 2019; and some seat belt anchorage issues on cars made between May and September 2019. Insist on a fully stamped-up service history and you'll know that all of these recall issues have been attended to.

Replacement Parts

(approx based on a 2020 Focus Estate 1.0 EcoBoost - Ex Vat)

An oil filter is in the £15 bracket. An air filter costs around £22. A pollen filter costs around £13. A rear brake disc costs in the £150 bracket. A front brake pad set is in the £35-£59 bracket; rears in the £28-£50 bracket. A front brake disc is in the £103-£151 bracket; a rear disc around £118.

On the Road

This fourth generation Focus Estate, like its predecessors, has a reputation as a compact family station wagon with the ability to entertain at the wheel - and if you enjoy your driving, that's something you'll appreciate pretty early on the first time you try one. With this load carrying variant, Ford standardised the supple independent rear suspension configuration that you couldn't have on the volume 1.0-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel Hatch variants. That makes quite a lot of difference to the ride over this car over poor surfaces. As ever with any Focus, body control through the bends is exemplary, allowing you at the wheel to make the most of the stiff C2 platform, the feelsome power steering and the torque vectoring control system that helps you get the power down through the bends.

It all combines to create a car that really can still reward at the wheel, even in its most affordable forms: there's still nothing else in this segment that feels quite the same. Yet it still does the sensible stuff well too, being decently refined, with confident braking and a lovely tactile gearshift. Efficiency's up to scratch, even if you select one of the mainstream petrol engines, all of which are three cylinders in size. Most tend to go for the 1.0-litre EcoBoost unit, offered with either 85, 100 or 125PS. The latter option claimed to manage up to 48.7mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and up to 108g/km of CO2 on the NEDC cycle. That's providing you select the most frugal of the three provided standard driving modes - 'Eco'. 'Normal' and 'Sport' settings are also available. The quicker powerplants could be ordered with the option of Ford's 8-speed auto gearbox, as could the two 150PS engines, the 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol and the 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel unit, which can tow up to 1.8-tonnes. There was also an ST Estate model offering the choice of either a 280PS 2.3-litre EcoBoost petrol engine or a 190PS 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel. This MK4 Focus Estate was updated with a mild hybrid version of the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol unit in 2020.

Overall

If you're looking for an estate car of this size from the 2018-2022 era, the fact remains that the Focus is one of the very best. It's not the biggest and nor is it the cheapest, but as an all-rounder it takes some beating. The smaller petrol and diesel engines are well worth a look and in the shape of the 'Active' SUV-style variant, Ford offered a really complete product to family buyers. A properly Focused estate - you might say.

And in summary? Well the estate car is quietly staging a revival and models like this are the reason why. Maybe that's merely down to a backlash against suburban SUVs that once smacked of active lifestyles but now just scream 'shopping' and 'school run'. But we think it's equally true that the estate car has never been a more complete product. If the concept of a small station wagon seems to you a contradiction in terms, then this one might make you think again.