Do you own the current Ford Focus? My colleague just test-drove the new Ford Focus earlier this morning. He currently owns the Ford Focus TDCI (and Mazda CX5). He is very impressed with the Ford Focus and was contemplating of replacing his Focus TDCI with this new Focus, though he agreed with me that the price is on the high side. Similarly like you, he said the car is very responsive, and there is no lag which is contradictory to what the service adviser told me earlier. He said the car's handling is even better than his Focus TDCI. And also, the car is very quiet.

One remark he made cracks me up. He said he purposely drove into all the potholes to test the car, and he is amazed that the car (and suspension) is very quiet.

If the handling of the new Focus is an improvement over the current mk3 model, tangible differences and not subtle differences, it should be very appealing indeed.

My colleague who owns the Ford Focus test drove the Jetta about 2 years ago. Although the power of the Jetta is good with better refinement and comfort than the Focus, the handling is below the Ford Focus' level. The Jetta wins some in the more refined gearbox and smooth drive, but it loses some in the handling department.

Did you test-drive the hatchback or sedan? My colleague test-drove the sedan. Surprisingly the Ford guy also preferred the sedan over the hatchback for some unknown reasons although I read that the stability of the sedan is not as good as the Sports due to the normal suspension setting vs. the Sports suspension setting an larger 17" tyres.

Too bad the sedan will come with the same 205/60 R16 tyres. I expect the tyres to be at least 17" since the Indonesian model has 18" tyres. 16" is good for comfort but looked a bit small with a small sacrifice in handling I presume.

I still recall the first time I drove the Ford Focus during test drive more 2 years ago, the first time I experienced the Ford. I always wanted the sedan, but I tested the hatchback first as the service centre didn't have the sedan test-drive unit at that time. I still remember the sharpness of the steering control and handling of the hatchback during the test-drive session, as I turned the steering wheel at a T-junction corner. The sharpness of the steering and overall control of the car, even at low speed, can be felt. During the test-drive session, driving along the roads below 100 km/h, I can feel the stability and solidity of the hatchback on the straights.

About a week later, I managed to find a service centre which has the sedan test-drive unit. I test-drove the Focus sedan and immediately felt a difference in the handling. The handling is not as sharp as the hatchback. No doubt the steering is still sharp during the turns, but I think the difference in the tyres and suspension between the sedan and hatchback plays a major role. The sedan's handling and stability is slightly below the hatchback, but comfort-wise it is better. The imperfections of the roads will be absorbed more efficiently by the higher profile tyres and suspension of the sedan.

In summary, if one wants better handling and often engages in spirited driving sessions, the hatchback will be the choice. The sedan is more family-orientated with a larger boot for stuff.

Not to say the handling of the Focus sedan is below-par. I do think it is still excellent. It is just that when compared to the Focus Sport hatchback, the difference shows.