Mk3 Focus 1.5 Ecoboost

[MA1601]

Hi everyone I’m new to the forum. Currently drive a Mk5 Golf but I’ll be looking to get into a Focus (after lockdown), possibly a 2014/15 model which I believe is the Mk3. I’m looking forward to it, heard good things about it.

I’ve got my sights set on the 1.5 petrol and ideally the 180bhp version although they seem quite rare. Is it just a higher tune compare to the 150bhp? I wonder if the power difference is noticeable in daily driving. Would appreciate owners opinions. The 180 does seem a bit off the pace I don’t know if stats are right but 0-60 comes in at 8.6 seconds. My brother has a 2014 Audi A3 with the 1.8 petrol engine and the power and torque are identical to the Focus but the 0-60 in that is almost 7 seconds! 

Any other general maintenance tips on the Focus and Ecoboost engines would be appreciated. Are there any things to look out for and any issues I should be aware of? I’m also not familiar with Ford’s trim levels so please educate me on that!

Cheers all. 

[sussamb]

I have a 1.5 EcoBoost with a Bluefin that increases BP to around 175, the difference between 150 and 175 is definitely noticeable 🙂

[alexp999]

The 150 and 180 produce the same amount of torque up until about 4k or 4.5k rpm at which point the 150 map starts to flatten out while the 180 goes a bit further. So in normal driving, no you won't notice any difference on the stock maps, you'll only notice a difference when you push on passed 4k RPM and take it towards the redline.

Power and torque from manufacturers are the engine's output, the gearing and final drive ratios influence how that power is turned in to performance or balanced for economy.

It's why big lorries can have 1000hp, but are still really slow, because they are geared to move things, not for acceleration.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

21 hours ago, MA1601 said:

My brother has a 2014 Audi A3 with the 1.8 petrol engine and the power and torque are identical to the Focus but the 0-60 in that is almost 7 seconds! 

Yes, that's about right. I had a 2014 Leon with the same engine. I've not driven the 1.5 150/180  in the Focus, only the previous 1.6 version with the same outputs, but the Leon was noticeably quicker. In comparative road tests, even the VW Group 1.5 which has 150ps but around 184 lbs of torque generally seems quicker than a 180 Focus.

As Alex says, things like gearing and weight can have a great effect and I didn't find much difference between a 150 and 180 in normal driving, unless you go beyond 4,000 where the extra go of the 180 starts to kick in. It depends how you normally drive, I suppose.

As you're looking at a car well out of warranty, you could start off with a 150 and always have a Bluefin later if you feel the need. That way you'd also get an increase in torque, as well as bhp.

[MA1601]

Thanks for the replies. Buying a 150 and remapping seems like a good idea to be honest. I’ve always preferred my cars to be stock though, have never had a remap or modifed them. Call me boring but that’s me haha! 

And yes, totally forgot about gearing. Explains the figures then compared to the VW/Audi engines. 

Did some digging and found the UK brochure for 2015 Focus. The 180 was only available with the Titanium X trim. Explains its rarity. I do want a well specc’d car things like xenons and leathers would be nice. So Titanium X is what I will focus my search on for now (excuse the pun). 

Those of you with the 1.5 engine, what is the economy like? I do a lot of short trips and my commute to work is 9 miles each way. Now, my Golf is the old 1.9 TDI work horse which gets me a lovely 45-50mpg. I know the Focus won’t get me anywhere near but I’d be happy with mid 30s. 

[dtulip8]

5 hours ago, MA1601 said:

Thanks for the replies. Buying a 150 and remapping seems like a good idea to be honest. I’ve always preferred my cars to be stock though, have never had a remap or modifed them. Call me boring but that’s me haha! 

And yes, totally forgot about gearing. Explains the figures then compared to the VW/Audi engines. 

Did some digging and found the UK brochure for 2015 Focus. The 180 was only available with the Titanium X trim. Explains its rarity. I do want a well specc’d car things like xenons and leathers would be nice. So Titanium X is what I will focus my search on for now (excuse the pun). 

Those of you with the 1.5 engine, what is the economy like? I do a lot of short trips and my commute to work is 9 miles each way. Now, my Golf is the old 1.9 TDI work horse which gets me a lovely 45-50mpg. I know the Focus won’t get me anywhere near but I’d be happy with mid 30s. 

Only had my 1.6 since just before lockdown so can’t comment on MPG (and 1.5 may be different) but Titanium X trim is lovely. Heated part leather seats, bi-xenon lights and fancy multicolour mood lights to name a few toys!

[MA1601]

Yeah Titanium X is what I will be going for.

So are there any common problems or faults I should be aware of with the Mk3 Focus in general and the 1.5 engine?

[ColW]

There are a few common problems with the mk3.

There is a stickied thread at the top for boot leaks although I haven't experienced it on my mk3.

The door rubbers have a habit of coming unstuck at the bottom of the doors but these can easily be cleaned and re fitted at the bottom. There is a thread showing how to cut the tension wire within it if it is coming off around the side of the door.

Electric power steering rack failure is not as common but an expensive fix if it does fail. The whole rack has to be replaced if the module in the rack fails. I had this fault on my early mk3 (2011) and had a refurbished rack fitted with a 2 year warranty. New racks from Ford cost around £1300 plus fitting.

Quite a few people have had issues with the auto levelling headlights if you get one with these fitted.

All that said I do still really like my mk3 and will be sad to let it go when I come to replace it.

I can't comment on the 1.5 ecoboost engine as mine is a 1.6 ti-vct but when I come to replace my current mk3 it is the engine I would look at next unless I am in a position to get one of the newer mild hybrid/electric models due out this year.

 

[ColW]

One thing to add is if you can push to a 2017/18 model you should get the sync 3 radio system which is much better than the older sync 1 and 2 ranges.

You can fit a sync 3 radio into an older car but this can involve some wiring changes. Details are all in the stickied thread at the top.

[alexp999]

The early 1.5 ecoboosts had quite rattley turbo actuators, they seemed to fix it on later models.

I had a 64 plate that rattled, as did others at the time, it did my head in, I had to get rid of the car.

My mum has a 16 plate Kuga with the 1.5 ecoboost and it doesn't rattle like mine did.

[MA1601]

On 4/18/2020 at 6:33 AM, ColW said:

There are a few common problems with the mk3.

There is a stickied thread at the top for boot leaks although I haven't experienced it on my mk3.

The door rubbers have a habit of coming unstuck at the bottom of the doors but these can easily be cleaned and re fitted at the bottom. There is a thread showing how to cut the tension wire within it if it is coming off around the side of the door.

Electric power steering rack failure is not as common but an expensive fix if it does fail. The whole rack has to be replaced if the module in the rack fails. I had this fault on my early mk3 (2011) and had a refurbished rack fitted with a 2 year warranty. New racks from Ford cost around £1300 plus fitting.

Quite a few people have had issues with the auto levelling headlights if you get one with these fitted.

All that said I do still really like my mk3 and will be sad to let it go when I come to replace it.

I can't comment on the 1.5 ecoboost engine as mine is a 1.6 ti-vct but when I come to replace my current mk3 it is the engine I would look at next unless I am in a position to get one of the newer mild hybrid/electric models due out this year.

 

Thanks, I’ll have a read of the sticky. The steering rack is worrying though. 

On 4/18/2020 at 6:36 AM, ColW said:

One thing to add is if you can push to a 2017/18 model you should get the sync 3 radio system which is much better than the older sync 1 and 2 ranges.

You can fit a sync 3 radio into an older car but this can involve some wiring changes. Details are all in the stickied thread at the top.

Cheers will have a read. Probably will keep the car as it is though. 

22 hours ago, alexp999 said:

The early 1.5 ecoboosts had quite rattley turbo actuators, they seemed to fix it on later models.

I had a 64 plate that rattled, as did others at the time, it did my head in, I had to get rid of the car.

My mum has a 16 plate Kuga with the 1.5 ecoboost and it doesn't rattle like mine did.

Was this part of a recall or free fix by Ford? Funnily enough my brother’s A3 had to have the turbo actuator replaced or tweaked (can’t remember which) but was part of a TPI by Audi. 

[alexp999]

4 minutes ago, MA1601 said:

Thanks, I’ll have a read of the sticky. The steering rack is worrying though. 

Cheers will have a read. Probably will keep the car as it is though. 

Was this part of a recall or free fix by Ford? Funnily enough my brother’s A3 had to have the turbo actuator replaced or tweaked (can’t remember which) but was part of a TPI by Audi. 

No they never fixed the early cars, they told me it was "design intent", I just noticed that they fixed it later themselves. (It's quite common for that sort of thing to happen in the automotive industry)

[MA1601]

Just waiting so I can test drive no idea how long that’ll be! I think I’ve decided, it’s going to have to be the Titanium X 182 model. The extra spec alone is worth it. 

[ShamusUK]

11 hours ago, MA1601 said:

Just waiting so I can test drive no idea how long that’ll be! I think I’ve decided, it’s going to have to be the Titanium X 182 model. The extra spec alone is worth it. 

I have the same car. It's excellent.

In fact.... with the lockdown, i've had lots of time on my hands... I decided to build a blog, and talk all about the Ford Focus, starting with my own car.

I'll properly introduce the blog to the forum later, but you are all welcome to check it out. I have more work to do on the design, but I have written an Introduction post, to discuss the purpose of the blog. Basically it's to help people decide if a Ford Focus is the right car for them (and then drill down into the various models).

Please have a read of that first post and let me know what you think.

I'm also in the process of writing a mega-review of my car, which should be useful for you. Hoping to upload that in the next 2 weeks.

Am I allowed to leave a link? The website is https://www.fordfocusreview.com/

Members on this forum will be welcome to share their stories on the blog. This is such a friendly and knowledgeable forum, i'd love to showcase your cars and experiences.

ps - now i'm feeling all nervous about it 🙂

[MA1601]

@ShamusUK look forward to your thoughts on it. Auto or manual?

[ShamusUK]

8 hours ago, MA1601 said:

@ShamusUK look forward to your thoughts on it. Auto or manual?

Mine's an Auto. Are you looking for Auto or Manual?

After 2016, the 182 came with a torque converter 6 speed Auto, which is pretty good (and reliable).

Although it's very much a 'work in progress', i've activated the blog now (you should be able to see the intro post), but i'm still working on my car review. This project is taking much more of my time than I anticipated. It's been a long time since I did some formal writing.

[James Wainwright]

Hi mate I have the ford focus 1.5 ecoboost zetec s 182hp and best car I have had.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

 

8 hours ago, James Wainwright said:

I have the ford focus 1.5 ecoboost zetec s 182hp and best car I have had.

Well, the OP has not been back for nearly 3 years and has probably bought a car of some sort by now, but glad to see you're happy with yours!