I have now had my 1.8 petrol Focus Estate for 2 months, 14,000 on the clock; my previous car was a 1999 2ltr petrol Mondeo hatch with 81,000 on the clock, I always thought the Mondeo was fast and lively and I had some reservations about dropping engine size to 1.8 when I got the Focus, but the Focus feels faster and I think it accelerates quicker than the Mondeo, looking at the BHP and Torque for both engines there doesn’t look a lot in it and the weight of the cars are similar. My question is, why does the Focus feel faster than the Mondeo.

Could it be gearing? Is the Focus set up more for acceleration at the expense of cruising speed?

Also although the peak power & torque figures met be the same, how about the torque curve - does the Focus deliver peak torque at lower revs than the Mondeo? That would make it feel more lively.

The Mondeo is heavier, but because of that and the longer wheel base and wider track the ride is smoother which may give the impression of being less lively.

Could it be gearing? Is the Focus set up more for acceleration at the expense of cruising speed?

Also although the peak power & torque figures met be the same, how about the torque curve - does the Focus deliver peak torque at lower revs than the Mondeo? That would make it feel more lively.

I think you are right about the gearing, the Focus seems lower gearing, I can go at 30mph in 5th gear without judder in the Focus but not in the Mondeo, I would have expected poorer fuel consumption with lower gearing, but the Focus is better by about 6 MPG.

Hi, with mpg there are more factors than just engine size, weight and gearing to take into account. One is the frontal area of the car and how much power it takes to push the vehicle through he air..

Chris

Hi, with mpg there are more factors than just engine size, weight and gearing to take into account. One is the frontal area of the car and how much power it takes to push the vehicle through he air..

Chris

The Mondeo was about the same weight as the Focus Estate, It felt higher geared and therefore had a higher top speed than the Focus, (if ever you wanted to go there), it also looked more aerodynamic than the Focus, I guess the difference is more technical than meets the eye, that’s 10 years of progress for you.

Hi, having a wider track on the mondeo gives you a clue...

Chris