Mk2.5 Petrol Engine Differences

[Shominy]

Hi all,

After a bit of anecdotal advice and this seems like the best place for it. I'm after getting a new car in the not too distant future and for some reason over the last couple of years I've absolutely grown to love the looks of the Mk2.5 Focus. I will have around £5k to spend and have been looking all over the place for information about these cars. I am well aware that the ultimate proof is in the pudding and that I should go and test drive some but the reality is it's still a few months until I will be buying so I haven't got round to it yet.

I have all but decided that if I do get one it will be in Titanium spec as it has the most toys. What I haven't decided on is which petrol engine I would opt for. From what I have read the 100bhp 1.6 is a bit gutless so the choice is really between the 1.8 or 2.0, the 1.6 115bhp doesn't come in titanium spec I believe but I could opt for that if I decided on the Zetec-S trim.

I'm not too fussed about miles per gallon as I only do about 6000 miles a year with the occasional long motorway drive. I'm currently in a 1.2 litre turbocharged petrol which is not slow but I don't really like the power delivery of the turbocharged engine and have found myself yearning for the days when I had a N/A petrol. I can be a bit rev happy at times so a N/A is what I prefer. My main questions are is there any advantage to having the 2.0 over the 1.8 and does it feels much quicker both off the line in town and on the motorway/A roads?

Cheers

[wilto]

I've got the 1.8 Duratec in Zetec S trim, with retro fitted  cruise control and red ST racaro seats, not very good on fuel consumption, but since owning the car 2 1/2 years ago it's been really reliable (touch wood)

It's plenty fast enough for me, though I always get left for dead by these modern turbo diesels, that why I never bother anymore, I just change up when I get to around 3000 rpm.

The engine could do with another gear ideally as it's a bit high reving for me.

I can't say what the 2.0 litre is like as I've never driven one sorry, but can't imagine it's that different.

[FatHead1979]

Although I've not owned a MK2 2.0 petrol, I've driven one a bit and my wife has a MK 2.5 1.8 petrol for comparison that I've occasionally thrashed.

The 2 engines are essentially the same apart from the slight difference in displacement, I personally found the 2.0 to feel noticeable stronger than the 1.8, especially in the upper gears.

The main thing I'm not fond of on the 1.8 is it only comes with a 5 speed gear box which hurts fuel economy on motorway runs (unless you want to be getting overtaken by HGVs) and it SIGNIFICANTLY increases the noise in the cabin at 65 MPH plus, by 75 MPH onwards you would be turning the radio up quite a lot to drown out the noise.

That said, the 1.8 is quite lively in the lower gears i.e. town driving etc and if it had been available with the 6 speed box it would have been fine and if you never go never motorways it'll be fine.

The 2.0 is also a lot less common than the 1.8 so it does limit your pool of choice a bit, personally if I wasn't in a rush I'd wait for the right 2.0 to come along.

[Shominy]

33 minutes ago, 1979Damian said:

Although I've not owned a MK2 2.0 petrol, I've driven one a bit and my wife has a MK 2.5 1.8 petrol for comparison that I've occasionally thrashed.

The 2 engines are essentially the same apart from the slight difference in displacement, I personally found the 2.0 to feel noticeable stronger than the 1.8, especially in the upper gears.

The main thing I'm not fond of on the 1.8 is it only comes with a 5 speed gear box which hurts fuel economy on motorway runs (unless you want to be getting overtaken by HGVs) and it SIGNIFICANTLY increases the noise in the cabin at 65 MPH plus, by 75 MPH onwards you would be turning the radio up quite a lot to drown out the noise.

That said, the 1.8 is quite lively in the lower gears i.e. town driving etc and if it had been available with the 6 speed box it would have been fine and if you never go never motorways it'll be fine.

The 2.0 is also a lot less common than the 1.8 so it does limit your pool of choice a bit, personally if I wasn't in a rush I'd wait for the right 2.0 to come along.

What's the cabin noise like at slower speeds? One of the reasons for me wanting to move up a class from the supermini (Seat Ibiza currently) is for a bit more refinement but my current car has 6 gears. Though, to be honest, one of the things I dislike about driving it is the fact that you can't really hang in gear for very long before it's screaming for a gear change so maybe only having 5 gears would be beneficial in that respect.

My other dilemma is whether to scrap the idea of the Focus all together in favour of something a bit quicker, probably an RS Clio 200. Problem with that is the fact I don't get too many chances to go out on a proper drive so it may be wasted on me. If a 2.0 petrol has enough performance then it seems like the safer bet.

[FatHead1979]

24 minutes ago, Shominy said:

What's the cabin noise like at slower speeds? One of the reasons for me wanting to move up a class from the supermini (Seat Ibiza currently) is for a bit more refinement but my current car has 6 gears. Though, to be honest, one of the things I dislike about driving it is the fact that you can't really hang in gear for very long before it's screaming for a gear change so maybe only having 5 gears would be beneficial in that respect.

My other dilemma is whether to scrap the idea of the Focus all together in favour of something a bit quicker, probably an RS Clio 200. Problem with that is the fact I don't get too many chances to go out on a proper drive so it may be wasted on me. If a 2.0 petrol has enough performance then it seems like the safer bet.

I'd say the cabin is reasonably quiet until 50 MPH upwards, there is also a bit of wind noise but this in inherent to the MK2/MK2.5 design and can't be avoided.

I'd suggest test driving at least 1 and make sure your test drive in includes a national speed limit dual carriageway, that way you can make your informed choice.

IMHO you can beat a decent test drive for helping come to the right decision.

[Dave1981]

I've got a mk2.5 titanium 2.0.. can honestly say it's gr8 for what I do, 9000 miles a year mainly short runs with occasional long blast. Round town yes the mpg isn't gr8 and it cud do with being a bit quicker off the mark but once it gets above 10-15mph it shifts!.. on a GD run mpg is fine, did Whitby and back from Sheffield yesterday and it was doin 40-43mpg. Motorway cruising speed is fine never need to drop a gear to overtake but I agree cud do with a 6th gear.. reliable engine, lots of toys to play with when inside it. Road noise not too bad but I've had all doors and boot sound deadened.

[Shominy]

1 hour ago, Dave1981 said:

I've got a mk2.5 titanium 2.0.. can honestly say it's gr8 for what I do, 9000 miles a year mainly short runs with occasional long blast. Round town yes the mpg isn't gr8 and it cud do with being a bit quicker off the mark but once it gets above 10-15mph it shifts!.. on a GD run mpg is fine, did Whitby and back from Sheffield yesterday and it was doin 40-43mpg. Motorway cruising speed is fine never need to drop a gear to overtake but I agree cud do with a 6th gear.. reliable engine, lots of toys to play with when inside it. Road noise not too bad but I've had all doors and boot sound deadened.

Cheers, sounds like exactly what I'd be using it for. My current cars trip computer says it does about 45mpg once it's warmed up but regularly gets to 50mpg on a run and dips to 36-37mpg on a quick blast. To be honest I'd be happy if it did 30mpg everywhere. Bit annoying that they didn't give it a 6th gear but I've managed fine before on the motorway in a 1.3 Suzuki Swift!

[Dave1981]

I did do m1 jct 33 to jct 13 n back few times last yr bout 120mile each way doin constant at 70mph and it was doin 47mpg. Mainly tho it's high 30s low 40s on a GD run. Town work is high 20s to low 30s but depends how you drive car condition etc... But also the trip computer is never accurate.. I can't knock it though.

[FatHead1979]

I'd be curious to know if 5th gear is set any different between the 1.8 and 2.0 as I may end up with the 2.0 petrol when I have to replace by 1.8 TDCi someday.

[Dave1981]

Well I know from experience 65mph is 2800rpm in 5th. Thats 65mph via gps not speedo.. 70mph takes it to 3100rpm ish

[kingsblue]

2 hours ago, Dave1981 said:

Well I know from experience 65mph is 2800rpm in 5th. Thats 65mph via gps not speedo.. 70mph takes it to 3100rpm ish

Any idea if the 2.0 is a timing belt or a timing chain, does yours use much oil and how much is the tax per year? Thanks.

[Dave1981]

It's a chain, as is the 1.8 I believe. Hardly uses any oil, well mine hasn't anyway, changed my oil 3000miles ago and so far the level hasn't moved. All I'd say is cause it is a chain I use the best oil I can afford, currently got magnatec in it. Tax I pay monthly DD and it's £18

Edited January 29, 2018 by Dave1981

[Dan P]

We've had a 2.0 Mk2 Focus for nine and a half years and I can't fault it. It's got more power and torque than the 1.8 and gives the same or better fuel economy. Other than giving it a Terraclean I've not had to do anything to the engine. I did get it remapped which gave a tiny bit more power and improved throttle response but it's probably not been worth the uplift in my insurance as a result! I'd recommend holding out for a 2.0.

Have a look at my build thread for Eve for more info.

[JONATHAN_11_80]

I have 2010 Focus Zetec S 1.8 petrol and have been impressed with its performance certainly has loads more go than my old 2004 Focus 1.6.  It managed 45 mpg on 350 mile drive to cornwall last year.  But around town it does 35ish mpg.   Its been 100% reliable over the 6 years Ive had the car.  My only issue is the road noise on the motorway which spoils the car in my opinion.  I don't know what ford were thinking when they made the mk2.5 noisier than the old mk1.

[Shominy]

5 hours ago, Dan P said:

We've had a 2.0 Mk2 Focus for nine and a half years and I can't fault it. It's got more power and torque than the 1.8 and gives the same or better fuel economy. Other than giving it a Terraclean I've not had to do anything to the engine. I did get it remapped which gave a tiny bit more power and improved throttle response but it's probably not been worth the uplift in my insurance as a result! I'd recommend holding out for a 2.0.

Have a look at my build thread for Eve for more info.

Looks like the 2.0 is worth holding out for then. I'm in no rush to buy some hopefully in the months before my lease goes back I will have chance to scope one out that's in decent condition.

2 hours ago, JONATHAN_11_80 said:

I have 2010 Focus Zetec S 1.8 petrol and have been impressed with its performance certainly has loads more go than my old 2004 Focus 1.6.  It managed 45 mpg on 350 mile drive to cornwall last year.  But around town it does 35ish mpg.   Its been 100% reliable over the 6 years Ive had the car.  My only issue is the road noise on the motorway which spoils the car in my opinion.  I don't know what ford were thinking when they made the mk2.5 noisier than the old mk1.

The road noise is a bit concerning. I'm looking for a bit more refinement than my current car which is a 2017 petrol Ibiza on lease. It's brand new but still has some rattles and gets quite noisy at speed even though it revs at something like 2000rpm in 6th at 70mph. I don't mind engine noise but don't really want wind noise and rattles.

[Dave1981]

+1 for the terraclean. Had mine done and it made the world of difference..

[wilto]

24 minutes ago, Dave1981 said:

+1 for the terraclean. Had mine done and it made the world of difference..

Has your mpg improved, as mine isn't good atm, best I could get on a recent 120 mile each way run to Birmingham and back was 37mpg only doing the speed limit.

[Dave1981]

Noticed improvement with mpg, throttle response.. and emissions were alot lower on mot. Had it done 9000 miles ago so due another this yr.. 

I've noticed drop in mpg recently though but putting it down to cold weather and car fueling more to compensate.

[FatHead1979]

6 hours ago, Shominy said:

Looks like the 2.0 is worth holding out for then. I'm in no rush to buy some hopefully in the months before my lease goes back I will have chance to scope one out that's in decent condition.

The road noise is a bit concerning. I'm looking for a bit more refinement than my current car which is a 2017 petrol Ibiza on lease. It's brand new but still has some rattles and gets quite noisy at speed even though it revs at something like 2000rpm in 6th at 70mph. I don't mind engine noise but don't really want wind noise and rattles.

I wouldn't say rattles are common but a little wind noise seems to be, best thing you can do is drive one, until you do you won't know.

[mjt]

When we bought our Mk2.5 1.8HE Zetec hatch we still had our old Mk1.5 1.8TDCi Ghia estate and I found the Mk2.5 a lot noisier, more engine noise, more road noise and a lot more wind noise. Of course this wasn't a fair like-for-like comparison because the sound insulation was probably better on the Ghia. I presume a Mk2.5 in Titanium trim would have more insulation but even so this wouldn't affect the wind noise and the consensus on this forum is that it is a noisier car. I think this can only be a consequence of the body design. It's very difficult to hold a conversation at normal cruising speeds. I've always felt the 1.8 (and the 2.0 I assume) could do with a sixth gear as it revs higher at a given speed than our old 1.8TDCi or the Mk3 1.0L EB that replaced it. It might cut down the engine noise a bit and it might even give a useful improvement in mpg. The Mk3 is a lot quieter than the Mk2.5 but, again, it's not a true comparison as that's a Titanium.

[Dan P]

I wouldn't say that the 2.0 needs a 6th gear. It's very comfortable across the whole rev range and gives good mpg when cruising on the motorway (I get around 50mpg for well disciplined long trips at 65mph).

[TomsFocus]

10 hours ago, mjt said:

When we bought our Mk2.5 1.8HE Zetec hatch we still had our old Mk1.5 1.8TDCi Ghia estate and I found the Mk2.5 a lot noisier, more engine noise, more road noise and a lot more wind noise. Of course this wasn't a fair like-for-like comparison because the sound insulation was probably better on the Ghia. I presume a Mk2.5 in Titanium trim would have more insulation but even so this wouldn't affect the wind noise and the consensus on this forum is that it is a noisier car. I think this can only be a consequence of the body design. It's very difficult to hold a conversation at normal cruising speeds. I've always felt the 1.8 (and the 2.0 I assume) could do with a sixth gear as it revs higher at a given speed than our old 1.8TDCi or the Mk3 1.0L EB that replaced it. It might cut down the engine noise a bit and it might even give a useful improvement in mpg. The Mk3 is a lot quieter than the Mk2.5 but, again, it's not a true comparison as that's a Titanium.

I've driven a mk2.5 1.6TDCi Titanium for 3 years...now have a Mk3 1.6TDCi  Titanium...  The sound difference is massive!  The mk3 is so quiet I almost forget it's a diesel, both inside and out.  Lack of sound deadening in the mk2.5 Titanium was one of my biggest dislikes about the car, I'd rather have had more sound deadening than a dash cubby and ambient lights tbh.  

[Shominy]

Thanks for all of the opinions and analogies. Bit concerning to hear about the intrusive noise and lack of sound deadening but I am not adverse to hearing a bit of road noise. As many have said, the only way to know for sure if to take a test drive, it's just a shame that I am doing this research a bit too far in advance to warrant me wasting someone's time taking their car out for a hoon with no intention of buying it.

[Incontro]

9 hours ago, Shominy said:

Thanks for all of the opinions and analogies. Bit concerning to hear about the intrusive noise and lack of sound deadening but I am not adverse to hearing a bit of road noise. As many have said, the only way to know for sure if to take a test drive, it's just a shame that I am doing this research a bit too far in advance to warrant me wasting someone's time taking their car out for a hoon with no intention of buying it.

Surely you could find one at a local dealership or second hand car sales company? Take one of their's for a test drive, you ain't gonna eat the car :)

On the topic of gears, I have the 4 speed automatic (1.6), it revs at 2900 RPM @ 70 MPH. I'm sure the 2.0 automatic would rev at even less :)

EDIT: On the topic of road-noise - I've found that my Focus is no noisier than a 2015 Astra with brand new tyres. I wouldn't say road-noise is excessive on this model, far from it actually. But do keep in mind that the MK2.5 is from 2008, and that it isn't going to sound as quiet as a 2017 plate Mercedes.

[JONATHAN_11_80]

My MK2.5 is nosier on the motorway than my old 2004 mk 1.5 focus.  However our 2014 Cmax is lovely and quiet on the motorway.