My work diary currently has regular meetings in Switzerland on Monday mornings which necessitate travelling in the night before. A few weeks ago, it occurred to me that if I flew in 24 hours earlier than that, I could have a day in tourist mode exploring more of the huge number of places that are readily accessible from Zurich. Affordable rental rates from Hertz CH have proved to be an added bonus, meaning that I can also add to the list of cars I have sampled as well as the places I get to visit. Like other rental car companies, Hertz’ fleet is subtly different country by country, so whilst there are some models which you are just as likely to find in the UK fleet as in Switzerland, there are others where this could be the only country where they are available to rent. I’d already had a couple of those, with the most recent being a Fiat Croma. In the interests of trying something different, I deliberately made a booking in a different rental car class, this time selecting Group J, which is for medium-sized estates. A quick wander around the Hertz facility had shown that there are several cars on fleet which come in this category, so I was unsure quite what I would receive when collecting the car. The answer turned out to be a Ford Focus, which of course is a car that is pretty much the doyen of the UK fleet. However, this one was an Estate, and – surprising though it may seem – I’ve not actually sampled the latest Focus in Estate form, so I took it. When I got to see the allocated car, it was tempting to go back to the counter and try again, as the damage report has more crosses on it than could be fitted on the pictogram. Most of them were relatively minor scuffs and scrapes but there was at least one fairly significant dent which was not that apparent in the gloom of the rental car garage but was very clear once in the daylight the following morning. The paperwork in the car also suggested that the reason why the car had quite a high mileage of over 72,000km was because it was far from new, having been first registered in late 2005. There was no badging to indicate the trim level, but the plastic wheel covers suggested that this was likely to be from the bottom of the range. It did have a TDCi badge on the tailgate, confirming that it would need refuelling from the black pump when the time came. The second generation Focus is an excellent car, so I decided to take this one, despite its battle scars, and headed off to my nearby hotel for some sleep in advance of my day out in the mountains.

I’ve driven a number of the latest generation Focus now, with a variety of the available engines, so I was pretty sure of what to expect. And my expectations were quite high. Whilst the most recent Focus models I have driven have had either the 1.6 or 1.8 litre petrol engines, the first example of the model that I tested, back in mid 2005, was a 1.6 litre diesel, which was clearly the same engine as was fitted here. That car had impressed, but it did not take long behind the wheel of this one for me to wonder if my memory was playing tricks with me. There was no doubt whatsoever as to what fuel type this car needed as when you started it up, the characteristic diesel rattle was particularly evident. It did abate somewhat as the engine warmed up, but at no time could you say that this was a refined engine. It seemed like throwback to a previous generation of derv powered cars, such that I started to wonder if Ford were using an older type of engine in the Swiss market Focus. Research suggests that this is not the case and this car did indeed have the 90 bhp version of the current diesel unit. That is 19 bhp down on the more potent diesel unit that had featured in the car I had driven before, and that fact became pretty apparent, too once underway, but it still did not explain the comparative lack of refinement. To maintain the level of progress you would wish for, you do need to use the gears a lot. It’s just as well that the gearchange is very precise, with a nice positive movement as you make the short movements of the lever between the different ratios. Even so, the relatively narrow band of power remained frustrating, especially in the mountains, where the moderately steep gradients had me in a lower gear than I might have expected which made for rather noisier progress than you would expect. On these roads, though, the Focus’ other driving dynamics can shine. The steering in this car is as good as that which I had experienced in other Focus models, with plenty of feel, just the right sort of weighting and a lovely precision to inspire plenty of confidence on reaching the twisty bits. There is plenty of grip and the Focus handles excellently, definitely a best in class. There’s no penalty with the ride, either, with the relatively small 15″ wheels of the test car ensuring that, whilst firmer than you would find in a traditional French car, the car remained poised and comfortable no matter what the surface. Alpine roads are a good test of the brakes, especially when coming downhill, and those of the Focus revealed no shortcomings with no trace of fade despite the punishment of those descents. Visibility is generally good. there’s a sizeable glass area and the relatively upright rear end means that judging the back of the car is not hard, making it easy to place on the road and to park up.

At first glance, the interior of this Focus looked very similar to others that I have driven, with the exception of the fact that this was a left hand drive car. However, closer scrutiny revealed detailed differences beyond the fact that the seat material and patterning differed from the Zetec trimmed models I had sampled in the UK. For a start there is a plastic moulded steering wheel. Not bad to hold in absolute terms, but clearly not as nice as one with a leather wrap. There are four spokes to this one, whereas the more costly models have three. The instrument pack is the same, with two large dials and two smaller ones between them all under a single cowl. They are clearly marked and easy to read. Column stalks operate the indicators and wipers, with lights controlled by a rotary dial on the dash to the left of the wheel. The centre of dash does boast a silver-grey effect inlay around the audio unit, a Ford 6000 system which combines a CD player with AM/FM radio. The only interface to this are the buttons on the unit itself as there are no repeaters on the steering wheel, but it proved easy enough to operate even when on the move, and sound quality was acceptable enough and a good way of trying to drown out the engine. Thankfully, the test car had air conditioning, and there are three rotary dials under the audio unit for this system. Below that are a row of blank switches with just one of them allotted a function, for the heated rear window. It is a simple set up and all quite user friendly, and whilst far from feeling or looking luxurious, the quality of the materials is decent enough and they are softer to the touch than you perhaps expect.

Upholstery is the sort of cloth trim that you typically find in cars of this class, with the centre section of the seats in a relatively discrete pattern which provides a bit of colour contrast. Adjustment of the front seats is all manual, of course, with a bar under the seat for fore/aft and a turn wheel on the side to alter the backrest angle, and a height adjuster for the driver’s seat. The steering column telescopes in/out as well as up/down, which meant that it was easy to get the ideal relationship between pedals and steering wheel for someone of my size and proportions. The seats themselves are a significant improvement on those of the first generation Focus, with the squab and backrest still joined no matter how they are adjusted, something that was not the case with the earlier model. They proved comfortable when sat on them for the relatively long parts of my trip to and from the Alps.

Rear seat space should prove sufficient to meet most family needs. Legroom will be sufficient for adults even with the front seats set well back. There is not much of a central tunnel to get in the way of the legs of a middle seat occupant and there is ample headroom thanks to the relatively flat roof line which extends well back over the luggage area. There’s no central armrest in this version, but you do still get map pockets on the back of the front seats as well as bins on the doors for odds and ends.

It is the rear end of the Focus Estate which is the important bit for those choosing this body style over the regular hatch models. There is a nice square shape to the space and even under the retractable load cover, there is plenty of room for luggage. There are pockets on each side of the load area and there is a 12v power outlet here. More space can be created by folding down the asymmetrically split rear seats. You need to flip the seat cushions up first before dropping the backrests down, meaning that there is protection from objects sliding forwards and hitting the back of the front seats. The extended load area is flat from back to front and would allow for a lot of cargo to be accommodated. Inside the cabin there are plenty of places for bits and pieces with a good glovebox, bins on the doors and several useful recesses in the centre console.

In the UK Ford offer a vast array of different versions of the Focus, with a choice of three and five door hatch, 4 door saloon and Estate bodies, as well as a wide range of petrol and diesel engines. I rather assumed that Swiss market customers would get the same level of choice, but it would seem that this is not the case. Ignoring the top of the range ST model, engine options for the regular hatch and estate are limited to 1.6 litre and 1.8 litre units, with each of the 1.6 litre petrol and diesel powerplants offered in two states of tune: 100bhp and 115 bhp for the petrols and 90 bhp and 109 bhp for the diesels, with the 1.8 offered as a petrol putting out 125 bhp. Automatic gearboxes are an alternative to the five speed manual, though perceived wisdom suggests you may want to try this to be sure it is what you really want, as the Ford autos are not generally the best of their type. Trim versions are different to the UK market, too: Ambiente, Trend, Carving, Ghia and Titanium are the labels used. Ambiente is an entry level trim and only offered with the least powerful diesel and petrol engines. As far as I could tell, this was the trim for the test car, which did feature remote central locking, electric mirrors, front electric windows, air conditioning, a height adjustable driver’s seat, telescoping steering column, map pockets on the rear of the front seats, split folding rear seats, a load area 12v power socket and a 6 speaker audio unit with a CD player. The equipment tally for the Trend model seems to be quite similar, though this is available with the more powerful engines. It does feature the same 15″ steel wheels with wheel trims in a 7-spoke design as the Ambiente, air conditioning, remote central locking, interior door handles with an aluminium look, electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors, map pockets on the front seats, three height-adjustable rear headrests, a 4-spoke steering wheel, Ford’s audio system 5000c radio / cassette with 4 speakers up front and 2 in the rear. You can tell the costlier models as they have alloy wheels and front fog lights as well as a number of equipment features. The Ghia prioritises luxury, with plusher trim and wood effect trim inlays inside. The Titanium sits at the top of the range and offers premium equipment features over and above the Ghia, including 16″ 5-spoke alloy wheels, sports-style part-leather contour seats, a high quality Sony audio system with radio, CD and MP3 functions and a total of 8 speakers, 4 front and 4 rear, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, auto-sensing windscreen wipers and lights, a heated quickclear windscreen, a 3-spoke leather steering wheel with cruise control, automated air conditioning with dual electronic temperature control and a centre console in titanium look. Ford offer a extensive range of options so you can add features to one of the cheaper trims to make it more or less equivalent to one of the other models.

This was, by some measure, the least convincing of any of the second generation Focus models I have sampled. Almost all the problems stem from that engine which was a real disappointment – gruff, noisy and unrefined, and lacking sufficient oomph to power the car, it was a real let down. It’s just as well that the other driving dynamics are as good here as they are in the rest of the range. From a practicality point of view, the Focus Estate scores well, with a commodious load area endowing the car with even more versatility than you get in the hatch models. The passenger compartment is spacious enough for a family of four, too. This was a base model, and there were some items of equipment that you might prefer to have which were missing, and some would object to the fact that the car looks like the poverty spec model with its plastic wheel trims and lack of external embellishment, all of which suggests that opting for a higher spec model may well feel like money well spent. Diesel is of course a popular choice for cars in this class, but the evidence of this one suggests that you would need to try one, perhaps back to back with a petrol car to be convinced that you could really live with it. All told, then, it was not just the battle scars of this car that let the side down, but the car itself Given the number of different models in the Hertz CH fleet, the chance of getting another one in the near future should be pretty low. And to be saying that about a Focus is something of a surprise and a disappointment.