Staff Photographer
Ford’s well-established Bantam bakkie and C-segment Focus have the formula pretty much licked for well-made, mass-market vehicles, but even they need a little maintenance and freshening up to keep us from thinking they’ve fallen below par.
As both face-lift models were launched at the same event, I’ll start with the Bantam. This locally designed and manufactured half-ton bakkie has been rolling off the Port Elizabeth production lines since 1983. And you can feel and see the good breeding practice in this latest incarnation. It’s a quality product in a market being increasingly undercut by cheaper competition.
Changes to the Bantam are largely cosmetic. Aside from the 1.3-litre and 1.6-litre petrol models which stay the same, a new drive train is offered in the form of the 1.4-litre DuraTorq TDCi.
Its 50kW and 160Nm is enough in this application and it performs comfortably and quietly in line with the new Bantam’s goal of improving levels of NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) through the range. Pricing starts at R101 950 and although it’s not the cheapest half ton in the country anymore, it doesn’t feel it either.
The Ford Focus has undergone more tweaks and changes to keep it relevant in the seriously competitive South African C-segment. To keep volumes up against the big boys of this segment such as the Herculean Toyota Corolla, Ford understands the need to liven up an offering with something special.
The Focus has always been Ford’s promise of good driving dynamics and it now features a new “kinetic design” as well. An all-around modernised shape is a push in the right direction with a new 1.8-litre entry-level Duratec motor that has a very impressive double-clutch, six-speed automatic gearbox.
The 1.8-litre petrol offers more performance for better fuel economy and is a vast improvement on the outgoing 1.6-litre. The new double-clutch “PowerShift” automatic gearbox impresses with imperceptible shifts and total smoothness in all driving conditions regardless of the speed. The 2.0-litre TDCi is an old hand in the range and it’s also my pick of the Focus engines with 100kW, 320Nm and impressive economy. It didn’t fail to impress with its quietness and refinement that can match any German manufacturer. It’s also the most expensive at R269 750.
The interior has always been a bugbear of the Focus and the changes on this model have done little to improve a rather dull interior. Even on the higher specification models it’s just an off-the-production-line collection of vaguery. If you had to liken it to automotive CSI, except maybe for the oval air vents, not one individual component could help you make a positive identification that this was a Focus.
Bland interior aside, the Focus goes the same route as the Bantam in not pricing itself into a dark and lowly corner. It starts at R185 590 and yes, for debt-laden consumers, maybe that is a bit steep, but Ford’s argument is that while some competitors are cheaper they haven’t been producing mass-market vehicles for as long.
For the money, it begs the question: will even the C-segment dry up as consumers move to budget buys and smaller vehicles? I don’t believe so — it’s the way of the world, like the neverending merry-go-round that is our highway network. Just move one lane over and keep driving.
Ford prices
- Bantam 1.4-litre TDCi A/C R148 100
- Bantam 1.4-litre TDCi XLT R171 750
- Focus 1.8-litre 4dr/5dr Ambiente R185 590
- Focus 1.8-litre 5dr SiR210 950
- Focus 2.0-litre TDCi 4dr/5dr PowerShift R269 750