No Budget Reviews: 2009 Ford Focus Mark II 1.6 Zetec - Lloyd Vehicle Consulting

[@philsa9402]

I owned a 57 plate 1.6 style petrol for 16 years......... What a bloody good car sold it recently and bought a 65 plate 1.5 focus zetec diesel up to now a very good car

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting! Very nice cars to drive, the 1.6 Zetec-SE engine is superb if looked after properly.

[@Tony-pirate]

This engine, developed by Ford together with Yamaha, is one of the most reliable 1.6 engines, designed from the factory to run 300k km (200k miles)!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, driven an awful lot of cars with the Sigma/Duratec/Zetec-SE engine now. Originally launched in 1995, I think that it only went out of production in around 2017 for our market.

[@brianfearn4246]

Iv had a 2010 focus for the last 12 years and its only had the general maintenance and I've recently had the timing belt and water pump replaced and the car still runs like new with just over 100k the one thing that can go wrong without warning is the bonnet lock mechanism behind the grill and yes it's closed when it happens . This is very annoying and common on the focus . I did manage to replace it with a new one..

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you, Brian! Yes, the 1.6 Zetec-SE engine is very good if you maintain it properly. I can see why Ford got rid of this idea with having to use the key in the grille to open the bonnet if they are prone to failure. Really appreciate you watching and commenting!

[@mattw8332]

This is a nice restyle of the mark 2 Focus. Ford seem to improve their models ten fold on facelifts. The mark 5 Escort being a case in point.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, it was an effective facelift, the pre-facelift ones do not look as good in my opinion.

[@GentilsGarage]

The aux socket is inside the glovebox (top left corner) and the blanking plates on the door handles not only are for the LHD market as you correctly say, but also used for the optional power folding mirrors.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you, sir, glad to see that I was right for once!

[@superdash_]

Bought this exact car but from 2011 as my second car the other day and already love it

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting! I do hope that you enjoy your new Mark II Focus, they can be very enjoyable.

[@yowhaatsup]

How's the mpg like in the 1.6 petrol?

[@superdash_]

@@yowhaatsup from my experience and depending on how you drive, you can get like 40-45 mpg

[@stephenmartin2737]

I've a 2010 zetec s diesel 136 focus they are brilliant cars very responsive and sticks to the road like glue absolutely love it

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

This video has been surprisingly popular considering how quickly it was filmed. They are pretty good cars if they don't start to rust!

[@JosesBWK]

Man this was the most helpful review thanks mate, just bought the 1.6 100cv 2009 trend model, couldnt be happier :)

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you ever so much indeed! These do need to be checked for rust as well, but it depends where you live as to how big of a problem that will be.

[@JosesBWK]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting so true! the back bearing was rusty, but the rest was in mint condition :)

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@JosesBWK , that doesn't sound like much of a problem to me.

[@seancooke7332]

When Ford were at the top of their game. Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, Smax, Galaxy, all top notch vehicles. Even the Ford Fusion was a great little sort of Tall Fiesta. My wife had this model Focus Zetec 1.6 as a loan car from Kia for some Picanto warranty work. Interesting thing was that the first loan car was an Insignia Sports Tourer which broke after one day. It was replaced by the Focus which accommodated our Daughter's harp in the boot easily while the Insignia required one rear seat be folded. Well deserved best sellers with a 1.6 Zetec . The Titanium X model is a looker. The RS is a rocketship. Both this Focus and the Astra H showed up all of the inadequacies of the Golf.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, we did like this car, sir... The 1.6 engine is one of the best Ford ever made. Funny how the harp went into the boot where it would not fit into an Insignia Sports Tourer. The RS and ST models were pretty insane...

[@T.K.9]

My first ever car and current one is a Ford Focus MK2 2009 1.6 Diesel. 70K miles. Looks exactly like this black car but with the diesel engine and color vision blue. Although she has suffered some nicks and bumps from the previous owner. Well mostly from inconsiderate drivers parking so close on the bay and opening their doors into the focus's side doors. Love it so far. Big and spacious. Mostly used for work commute and leisure. Still I couldnt help myself to bling her up a bit. Wind deflectors, tints. On the side view she still looks nice and sporty. Sexier when wet (rain). Only the front grill looks a bit aged. --- As for repairs since I had her, the LCD on the cluster failed. I replaced it myself after buying the lcd replacement online and following some youtube guides on how to replace them. Front Passenger side coil and top end bearing failed, and had to get it replaced. Tell tail sign 4 days before complete failure was a squeaky sound when you hit potholes or bumps.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting!

[@tonyc2837]

That spark plug issue was caused by the washer jet on the bonnet. Ford did a modification to the washer jet , it was the seal between the jet and the bonnet.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you ever so much indeed, I knew someone would be more informed about this than me.

[@jeremiahkool1]

Great review, thanks. I am anticipating my Getz failing it's MOT in August 2023 so am doing some research on potential replacements and the Mk2 Focus definitely sounds like a step up in terms of driving experience.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, these are still everywhere and still relatively cheap, so not a bad choice. There are other alternatives too, of course! Got to watch that rust with the Mark II Focus.

[@stuartsaunders4518]

I have driven mk1 & MK2 focus before they are a pleasant drive, as soon as I heard the distinct indicator relay noise in your video it all came flooding back to me

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Well, there we are, sir! We like a bit of nostalgia on this channel, don't we?

[@frothe42]

Funny, I just had a ride in a second generation Ford Focus a few hours ago ! From what is stated in Wikipedia, US second generation was mostly a refresh. Interior dashboard and exterior design are different, exterior styling similar to the 2000 US Ford Focus. Fascia and interior design of this Ford Focus remind me of the UK Ford Mondeo of the same era. We only had the 2 door and 4 door, no hatchbacks until the third generation appeared. Of course, WE NEVER RECEIVED FORBIDDEN FUEL ENGINES. Another excellent review Joseph!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, the Mark II Focus in America had absolutely nothing to do with this car at all. Ford decided to have two completely different Focus models on sale at the same time in different parts of the world. It is weird that they slimmed down the range in America just to two or four door models towards the end.

[@frothe42]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I believe they, Ford, was chasing profits, and that meant CUV vehicles replaced station wagons (estate), which I believe was a huge mistake. Worse, they eliminated motor vehicles completely to concentrate on trucks, another blunder. This gives Toyota, Nissan Hyundai Kia a huge opportunity to gain market share as well as outpacing profits from Ford and GM. I firmly believe those in the US crave CARS from GM, Ford and Stellantis. Actually, Stellantis is the only conglomerate within its US divisions that sell motor vehicles, although theses vehicles are not common to the UK 🇬🇧 market. I'm very happy that you enjoyed the driving experience, which is essential when looking for a vehicle like this Focus.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@frothe42 , yes, market tastes have certainly changed in the past ten years.

[@David_H-73]

Another black Ford with the 1.6 Duratec engine, I think you need to drive one more just to make sure you like it. A very good car if not very exciting, you do have to watch for rust particularly on the rear arches , sills and even the front wings.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Well sir, we will have to see if we get to drive any more of these, we do like the 1.6 Duratec/Sigma/Zetec-SE engine, especially as it is Mr Coleman approved! Yes, good old rust on the rear arches and front wings, not on this one, though.

[@alextoft9199]

I agree. I thought it was a great car when driving or being a passanger. Just a bit soulless.

[@Boney00]

Spent ages looking can’t believe it I finally found it

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Hope you enjoyed the video!

[@GentilsGarage]

Another great review sir. Personal experience with one (the main theme on my channel at the moment) is that for a medium size car, it is great, reliable, cheap to run (at least parts and maintenance, as well as insurance costs) good to drive and practical. I’m keeping it for sometime to come.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

May as well keep it if yours works well! I quite like them, although I had a discussion with Mr Coleman about these recently, and he finds them significantly worse than the Mark Is for some reason.

[@jasejj]

I had a pre-facelift one, very similar otherwise. I found it to be a very good car generally, the only downsides were the very poor quality plastics on the lower part of the dash (the grey stuff), which felt more like a van to the touch, and made my old 2001 Accent seem well screwed together by comparison. That and the 1.6 Duratec engine, although not objectionable was notably coarser at higher revs than the Primera 2.0 or Mazda 2.0 (in a MK3 Mondeo) that came either side of it. But yeah, other than that utterly reliable, nice to drive and comfortable.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, we covered a Mark III Mondeo with the Mazda 2.0 engine back in April on the channel. The hard scratchy plastic award goes to the Hyundai i20 I filmed back in March, though. The 1.6 engine was the one to have, I think. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@Pmjs]

I've owned a Focus 1.8 Zetec mk1, Mondeo 2.0Si mk2, Mazda 626 2.0 &Nissan Primera 2.0GT. The 2 Ford's &Mazda were good cars. The Primera was very unreliable ended up trading it in for the Focus. The car that Beat them all was my VW Passat 1.8T Sport B5..

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@Pmjs , strange that the Primera was not particularly reliable. I have owned a Mazda 626 2.0, and I quite liked it.

[@johnedwards3198]

My wife had virtually the same black 08 plate 1.6 Zetec which was indeed fun to drive, spacious and still rather well styled although not as innovative as the Mk1. Certainly the quick clear windscreen came in useful in snowy Winters but it did not like snow or like its scratchy plastics

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Oh, the scratchy plastics, sir! I think the scratchy plastic award in my opinion goes to the Hyundai i20 I drove back in March, this was not so bad.

[@johnedwards3198]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting yes certainly the era of hard plastics in general amongst the mainstream manufacturers. I can trump the i20 with a 2000 W Hyundai Accent!!! Grey nobbly and likely to crack/fall off at any point!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@johnedwards3198 , it's time to see if I can hold of one of those Accents in that case.

[@johnedwards3198]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting they're getting rather a rarity these days as they weren't all that popular and many would likely have fallen foul to scrappage schemes or became uneconomical to keep welding around those wheel arches repeatedly. Still have fondness for the drab simplicity and practicality of my first car though

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@johnedwards3198 , yes, good old rusty arches....

[@marclappin2508]

my 15 year old mk2.5 feels like a new car still with a recent change of the lower arm wishbone living by the sea she hasn't got a spot of rust even where the paint has been scraped off the outer wheel arch you cant go far wrong with this motor its very practical and my eyes its a good looking car even in 2023 with a couple of additions like colour coordinating the chrome lip on the bonnet it can look newer and a ST spoiler it rides like a dream round the bends more bends more the fun and Ford have given up on them silly all electric big mistake im not against electric but too many eggs in one basket BATTERIES im not keen on i dont like diesels compared to PETROL either lol

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The Mark II Focus has been a surprisingly popular video on the channel over the last couple of years. They seem to be holding up relatively well in terms of desirability in the car trade, especially the facelift ones, although there are now lots of very tatty examples out there.

[@Mjk10957]

That water issuse with the sparks happens with the 1.6 engine as well as it happen to mine , pre face lift 55 plate zetec climate model

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Interesting! Didn't realise it was the 1.6s as well. That's a very early Mark II Focus if it is on a 55 registration.

[@colinhicks4174]

I much prefer this shape and the interior design over the mark one. Although it does look like the car put on a lot of weight in 2005. Given you tested two with the same engine, how did they perform?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you, sir! Yes, it's a very different shape and a higher quality interior with a bit more room, although a much heavier car as a result. The Mark I was an automatic and this is a manual, so a bit difficult to compare directly, but the Mark I did seem a bit more lively. This is fine, though.

[@DylRicho]

I agree Colin, this shape is nicer in my opinion.

[@andymair7992]

Can I mention the Elephant in the room? The Gauge Cluster problem. If you have one of these with warning lights on and warning messages, the cluster needs re-soldered. .... not expensive but worrying if you don't know. I've recently bought a 1.8 zetec with this exact problem. 😕.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, I asked my mechanic about this only today. I have actually since bought a 2006 Volvo S40 which is very similar to one of these underneath, but it has Volvo's own five cylinder non-turbo engine. There are a few problems with these cars, but I do still quite like them nevertheless.

[@ian6985]

Like you, I always thought the quick clear front screens were unique to Ford at this time and maybe any associated companies (maybe Jaguar and Volvo when they owned them). However I have a 2005 Mini Cooper with the same feature so don't know if Ford also licensed the technology to other companies?

[@GentilsGarage]

The quick clear is a ford patent introduced in 1987. Other companies started to use it once it expired many years later, hence why only Fords had it.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you, sir! Yes, the heated front windscreen was exclusive to Ford for a while, the exact details have now been explained.

[@pizzalover3]

An old review but that's a Visteon Portuguese head unit. Sony made the posher ones with much better quality amplifier modules.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

An old video, sir, but a very popular one for some reason!

[@alextoft9199]

I have just had a long journey in a Focus like this. I drove it very briefly. My flatmate has an Astra H 1.6 Twinport which I've also driven. It's so a close call between them. I think the Focus rides a tiny bit better and is quieter on the move. I think it's a really good everyday car and Id have one. Just think it's a bit boring. Used to love the Zetec in my old 1999 Fiesta but in this it's too quiet and feels a bit sluggish. Astra to me feels more interesting. I prefer the engine sound and it feels more sporty. Really just down to preference though. For a good price you can get all the car you need with either. 👍

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The 1.6 Astra Family I engine is a bit more powerful than the 1.6 Zetec-SE Ford engine. The ride and handling is probably better on the Focus, but the Astra is still a good car. Don't know which I would buy between them, I think that it would depend on specification and condition. Thank you very much indeed for watching!

[@alextoft9199]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yeah I couldn't chose. I would like to drive both for a bit longer and would depend on condition. They are both good cars. Impressed how quiet the Focus is on the motorway.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@alextoft9199 , yes, I think both Ford and Vauxhall were trying to deliberately use the Mark IV Golf as a benchmark of quality when they launched the Mark II Focus and Astra H in 2004, and it does show.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Another Great review Sir, also had one of these in a metallic Blue and was a great car, still handles well as the Mark 1, some of those stereos never had Bluetooth or Phonekit, as I replaced mine with a Bluetooth unit I think it depended on the year possibly if you got one you could set your phone up with.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes sir, Sony had some sort of deal with Ford at the time, I take it that the later ones were more likely to come with a stereo which would take Bluetooth or an AUX input.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting yes I think these were in the Glovebox but I beleive you could buy a module you could plug into the back of the stereo.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain , thank you for the information, sir!

[@Lionel_T_Pereira]

This particular audio unit 6000D doesn't come with Bluetooth to connect your phone with. Pressing the connect and disconnect buttons only mutes audio.

[@PlanetautoUK]

Well equipped, good value reliable car, would prefer more refinement, Welsh Dragon too, nice.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, filmed in North Wales! I would have to have a Titanium to get some more refinements...

[@Pmjs]

My Dad has a Focus 1.6 Zetec Auto mk2.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you, I hope that it is running well.

[@richardhowlett9424]

A perfectly fine car , just a bit on the dull side after the slightly bonkers Mk1 . As always an excellent review .

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you very much indeed, sir! Two new reviews were filmed this week.

[@kingarthur83rd]

I know im late to the party and you're more a sourcer/sales guy than a tech (not meant with any spite or negativity). the duratec engines of this time didnt have belt driven cams. they were chain driven. source: i own the 2005 mk2 2.0 titanium 3dr. a very rare car from what i can find online (common car but very rare engine/trim level)

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, the 1.8 and 2.0 Mazda L engines were a cam chain rather than a cambelt. This 1.6 Zetec-SE/Duratec/Sigma engine (all three names have been used) does have a cambelt, however. It is a while since I filmed this, and when I filmed the C-Max earlier this year, I did not make the same mistake again.

[@Blackmamba12345]

I do like Ford's. I used to drive a Golf. Admittedly Golf's are well built but Ford's aren't that bad tbh. I als drive a Ford now which I'm starting to actuslly prefer.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting! I actually have a review of a Mark VI Golf on Sensible Secondhand Reviews from around this era which I released in January, it was even the same colour. I think I prefer this as well, I just didn't find there was a lot to say about the Golf!

[@servicekid7453]

I’ve had a 1.6 Zetec Mk1 and a 1.8 Zetec Mk2.5 and I have to say i prefer the 1.8 engine Don’t talk about the disastrous EcoBoost engines (or the diesels 😂)

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

We certainly don't discuss the Ecoboom engine around here or the appalling DLD-416/DV6 forbidden fuel power unit!

[@TheGreatestPlayerInTheWorld]

Nice car, great review!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you, sir!

[@willswheels283]

Another great review Mr Lloyd, this is probably my favourite version of the Focus hatchback, and it’s the version I’d be inclined to go for were I to be looking to buy a Focus, I’d probably buy a 1.4 or 1.6 petrol. Of course if finances allowed I’d opt for the ST version, but the smaller engines would probably be a more realistic option. That is quite a nice example as well, very tidy, looks smart in black.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The 1.4 was very limited availability, probably the 1.6 is the best option, although the ST is fun and very expensive with the five cylinder Volvo white block... Sean has kept this car in very good condition.

[@rubrown1397]

Nice car

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you, Sean keeps it in excellent condition.

[@darrensaquaticsworld]

Sooooo much plastic, rock hard scratchy plastic

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Lots of these types of car had hard scratchy plastic at the time.