Test drive Toyota Corolla vs Ford Focus
While Russians are increasingly switching from "big" cars to budget sedans and B-class crossovers, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus are breaking sales records around the world.
The "mask" of the updated Toyota Corolla with a narrow slit of headlights and a finely shaded mouth will envy Kylo Ren himself, a knight of the First Order. Meanwhile, the Ford Focus is looking at the world with the Iron Man LED gaze. Why do these sedans need villainous or superhero looks? Because they are villains for competitors and at the same time superheroes for the global automotive industry.
Corolla is the most popular car in the world: in half a century, it has sold more than 44 million copies. The Ford Focus is produced less, but it has become one of the most serious opponents of the Corolla. The "American" got close more than once, and in 2013 even took the lead. For Toyota, his victory was not obvious - the American agency RL Polk & Co. did not count the Corolla Wagon, Altis and Axio versions, which provided the advantage. Then "Focus" again lagged behind and over the past two years dropped out of the top three altogether.
Corolla, according to the agency "Autostat", is the most widespread foreign car in Russia. In total, about 700 thousand cars of different generations drive on the roads. But in annual reports on new car sales, it was inferior to the Focus, which ten years ago became the best-selling foreign car in general. It was difficult for Corolla to compete with him without local production and many modifications and bodies. However, later she still prevailed over the "Focus", which sank due to higher prices and the adjustment of production in Vsevolozhsk, a restyled model. In 2016, it was the Corolla's turn to be refreshed - and Ford was ahead again. But the sales of popular C-class sedans are vanishingly small, and yesterday's bestsellers are forced to work part-time.
“The buyer is not worried about the whole world; it is more important for him to drive the best car in his own town,” said Toyota President Akio Toyoda. A person who buys a Corolla or Focus in Russia will definitely at least stand out. In the current economic conditions, these are rare and expensive cars - over a million for a good package. The rules of the game are just right for the "Corolla", which looks larger and more solid.
She has a decent distance between the axles - 2700 mm, so there is room enough in the back row to seat three adults. Even tall passengers will not feel constrained: there is enough air between the knees and above their heads. But they will have to sit without any special amenities: there is no heated seats, no additional air ducts. Ford pampers the rear passengers only with music - additional tweeters are installed in the doors. It is inferior to the "Corolla" in the size of the wheelbase, so it is noticeably closer in the second row. The ceiling is high, but there is little legroom.
The front panel of the Corolla consists of layers of different textures, and after restyling, a soft leather pad with stitching, round air ducts, evoking persistent associations with airplanes, appeared. On the glossy black trim, the touch keys of the new multimedia system glow, and the strict climate control unit with swinging keys looks as if they took from the world of Hi-End audio. All this looks more modern and sophisticated than even the more expensive Camry sedan. And the rough buttons, the supply of which the thrifty Toyota will not use up soon, are not so noticeable. It is a pity that a leather interior cannot be ordered for Corolla, and it is impossible to see a map on a large and high-quality display that quickly responds to touch.
The front Focus panel is composed of corners and edges and is less detailed. It is rougher, more massive and sticks out strongly into the salon. At the same time, Ford does not have the cold technicalism of the Corolla: the temperature is regulated by rubber-coated handles, and the "little man" is responsible for the distribution of flows, as in Volvo. The multimedia system with Sony speakers is equipped with navigation and understands complex voice commands.
For practicality, Focus puts all classmates in shah with transforming cup holders and a mat with a navigator outlet under the windshield. It is also perfectly prepared for the Russian winter: in addition to heating the steering wheel, which is also equipped with Toyota, it also heats the windscreen washer nozzles and the windshield. A pre-heater is available for a surcharge.
Visibility is better in a Japanese car - Ford has too massive A-pillars and triangles in the front doors. In addition, the hinged wipers leave uncleaned areas at the pillars, although they remove more dirt from the glass than classic Toyota wipers. Mirrors at Corolla distort the picture less, but at Focus all rear headrests are made recessed and do not interfere with the view. Both cars are equipped with rear-view cameras and ultrasonic sensors in a circle, but only the "Focus" has a parking assistant who takes over the steering wheel.
In parallel with the restyling, Ford and Toyota became quieter and improved in driving performance. Toyota is better at soundproofing and offers excellent ride quality even on broken pavement. The suspension marks pits and sharp-edged joints, but without that there wouldn't be such a good steering link. Ford, in turn, has become softer and more tolerant to road defects and at the same time has managed to keep the gambling settings.
“Enthusiasm is the sparkle of your eyes, the swiftness of your gait, the strength of your handshake, an irresistible surge of energy. Without it, you only have opportunities. ”Henry Ford seemed to be talking about Focus. He has a strong gait, a resilient steering wheel, and the rush of traction of 240 km of torque is felt immediately. "Automatic" rapidly juggles with its six gears and does not need any sport mode or manual control.
Isn't Ford too much with the 150hp 100-liter Ecoboost? reckless and harsh for a golf class sedan? As if struggling to justify an Aston Martin-style grille. The electronics are in no hurry to extinguish the slip at the start and allows you to turn the stern into a turn. According to the Focus passport, it is a little faster than the Corolla in acceleration to XNUMX km / h, but on a slippery road all his enthusiasm goes into dancing at the start.
Toyota is calmness and stability itself. The world bestseller has absolutely nowhere to rush even in the sporty transmission mode. The variator and top-end aspirated 1,8 l (140 hp) provide confident and extremely smooth acceleration. The stabilization system does not allow even a hint of slipping and slipping. In order to limit its grip or disable it, you do not need to get confused in the menu, as in "Focus". But with her it is calmer, and calmness is the main character trait of the Corolla. In the city, the sedan uses less fuel than the Focus, and with its smooth reactions to the gas, it is more comfortable to push in traffic jams.
The 1,8-liter Corolla costs $ 17, while the turbo-powered Focus starts at $ 290. But the cheapness of "Ford" is deceptive: in order to make it equal in equipment with "Toyota", you will have to pay extra, including for a rear-view camera and a multimedia system.
C-class sedans have finally fallen out of love in Russia: budget sedans from the B-segment and inexpensive crossovers are now among the sales leaders. But that doesn't mean the Focus and Corolla are outsiders. In any case, so many people around the world cannot be wrong. But millions of sales are one thing, and millions of price tags, which in Russia they will not get used to, is a completely different story.
| Ford Focus 1,5 | Toyota Corolla 1,8 | |
| Body type | Sedan | Sedan |
| Dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4538 / 1823 / 1456 | 4620 / 1775 / 1465 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2648 | 2700 |
| Ground clearance, mm | 160 | 150 |
| Cargo space, l | 421 | 452 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1358 | 1375 |
| Gross vehicle weight, kg | 1900 | 1785 |
| engine's type | Turbocharged petrol | Gasoline atmospheric |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm. | 1499 | 1998 |
| Max. power, h.p. (at rpm) | 150 / 6000 | 140 / 6400 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm) | 240 / 1600-4000 | 173 / 4000 |
| Drive type, transmission | Front, AKP6 | Front, variator |
| Max. speed km / h | 208 | 195 |
| Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s | 9,24 | 10,2 |
| Fuel consumption (mixed cycle), l / 100 km | 6,7 | 6,4 |
| Price from, $. | 16 103 | 17 290 |
We express our gratitude to the companies "NDV-Nedvizhimost" and LLC "Grad" for their help in filming and providing a site on the territory of the microdistrict. Krasnogorskiy.
