I didn’t know what to expect when I was asked to test drive the 2008 Ford Focus. After all I’m a sports car girl. The most sedate car I have ever owned was a Prelude. I was pleasantly surprised.

I drove the four door sedan and found the interior to be roomy. My passengers sitting in the back seat reported that they had a nice amount of leg room and it had a large trunk. The Focus comes standard with 6 airbags, this includes front seat side-impact airbags as well as head curtain airbags for both front and rear seat occupants.

But as they say the proof is in the eating or driving. I equate good gas mileage with poor performance. This is not the case with the Focus. When getting on the freeway, the car had an amazing amount of pick up. It was very responsive to the pressure of my foot on the gas. This car is zippy. I don’t know what Ford has done but they have not sacrificed performance for gas mileage!

The interior was quiet, even at freeway speeds. The car handled well. It had a good turning radius and was easy to maneuver.  The car is small, but I didn’t feel like a sitting duck when surrounded by mammoth suvs.

The EPA estimated gas mileage for the Focus is 24 city and 36 highway, which rivals any hybrid. With a selling price of $14, 396 - $16,925 this makes quite an attractive package. The Focus comes in two body styles; the four-door sedan and the two-door coupe.

The S package comes with cloth upholstery, air conditioning, AM/FM /CD/MP3 player with four speakers and auxiliary input jack, 60/40 split folding rear seat, tilt steering wheel, a tire inflation kit, antitheft system and P195/60R15 all-season tires on steel wheels with hubcaps. Options for S include cruise control, Sirius satellite radio, and a temporary spare tire.

The SE package adds power windows, locks and mirrors; remote keyless entry; vehicle message center; and aluminum alloy wheels. SE options consist of an Audiophile sound system with six-disc CD changer and subwoofer; sunroof with overhead maplights; the Driver's Group with cruise control, auto-dimming rearview mirror and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with redundant audio controls; Ford Sync in-car communications and entertainment system; a Deluxe Package with chromed, heated mirrors, chrome door handles, P215/50R16 all-season tires on aluminum alloy wheels, fog lamps, a rear stabilizer bar and sportier suspension settings, metallic interior trim, four-way adjustable driver's seat and a chrome exhaust tip; heated front seats; Ford's Ambient Interior Lighting that uses LED lights to illuminate the front cupholders and front and rear footwells with the driver's choice of seven different colors; and an alarm.
 
The SES package adds fog lamps, rear spoiler, four-way adjustable driver's seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel with redundant audio controls, cruise control, Ford Sync, rear stabilizer bar and P215/50R16 all-season tires on aluminum alloy wheels. Leather upholstery is optional, and the SES is available with the SE options.