Although the 2009-2010 Ford Focus TDCi Hatch is positioned in the fiercely competitive small car segment, we at New Car Shopper suspect that it will be able to hold its’ own and still stand out.

The Focus is available in Australia in three different engine versions. That is the 2.0-litre Duractec four diesel petrol, the 2.5-litre five cylinder turbocharged petrol (which is fitted to the top of the range XR5 turbo model and finally the 2.0-litre four cylinder Duratorq diesel.

Interestingly the engine used here is the same one that is used by Citroen and Peugeot and the manual version consumes an impressive 5.61 litres for every 100kms.

The whole design of the 2009-2010 Ford Focus TDCi Hatch is very European which is hardly surprising because it was designed in Germany. The interior is imposing when compared to some of the other cars in its’ segment.

The leather-wrapped steering wheel with its’ four spokes stands out. The instrumentation is mounted on the wheel. It is easy to use without making any frequent trips to the owners’ manual. Seating space at the back is very comfortable with plenty of legroom that seems larger than most of its’ competitors.

The 2009-2010 Ford Focus TDCi Hatch with its competitive price also scores highly on the safety front and comes with front, side and side curtain airbags. Additionally it has ABS anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control and traction control.

Even when you consider the usually thoughtful Ford Focus prices, this model will still face strong competition in the market. The most direct rival to this impressive little car will no doubt be Holden’s Astra where the 1.9-litre turbo-diesel goes almost head to head with the 2009 Ford Focus TDCi Hatch. The Hyundai i30 will be yet another competitor in this rough small car segment.