FORD has aggressively priced its new Focus which will cost from £12,850 to £15,850 on the road when it goes on sale on October 15. The range comprises four bodystyles - three and five door hatchbacks, and from January a four door saloon and an estate which will command a £500 premium over the five-door hatchback.

Five engines are available, four petrol units - 1.4i, 1.6i, 1.8i, 2.0i - and a 1.8 TDi turbodiesel. The 1.6 and 1.8 petrol engines share identical prices, while the equivalent trim turbodiesel costs £500 more. Buyers have the choice of five specification levels - CL, Zetec, LX, LX (with air conditioning in lieu of sunroof), and Ghia - priced £500 apart. Driver and passenger airbags, power steering, electric front windows, and central locking are standard across the entire Focus range.

The range's bargain is the sports version Focus 1.6/1.8 Zetec, which features a leather steering wheel, front fog lights, sports seats and 15 inch alloy wheels, and hits the road as a three-door hatchback for £12,850, £1,700 cheaper than the £14,550 Astra 1.8i Sport three-door. The Astra does, however, offer a cheaper entry level model in the shape of the £11,850 Envoy 1.6i three door, which undercuts the £12,850 Focus 1.4 CL five door. At the top of the range, the £15,350 Focus 2.0 Ghia five-door, is significantly cheaper than the £16,325 Astra 1.8 CDX.