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Focus is best used car of the decade, say CAP analysts
publication date: Jan 1, 2010
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author/source: Robin Roberts
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The best used car of the decade has been the Ford Focus, according to analysts at CAP.
The Ford Focus shook up a conservative small family car sector in which
the only truly desirable car had, for a long time, been the Volkswagen
Golf.
The introduction of the Focus was also a truly brave move by
Ford. In reinventing their offering to that core sector Ford chose to
drop the ‘Escort' name, a brand which was woven into the fabric of
British motoring.
Instead of radically re-vamping this trusted name, Ford began with a
blank sheet and created a new vehicle completely from scratch. Every
aspect of the car was different from its predecessor, from the radical
external styling to the new ‘command' driving position.
Careful thought went into every element in the new design, covering performance, comfort, safety and even security.
And the legacy of the Ford Focus has been lasting. It is a vehicle
whose design and execution has informed everything that followed. Other
manufacturers are still bringing new cars to market today which clearly
take cues and inspiration from the Focus even 12 years after its launch.
As a used car it has satisfied every criteria for the demanding
consumer who requires a true 5 seat family car that offers quality,
comfort, performance, durability, reliability, safety, economy,
practicality and style.
Another important aspect in the success of the Focus is the simplicity
of its model range, ensuring that the consumer can easily understand
precisely which derivative is best suited to his or her needs.
And despite the importance of practicality and economy in the used car
market, it remains true that sentiment and subjective perception
continues to play a significant role in the choices made by used car
buyers. Here the Ford Focus continues to score ahead of its rivals as a
used car in that despite selling very large volumes it is still
perceived as distinctive and desirable.
All of these factors are equally important to the trade also. In a
highly competitive market, used car dealers are heavily reliant on
‘safe bets' - cars which they can be confident will always be sought by
their customers. For dealers, the Ford Focus replaced the ‘safe bet' of
the escort with an equally safe bet, but one which also serves as an
object of pride for the ordinary motorist. And because the Focus has
always been a well engineered and durable product it offers a sound
profit opportunity, whether for the franchise dealer concentrating on
nearly new product or the independent used car specialist retailing
cars up to 10 years old."
- Ford Focus comments by Mark Norman of CAP | |
 | Small used car of the decade: Ford Ka 1996 - 2008 |
Introduced in 1996 the original Ford Ka's popularity
remains undiminished.
This despite remaining essentially unaltered for
12 years, a period during which most of its rivals underwent at least
one significant re-design in an effort to retain a sense of freshness.
This is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the innovative
styling of the Ka.
With a design that could genuinely be labelled
‘cutting edge' the Ka effectively dashed the old notion that small cars
had to be like a utilitarian box on wheels. With both modern and retro
aspects to its appearance - both inside and out - it was a truly
original vehicle and one which seems as relevant today as when it was
launched 13 years ago.
The Ka scores on every measure of used car
excellence, offering true affordability, low running costs and reliable
simple engineering. The 1996 - 2008 Ford Ka offered something truly
fresh to the small used car buyer as well as a reliably popular
offering for the used car dealer. And it is a truly influential
phenomenon, undeniably responsible in part for inspiring other
manufacturers to design and build bold, quirky cars.
- Ford Ka comments by Robert Hester, CAP Black Book
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Large used family car of the decade: Volkswagen Passat 1996 - 2005 |  |
Never the most stylistically exciting large car, the
Volkswagen Passat nonetheless is a byword for quality.
And the 1996 -
2005 model was a quantum leap forward in every area most important to
the trade and the used car buyer. Volkswagen's attention to detail
meant that this Passat offered the sense of a prestige vehicle but at a
mainstream purchase price.
Legendary reliability means a deserved
reputation as a dependable ‘workhorse' and robust engineering and build
quality means it is a safe bet even with mileage into six figures.
The
new range of diesel engines offered a leap forward in terms of the
balance between performance and economy, a combination at the very
heart of success in the used car market. This quality set the 1996 -
2005 Passat apart from many other cars in its sector which could often
prove prohibitively expensive to live with.
By offering prestige
quality at a mainstream price this Passat also influenced other
manufacturers to up their game in terms of the quality of their own
offerings.
-Volkswagen Passat comments by Mark Bulmer, CAP Black Book
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Executive used car of the decade: Audi A3 2003 - 2008 |  |
In a sector which began to mushroom during the past decade, competition has never been so tough.
But the 2003 - 2008 model Audi A3 stood head and shoulders above its
rivals as a used car, providing a clear leap forward in design, engine
choice and refinement. A true benchmark vehicle, the A3 effectively
invented the concept of the small car in prestige guise and is
therefore a genuine pioneer. It also achieved the unusual feat of
re-positioning the brand from that of a high quality alternative to the
mainstream to a credible and affordable alternative to a premium used
car.
With a design which appeals across all gender and ages, as a
used car the 2003 - 2008 Audi A3 has brought the prospect of the
highest engineering and build quality standards to those who would
previously have ruled out choosing a prestige brand on the grounds that
it would mean running a larger car than they needed. Never the cheapest
used car purchase but the benefits of low depreciation are certainly
realised when trade-in time arrives.
- Audi A3 comments by Mark Norman of CAP
|  | Luxury used car of the decade: BMW X5 2000 - 2006 |
The CAP used car of the decade awards distinguish the
underlying and enduring ‘real life' qualities of cars from the hype
that surrounds the new car market.
In this respect the 2000 - 2006 BMW
X5 demonstrates how a used vehicle can transcend its original image as
a new car when it reaches the used market. This X5 created a new
benchmark by not feeling like a 4x4 to drive and instead providing a
sporty, sure-footed road ride.
It was the first vehicle of its kind
that gave the sense of being specifically designed for the road and
took the 4x4 straight out of the field and onto the motorway.
Key to
its appeal as a used car was its everyday usability, all underpinned by
faultless build quality. This X5 has also been strongly influential in
its marketplace by raising the bar for other manufacturers who have
since clamoured to introduce new high quality, non-agricultural
offerings while existing incumbents in the sector were forced to
improve their own vehicles.
For the used car buyer who does need a
workhorse, with towing power and room for the whole family's holiday
load, the 2000 - 2006 BMW X5 provides it.
But it also offers the
opportunity to leave the green wellingtons and the horse box at home
and enjoy driving as a pleasure in itself.
- BMW X5 comments by Mike Hind of CAP
|  | Most improved used car brand of the decade: SEAT
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SEAT began the decade with a dull range of cars,
unchallenging to convention and a typically characterless European
image.
In a short time the SEAT badge has been transplanted from a
range of instantly forgettable vehicles onto a revitalised, youthful,
high quality range of cars that have become genuinely desirable to used
car buyers.
The revised Ibiza heralded a move to bolder design and
the Altea provided clues to a more distinctive future. But it was the
introduction of the stylish and instantly recognisable Leon which
signalled the complete revamping of the brand.
Today, a used SEAT is
actively sought and chosen by buyers who care about what they drive
instead of just opting for something cheap.
One of the signs that
SEAT was hitting all the right notes as a brand in its own right was
the gradual drift away from stressing its Volkswagen manufacturing
pedigree so that today the typical used Seat buyer no longer needs such
reassurance.
The brand has earned its own reputation and that is
exemplified by depreciation that matches the class leader in its
principal sector.
From zero to hero in just 10 years, the Seat brand
has rightfully earned a place on the shopping list of the discerning
mainstream used car buyer.
- SEAT comments by Mike Hind of CAP |
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