The Ford Focus is a small family car that has no business being taken off-road. Its tiny ground clearance, insufficient torque, and small tires are better suited for daily driving—not intense backroads.

The

Ford Focus

was phased out of the North American market in 2018, but the compact car is still a reliable used pick for drivers of all types. With tight suspension and a quiet cabin, the Focus cruises highways with grace. But it should definitely stick to paved roads.

If you’ve ever wondered about the off-road performance of the Ford Focus, the car insurance

shopping app

Jerry

, is here to satisfy your curiosity. We’ll go over this car’s specs and give you tips on finding

cheap car insurance

, too!

Can the Ford Focus go off road?

No way. The Ford Focus should not be taken off road!

As a compact car starting at $17,950, the Focus was built for everyday driving and speedy highway drives at most. Its build clearly attests to those purposes: with a short ground clearance height, insufficient torque, a 1-L 123 hp inline-three engine, and front-wheel drive, the Focus would be a safety hazard at best when taken off the road.

Let’s get into why the Ford Focus should remain on plain, ordinary streets.

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Ground clearance

Ground clearance is the distance between the lowest point on your car’s chassis and the road surface. With a higher ground clearance, your vehicle’s undercarriage will be able to dodge obstacles. The opposite only spells out damage. With that said, the recommended ground clearance for off-roading is between 8.8 and 10.8 inches.

Unfortunately, the small Focus has an equally measly ground clearance. At 5.3 inches of ground clearance height, the Focus completely fails to meet off-roading standards. Small bumps and rocks will directly impact and wreck the Focus’ underside—so it’s best to keep this compact car on paved roads.

Torque

Drivers of sedans and compact cars don’t usually focus their attention on torque, so you may be wondering what it even is! Torque is the twisting force found in an engine that allows a car to get its wheels going. Essentially, it’s the difference between clearing a bump on the road or getting stuck from a car’s lack of torque power.

As you might have guessed, the Ford Focus lacks this power. Achieving a peak torque of 123 lb-ft @ 3,500 rpm, it’s not enough power to qualify for adventures away from maintained roads.

Compare it to the Ford Ranger, which gets thrice the force at 500 rpm less—310 lb.-ft @ 3,000 rpm. The Focus is nowhere near the off-road competition!

Tires

It’s all thanks to tire type that an off-road vehicle can get a grip on the road. Off-road vehicles do well with “A/T” or all-terrain tires, as well as R/T (rugged terrain) or M/T (mud terrain) tires, depending on the environment you’ll be tackling.

The Ford Focus sports 215/55R16 all-season tires, which is common for most cars in its class. All-season tires allow cars to drive safely through all four seasons—as long as temperatures are moderate and don’t reach icy conditions. With that said, the lack of traction on the Focus’ all-season tires isn’t enough to steady itself on uneven terrain.

Drivetrain

The Ford Focus comes with front-wheel drive. However, all-wheel drive is ideal when it comes to off-roading. In this case, not being able to control the rear wheels when you’re on rocky ground means a harder time maneuvering and getting out of gaps in the road.

Angles

Trading the flat, paved roads you’re used to for natural muddy and rocky ground means a whole lot of angles. In particular, two angles that your vehicle makes with the ground are important to take note of:

Approach angle: the maximum angle at which a vehicle can climb without interference

Departure angle: the maximum angle at which a vehicle can descend without interference

Since the Ford Focus wasn’t made for off-roading, it only makes sense that its approach and departure angles haven’t been recorded. Still, we’re confident that the Focus’ low 5.3-inch ground clearance will limit the types of inclines and descents it’ll be able to make.

Off-road rating: Don’t try it

We’ve taken the Ford Focus’ features into consideration with

Jerry

’s DIRT rating system, a very technical measure for a car’s off-road readiness.

So, how does the Ford Focus measure on Jerry’s DIRT rating scale?

Rating	Meaning	Description
D	Don’t Try It	Vehicles better suited to highway conditions
I	In a Pinch	Vehicles that can handle off-road conditions in certain circumstances
R	Rough and Ready	Vehicles designed for casual off-roading
T	Trail Boss	True off-road vehicles capable of tackling a range of terrain

The Ford Focus gets an astounding and not at all surprising D rating! A simple glance at the Focus’ diminutive size is an easy no to driving it off-road. Our recommendation? Stick to your neighborhood streets and highways—and focus your off-road search elsewhere.

MORE:

The best old-school off-road vehicles

The best off-road alternatives to the Ford Focus

Although the Ford Focus is nowhere near off-road ready, there is a slew of alternatives out there. From more appropriate tires to overall build size, we’ve found you off-road vehicles that can actually take you on your next adventure.

Here are the best alternatives to the Ford Focus:

Alternative	Model	Price	Description
Best alternative for serious off-roading	2016 Hyundai Elantra GT	$12,000 to $15,000	Coming with a standard 173-hp engine and anti-lock disc brakes, the Elantra GT speeds past the Focus’ 123-hp engine.
Best eco-friendly alternative	2018 Chevrolet Cruze	$12,000 to $22,000	With optional 18-inch tires, you’ll experience better handling on slopes and uphill climbs.
Best affordable alternative	2017 Mitsubishi Mirage	$8,000 to $13,000	This economical, fuel-efficient car scored four and five stars on front- and side-impact crash safety testing, respectively. At an affordable price, you also get one more inch of ground clearance.

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How to find affordable car insurance for off-road vehicles

Now that you know what to look for in a perfect off-road vehicle, you can move on to the next step: finding affordable car insurance coverage! Looking for the right coverage can be a tedious process, but not with

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This car insurance shopping app compares quotes from over 50 of the nation’s insurance providers to find you rates that are cheaper than your current policy. When you’ve chosen the best coverage, Jerry will help cancel your old policy (without long forms!) and switch you over. If you need extra assistance, our A+ agents will be on standby ready to answer your questions.

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