HerBusiness member Tina Tower, owner of Begin Bright early learning centres, had the opportunity to test drive the new Ford Focus for a week and tell us how it fit her life as a mum of two and a business owner.
Here’s what happened: By Tina Tower, Begin Bright
The first time I got into the new Ford Focus, I was a mixture of excited, happy and very confused. I could smell that beautiful new car smell and nestled into the comfy seat, but I couldn’t find a key and was blown away by the number of buttons on the dash! Feeling a little silly, I was told I just need to press a button to turn the car on. In the days that followed, this would turn out to be an awesome time saving mechanism. Getting into the car without having to fish around my bag for the key – wonderful. My typical day involves me running two tutoring centres and the lives of my two little boys, aged 2 and 3. Between my children and my business, the amount of ‘stuff’ that I carry with me in my car is quite substantial. I was wary of a small car not fitting all of my things. The Focus is a large car perceived as a little car. The boot is huge! I can fit my sons bike, a scooter, my briefcase, my files and the groceries all in at once. I can fit in two car seats along the back and someone still fits in the middle.
Productivity I am of the general belief that a car is to get you from one place to another. The time that the Focus saved with its bluetooth technology was astounding. Time spent on the way to the city in traffic was safely productive. The first day that I made phone calls with the touch of a button on the steering wheel, people would have been wondering why they had me giggling on the other end of the line. All my phone calls were done in the car in clear reception and without me having to take my eyes of the road.
Night Driving The night driving is where I most enjoyed the Focus. Getting in at night is like the cockpit of a plane, pretty lights all round! One thing I din’t like about driving at night is the bright lights shining in the revision mirror. This has been eliminated by some clever tinting that makes it looks like you’re seeing through night vision goggles, no hurting your eyes.
Automatic Parking The main feature I was told about the Ford Focus was its automatic parking. The first time I tried this, the wheel started turning and I freaked out about it crashing and parked the car myself. After three days I decided to try again. I drove next to a car, hit the automatic park button and the lovely computer told me when to stop. In one swift movement, the car parked itself. Perfectly. From then on, I parallel parked wherever I could – it’s simply amazing sitting back looking at a hard parking spot and watching the car get itself in there in 30 seconds.
Smart Features It’s the little bits and pieces though that I came to love. The way that when you lock the car, the mirrors automatically fold in so you don’t worry so much in tight parking spots. Even the blinker lever has a groove for your finger to make flicking it on more comfortable :) It’s easy to play your iPod through the car stereo and it sounds so good. It’s a powerful car that takes off if you hit the accelerator. It tells you how many kilometres there are left until you need to get petrol and what your average fuel consumption is so I could learn the more economical way of driving (don’t floor it!).
All up, I loved what I nicknamed the Ruby Rocket. It is so much more than a car, it helped to make my days just that little bit easier and more productive.
Tina Tower is the owner of Begin Bright early learning centres. Begin Bright gives children a HAPPY start to learning. Their school readiness program is designed and taught by qualified early childhood specialists. Classes currently run in NSW, VIC, QLD & WA.
Connect with Tina: Website: www.beginbright.com.au
Phone: 02 8544 0649 or 0414 810 749 ‘Like’ Begin Bright on Facebook: Click here
Learn more about the Ford Focus:
Website: www.ford.com.au/focus Facebook: The Ford Focus Facebook Page
