Ford Focus gets a few mentions, and it is a good car, but get the right engine !
Mines a 2007 Focus Style, nice and cheap (ish), comfortable, well laid out...the first ford i've owned for 30 years.
But....its a 1.6 100PS Duratec engine (100PS relates to the power i assume).
Its a bit raucous when pushed, not very economical...you have to drive very steadily and dont abuse the accelerator if you want to achieve anything like 50mpg...which i never have yet.
Usually does 40/43 gallon and i do drive economically, less if i push along. Nowhere near as good as my Vectra SRI was with fuel.
I guess basically, even at 1.6 litre, its a bit underpowered.
I like the car, but should have gone for a better specced engine.