SWEDEN - The all-new Focus has knocked the VW Golf off its throne – according to two leading Swedish publications.

After testing both cars Svenska Dagblade, the largest daily newspaper in Sweden, commented: "And now it's happened – the new Ford Focus has taken a narrow but clear lead in the class."

It continued: "Competitors are picking up ground on the Golf and the Focus has now drawn level on a number of points and passed it on one of the most important, namely safety."

It adds that for the price of a set of alloy wheels the Ford offers an extensive driver assistance package that includes lane tracking and sign recognition. "Most of these active safety systems can be ordered for other brands, but not in such an attractively priced package."

Under the headline 'Focus beats Golf,' Teknikens Världs, Sweden's second largest motoring magazine summed up the new Ford model as: "Superb driving posture with comfortable seats in a spacious coupé on the inside but with a small body on the outside….. Moreover, it can be equipped with – for the class – unique safety systems without driving you to ruin."

In a 12-car group test, Teknikens Världs commented that the Focus' driver assistance package was "worth its price as well as being unique in the class."