The first time I saw a picture of the Focus – a “spy shot” taken inside Ford’s German design studio, I believe – my first reaction was a swift, “There’s no way they’re going to build that.” But build it they did. Argue if you will about the incongruous rear window line, the tall tail section, the unusual wheel arches, the car’s angular face, or the body line that sweeps from down from the rear toward the front only to disappear as it reaches the front wheel arch. The fact remains that the Focus has aged reasonably well, and still stands out despite its seeming ubiquity.

The ZX3 is the three-door (hatchback) Focus, and the model most likely to be bought by younger drivers. The version driven had a starting price of $14,450, which included items like the dual power outside mirrors, cruise control, tilt steering wheel (both reach and rake are adjustable), air conditioning, and – get this! – a six-disc in-dash CD player. Impressive.

Added to this list are the “Advance Trac” traction control system (which includes ABS), and side impact air bags. The former added $1,625, while the latter costs just $350. With the $490 delivery charge, the bottom line is a reasonable $16,915. So far, so good.

On the inside, the high roofline allows the driver and front seat passenger to sit straight, which gives them a clear view of the road ahead. And, if the view still isn’t good enough, the front seats have a manual height adjustment. (Taller drivers will find that lowering the seats increases under-thigh support without compromising the view.) Again, so far, so good.

The instrument panel (IP) features clear, legible gauges, rubber-coated controls for the HVAC unit, metallic accents, and a sweeping, angular shape in keeping with the exterior lines. Unfortunately, we’ve now come too far, and the rest, sadly, is not as good.

The forward sweep of the IP places some of the controls just out of comfortable reach, and the trendy design means you have to go searching for common controls like the rear window defroster switch or the hatch release. Plus, the metallic accents don’t do enough to relieve the monotone darkness of the interior (dark charcoal in this case). Adding a bright accent or two to the door panels would help tremendously.

Then there’s the wipers. The Focus’s front wipers make three passes after the washers are activated, park, then make another pass after a three-second rest. On the salt-stained streets of Michigan, the last pass only serves to smear what had been a clean screen. It also doesn’t help that the driver’s side wiper doesn’t cover as tall an area as the passenger-side unit, even though there is room for a blade large enough to do so. Odd.

More infuriating is the placement of the center armrest. Though at the proper height and of the proper length, it can get in the way while shifting the otherwise satisfying five-speed manual gearbox. And, yes, I did put it – as an air crew might say – in its full and upright position, which meant I bumped it with my elbow every time I went for second or fourth gear. In its favor, the armrest has decent carrying capacity for all sorts of small interior detritus.

Even more frustrating is the shifting itself. The 2.0-liter Zetec four-cylinder doesn’t readily shed revs between shifts. If you aren’t paying attention, each shift is accompanied by a slight “hiccup” that makes smooth travel difficult. This is truly sad because someone within Ford went to the trouble of placing the pedals for easy heel-and-toe downshifts, only to see their work undermined by this tendency. Oh, and it’s just as bad on upshifts.

The same is true for the designer of the fat, leather-wrapped steering wheel. Despite the adjustment for reach, the wheel is too far away at the top, which makes the well-placed palm rests all but useless. And the low-friction steering? Well, it’s defeated by a lack of feel, and a suspension system that could use a bit more work. I’m not suggesting that Ford engineers degrade the ride by stiffening the springs and dampers, but that they spend more time working on the shock valving and anti-roll bars. A car of this size, with 16-in. wheels and a multi-link rear suspension, should inspire the driver as he enters a corner, while allowing a small degree of adjustability through the turn. Instead, the Focus ZX3 has a slight, undamped wobble on turn-in, and won’t hang the tail out to save its life. You can drive through both, but the result is that the Focus just doesn’t feel like much fun.

And isn’t that the point of a car like this? Without this fun factor, it’s a short leap to appliance status and the safety of the mundane. The Focus is heading in that direction, despite having the features and components necessary to inspire its owner, and stand apart from the crowd. There’s a really nice small car in here. The trouble is, is there anyone out there looking for it?