The Cruze was completely redesigned just last year, and it’s hard to overstate what a great job the designers did. It’s now sleek and thoroughly modern but without being polarizing, and with the choice of hatch and sedan body styles.Normally, a hatch is a little sportier than a sedan, but in this case they’re both extremely attractive.

A light restyling of the Focus was carried out a couple of years ago, and that has kept it looking fresh before the next all-new version that’s probably landing in 2018. The Focus is a very good-looking car, but the latest incarnation of the Cruze is even more attractive.

Having as much interior space for passengers and cargo as possible always helps with comfort, and the Cruze is so spacious it could be taken for a midsize. It’s longer and wider than many of its rivals, which translates into plenty of legroom for front and rear-seat passengers. But as well as plenty of room, the seats are also nicely bolstered for excellent comfort, especially at higher trim levels.

You’re okay if you’re in the front seats of the Focus, but larger adults won’t have a particularly great time in the back seats for anything more than a very short journey. The seats themselves are fairly comfortable though, and the design of the interior is modern and attractive. But the substantial amount of extra space gives this round firmly to the Cruze.

Although it’s a pretty lively 1.4-liter turbo producing 153 horsepower, the Cruze’s inline-four engine is the only powerplant available, at least for now. Sedan models will soon be available with a new turbodiesel and hatchbacks will get it next year. The engine is capable and appropriate and the ride is excellent, but it would be nice to have the option of something more powerful.

By way of total contrast, no less than four different engines are available with the Ford Focus: the standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a three-cylinder 1.0-liter EcoBoost, a 2.0-liter EcoBoost, and the awesome 2.3-liter EcoBoost in the performance RS model. Every engine is excellent and the sheer amount of choice means this section is an easy win for the Ford.

If you think the greater size and weight of the Chevrolet Cruze will make it a little heavy on gas, you couldn’t really be more wrong. The EPA rates the 2017 Cruze at 30 mpg in the city, 40 mpg on the highway and 34 mpg combined with the automatic transmission, which is pretty impressive.

Those numbers can be beaten by the Ford Focus, but only by upgrading from the standard 2.0-liter to the 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost, which limits the models available to you. The standard 2.0-liter found in the vast majority of models is rated at 26 mpg in the city, 38 mpg on the highway and 31 mpg combined, so we’ll call this one for the Cruze.