i test drove the golf and the focus but not the engine size you mentioned
the focus was ok, but i just find the out date them selfs and the cabin wasnt as fresh as some other cars the one i had was the 1.6 petrol and i found it needed to be worked to get around.
VW was good, but the price tag was to high and i tought the dash looked a bit pore but i liked the overall feel of driving it in town and on A roads ...so i bought a vw leon
Seat have a deal on right now, if you get the 1.6 or 1.9D Essence Leon you get a free up grade to the Stylance model that has a lot of the toys