Performance is going to depend on your choices.
Focus engine options range from 1.0 liter turbo engine (123 HP) through the 160 HP 2.0 liter to turbocharged performance models rated 252 to 350 HP. That's not counting the all-electric option.
The unsupercharged 2.0 will take you up any hill on any U.S. highway at speeds in excess of the speed limit. My 4500 pound minivan could do that much with only 140 HP, compact cars today tend to be way overpowered. These engines have to run at high RPM to produce maximum power, but that was probably also the case with your Kia.
The Focus hatchback has huge space (44 cu ft) when converted to a cargo hauler, and when using the seats still generally enough for four persons with luggage (23 cu ft, almost twice the size of the trunk on the sedan).
The Fiesta selling now is substantially changed since I shopped subcompacts (and chose the Fit instead) so I can go only on specifications. For the Fiesta, the specs are pretty much the same as other offerings in this sub-compact DOT size category.
Fiesta hatchback is almost the same size package as the Fit, so less roomy than the larger Focus. Hatchback has 25 cu ft in cargo mode, only 14 cu ft behind the second seat, about the space of the trunk in a compact sedan. Power on the standard 1.6 liter engine is adequate for the lighter weight of the car, but with only 120 HP you'll feel the difference when the car is loaded with 4-5 adults.
Since both are in rental fleets, I vote for the rental suggestion. Not one day, but a weekend rental with at least one day of that a road trip. I can usually figure out if a car has handling and performance I want in a short test drive in town and on empty country roads. What I tend to miss is how a car I enjoy driving around town is going to feel after 8 to 10 hours on the highway for 2-3 days in a row.
Not sure what you mean by "drive nicely" because my number one driving criterion for a small car is rather "is it fun to drive" and number two is "can I live with how this feels for a whole day of 60-80 mph cruising." If "nicely" means soft ride and quiet comfort, that will be when I am shopping for a much larger car (or truck).
My experience with Fords since early 1990s has been that they are reliable and well built. But that's three trucks. My Fords have done much better than the two Dodges, one Chevy, two Oldsmobiles, the BMW and the Audi. About the same as the two Hondas, the Mazda and the Toyota. My son-in-law buys his Fords at the 100K to 150K mileage point, and puts on another 100,000 miles.
But the real issue is whether you, not somebody else, can live with how the car drives, fits, and feels. I've gotten rid of three different cars earlier than my usual 5-8 years because I could not sit in them for 10 hours at a time without back pain or butt pain. Others fit my needs so well that I kept them for more than 12 years, even if that meant some repairs to keep them going.
Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B
