IT WASN’T SO LONG AGO that optioning a diesel engine would never have entered the heads of Australian small car buyers. How times have changed.

Over the past few years, diesels have really come of age. Power output and, most particularly, refinement, have improved to the point where modern diesel engines are no longer the petrol engine’s poor cousin - and car buyers know this.

But can the diesel really compete with a more powerful, more rev-happy modern petrol engine? And, importantly, which powertrain suits the needs of small car buyers best?

We got our hands on two Ford Focus hatchbacks to find out: one a diesel-powered Focus TDCi, the other, a petrol-swilling Focus Zetec.

As an added bonus, the cars came fitted with two very different transmissions. The Focus Zetec boasted a simple, traditional and relatively unsophisticated five-speed manual transmission. At the opposite end of the technology scale was the TDCi, which was delivered to us with Ford’s latest Powershift twin-clutch automatic.

So, two different engines and two different drivetrains. Not only that, but two different trim levels and two (slightly) different suspension setups. Which is the better of the two? Read on.

Styling

Both TDCi and Zetec share the same sheetmetal, and, peculiarly enough, both of our testers also happened to come in the same colour: Titanium Grey.

While overtly similar, the difference is in the detail. The TDCi gets a plain-wrapper exterior, with 16-inch alloys, an unpainted hatch spoiler and a set of foglights being the only points of differentiation between it and the base-model Focus CL.

The Zetec, on the other hand, scores a pair of sideskirts, a set of 17-inch alloys, blacked-out headlamp housings, a body-coloured hatch spoiler and some chrome trim on the front bumper.

The difference is subtle from afar, but the Focus Zetec is the sportier-looking of the pair.

Refreshed for 2009, the key differences between the current shape Focus and the model it replaced in April are minimal at first glance and largely confined to the front end.

New Mondeo-esque headlamp clusters replace the more squared-off units of the old model, the tail-light clusters are revised and the front bumper has sharper lines.

In fact, all panels bar the roof have been tweaked, but, despite the sheetmetal differences, the 2009 Focus is only a modest visual update.

Interior

The interior of the 2009 Focus is, fundamentally, a nice place to be. The dash layout is clean and uncluttered, simple rotary knobs control the ventilation system, the seats are supportive and comfortable and there’s plenty of storage bins.

In addition, the instrument panel is well laid out and easy to see, the steering wheel adjusts for both reach and rake, and all-round visibility is good.

In all, for both models, the whole shebang looks pretty sharp. The Zetec gets an added touch with metal doorhandles and darker console trim than the TDCi.

However, there are some negatives.

Plastic quality is inconsistent and the grey plastics on the lower half of the dash are no match for the black dashtop, which looks and feels ‘premium’. The glovebox lid in particular feels especially low-rent.

The footwells aren’t especially tight, but the presence of three pedals in the Zetec manual makes accommodating a footrest impossible. However, that’s a minor quibble compared to the surprisingly cosy packaging in the rear.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the rear seats themselves: if anything, the good padding, generous squab and three adjustable headrests mean they’re great to sit on.

Instead, it’s the fact that putting a tall person in either front seat means rear legroom disappears rather quickly, and backseat occupants may find the front pews a little too close to their knees for comfort.

There’s still an ‘adequate’ amount of legroom on offer, but considering the Focus sells for more money than the Hyundai i30 (which offers better interior packaging), it’s definitely a point to consider.

The load area offers 385 litres of luggage space with the rear seats up, which compares very favourably with the i30 and Volkswagen Golf.

Fit and finish of the boot carpet is a little rough, but the presence of shopping bag hooks and a wide hatch aperture more than compensate.

The rear seats feature a 60-40 split (but don’t fold flat), and a space saver tyre lies beneath the boot floor.