The friendly teasing back and forth between sedan (4 door) and hatch (5 door) owners has been a constant on the Mk3 forums pretty much since the release of the generation. Either body style has its benefits and drawbacks and the debate will likely never end. Personally, I prefer the sedan body style slightly, which shouldn’t be a surprise given that I wound up buying one. However, how would I feel if I had the ability to live with both versions and drive both on a regular basis? Now, I can find out.

Some may remember that even though I use the sedan as much as possible throughout the winter, there was a backup for the really bad days – a ’98 Lincoln Continental which was referred to as the winter tank. With its studded tires it was practically unstoppable as a winter car and made for a handy spare vehicle during the summer as well.

However, with its age some problems were arising. Car maintenance is not something we slack on at all but the Lincoln was a special case. Sometimes things can’t be fixed. Bring in a Continental that’s over a decade and a half old for work and you won’t have much luck getting a lot of the replacement parts needed. Heck, it took a few years to find just a replacement grille for it after the original sustained hail damage. When the parts in question are electrical components, it’s even worse.

Starting with just a faulty tire pressure monitoring system, the electrical gremlins were multiplying at an alarming rate and it was time to find a replacement because it just couldn’t be trusted any more. This was the opportunity to try something new and different, so a wide range of vehicles were explored. After plenty of brainstorming, looking, and comparing, the replacement wound up being…another Yellow Blaze Focus. If you’re rolling your eyes, you’re not the first (seriously, you’re not).

Getting another Focus made sense, with the argument being that they’re practical, reliable, affordable, fun to drive, and I was familiar with them already. We could have gone as far as to get a twin of the sedan, and almost did in fact (except the one we found turned out to be a beaten-up, mistreated example so we promptly walked away), but this tidy little hatch presented itself and in no time was parked in the garage alongside its sibling.

Whereas the sedan has the 5-speed, this Titanium has the DCT, so between the two we have both body styles and transmissions covered. With its standard and optional features it has rain sensing wipers, rear parking sensors, MFT, navigation, a moonroof, leather, and more. And for those who are familiar with Mk3s, being Yellow Blaze means that it too is a 2012 model. It’s even a Job 1 car, just like the sedan.

However, while the sedan continues to change and evolve this one was bought with the plan that it will not be altered in any way since it is the winter tank’s replacement. It will stay 100% stock.

And when I say it will stay 100% stock, what I really mean is that it will only see minor modifications.

And when I say it will only see minor modifications, what I really mean is the first ones have already happened…and there’s more on the way.

Oops.

-Bill