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I drive a 2008 Ford Focus and have noticed that the brakes seem rather harsh especially if you tap the brake pedal a low speed (say 20Kph for example). At first I thought this was perhaps an issue associated with my particular vehicle but recenty I drove a Focus rental and experienced the same brake issue. The brakes work well with no unsightly noise just a harshness that I have not experienced with my previous 2004 Focus Zetec. Any ideas? Thanks.

We're not aware of any issues with the brakes on the Ford Focus and as you say another similar car had the same feeling, it is obviously a characteristic of the model.
We often hear of characteristics of particular models that a driver does not particularly like, but if it's not a defect and all similar models have the same feel, there's nothing much that can be done to change it.
Sorry, I can't offer any reason as to why you feel the brakes feel harsh.