Focus on address bar in Safari A few days ago i noticed, that in new tab cursor doesn't set on address/search bar. Now I use ⌘+L combination to quickly switch, but it isn't comfortably for long time use.
Reflecting on the causes of such behavior , I found that the cursor stands on a search tab in the private tab.
What i tried to do to fix it:

Set in general preferences parameter Open new tabs/windows with  Empty page
Turn off all extensions

I have OSX 10.11.5 with Safari 9.1.1 (and also i have the same problem on Safari Technology Preview 9.1.1)

Example:
Open new window 
Press combination cmd+T

But when I do same actions in private window cursor has already focused on address bar.
Try Safari/Preferences/Search and uncheck Include Safari Suggestions.