New Ford Focus review

The new Focus range comes to market with three-door, four-door, five-door and estate body styles arriving in January for February delivery to customers and Coupé-Cabriolet and ST sporting flagship variants will be arriving in spring 2008. Prices start at £11,945 and rise to £20,595 for the top of the range ST-3 five-door sports model.

Apart from the sharper styling, much improved interior quality with soft-feel trim plus vastly improved sound-proofing for a much quieter ride, new instruments and better positioned controls, the core Focus is very much the same as before.

However the revised electronics for the existing range of engines is well timed so the resulting improvement in fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions will be added reasons to buy.

All the body panels except the roof, the windscreen and side window glass have been changed for the new generation Focus. Other aspects of the new car are essentially as they were, brakes, steering, suspension, interior space and core engine design.

The latest Focus range receives a boost with the option of a new PowerShift six-speed double-clutch transmission and the use of Ford’s Econetic ultra-low CO2 technology.

Econetic variants have an average CO2 figure of only 115g/km, well below the proposed London Congestion Charge exemption figure of 120g/km, and a £35 a year road tax rating.

New standard kit

Other new features to be found in the latest Focus models include Ford’s clever Easy Fuel capless refuelling system that stops the driver putting diesel fuel in a petrol model, or vise versa, a tyre pressure warning system, an optional 230 volt socket for powering such thinks as laptop computers, running DVD players or a games console and there are low energy LED rear lights.

Every Focus is equipped with ABS anti-lock braking, four airbags, electric front windows, CD player, central locking, height adjustable driver’s seat, 60/40 split folding rear seat and curtain airbags.

Trim levels

The restructured range offers a choice of Studio, Style, Zetec, Titanium and ST trim and equipment levels.

Titanium replaces the long serving Ghia specification to give the Focus more appeal to younger buyers and those company car users downsizing from larger D-segment saloons and estates such as the Mondeo.

The revised trim levels are matched to a comprehensive line-up of petrol and diesel powertrains which are virtually unchanged apart from revisions to the engine management systems to lower CO2 emissions.

Transmissions include five and six speed manual gearboxes, a conventional automatic or the all-new dual-clutch PowerShift automated gearbox jointly developed with Getrag.

Style models costing from £13,445 add, over the starter Studio level, body coloured door handles and mirrors, bigger wheels, front fog lamps, air conditioning, remote audio controls, trip computer, leather covered steering wheel and remote central locking.

Zetec versions, the expected best-selling models, costs from £14,695 and add 16-inch alloy wheels, dark headlamp surrounds, sports suspension, sports seats, Quickclear heated front windscreen, perimeter alarm, driver’s seat lumbar adjustment, rear spoiler and upgraded centre console. A body colour rear spoiler, previously an option, is also included as standard.

The Focus Titanium variant, the luxury flagship, lists from £15,445. Equipment highlights are privacy glass, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, auto-dimming rear view mirror, Sony CD sound system, electric rear windows, cooled glovebox, aluminium scuff plates and footwell lighting.

As before, buyers can personalise their Focus by choosing from the long list of options, some of which have been reduced in price from the previous model.

Styling

The new Focus models have a classier and more distinctive appearance. Working from the front towards the rear, trapezoidal grilles, swept back headlamps, bold wheel arches, newly shaped rear glass, a contoured tailgate and new tail lamps are the key changes. Higher trim grades benefit from chrome detailing and a stylish, body-coloured upper rear spoiler.

Inside, the new upmarket theme continues. New soft-touch plastics now cover the instrument panel as well as the upper front door trim and this is complemented by plush new seat fabrics plus a variety of attractive fascia finishing´s.

The instrumentation has been re-designed too and, along with all other interior controls, is illuminated in red. Controls for the upgraded audio equipment and two-zone air conditioning have also been ergonomically improved.

In addition the Titanium version now includes a newly designed centre console (optional with Zetec and part of the Sport Pack), which adopts the flowing ´kinetic design´ look.

There is a movable armrest and a four-litre-capacity storage compartment, there are storage areas for back-seat passengers or the facility to add optional items such as a 230 volt socket or the USB audio connection box.

The Ford PowerShift transmission will be available from early 2008 in the new Ford Focus as well as the Ford C-MAX, in combination with the 136PS and new 110PS versions of the 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi engine.

Jointly developed by Ford and transmission specialists GETRAG, the gearbox consists of two layshaft transmissions working in parallel, each with its own wet clutch unit.

Thanks to the layout of the intermediate shafts – one carrying the ´uneven´ gears 1, 3 and 5, while the other one ´even´ gears 2, 4 and 6 – the next gear change can be prepared by pre-selection whilst in motion and at full power.

As a result, in this configuration, the average fuel consumption improves by around 10 per cent, and CO2 emissions will be lower, compared to a conventional six-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

Final homologated fuel economy and CO2 emissions data, as well as performance data for the Ford Focus with this new transmission technology, will be published closer to the car´s market launch.

Econetic and Flexifuel variants

Another new development is the Focus 'Econetic' which features an array of aerodynamic efficiencies and is powered by a 109 PS 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi with standard Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). Average consumption for the Focus Econetic is a frugal 65mpg.

This corresponds to an average CO2 emission of only 115g/km, which is a class leading result for a conventional vehicle in this segment.

As a direct result of the Ford Econetic initiative, all Focus 1.6-litre TDCi variants will achieve 119g/km CO2 and this is regardless of power rating, body style or wheel dimensions.

Flexifuel version of the 1.8-litre Duratec petrol four-cylinder engine can be fuelled with bio-ethanol E85-fuel as an alternative to conventional unleaded petrol – or in any mix of both.

The Ford Focus range also includes CNG (compressed natural gas) and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) derivatives both based on the 2.0-litre Duratec petrol engine.

As the first new Focus models are only just going into production the test cars for the international media launch in the South of France last Thursday and Friday only allowed us motoring writers to drive 2.0-litre petrol and turbodiesel engines so the new lower CO2 1.6-litre diesel and Econetic versions will be reviewed early in 2008 along with the new Focus three and five-door ST ‘halo’ versions.

A new ST was on display at the press event last week and now it really has chunky, muscular and sporty styling to go with its high performance.

With no changes in overall size so no improvement in interior space, except for the very smart new Focus Estate, the latest Focus drives pretty well as it did before. Next to the VW Golf it is probably the best handling car in the C-segment.

Driving

But now the styling really gives the Focus an extra edge over its competitors. It looks very good indeed and just as impressive is the improvement in interior quality. The car is quieter to drive, less noise intrusion from engine and tyres. The plastics are of a higher quality and the build quality has gone up several grades.

Driven over a variety of French roads, busy traffic town use, fast autoroutes and mountainous steep winding narrow roads, the balance and fluency of the Focus is excellent.

The large 17-inch wheels, where fitted, in my opinion can unsettle the car, particularly the rear suspension, causing it to patter over some poorer road surfaces but that is a minor issue for most would-be owners. The steering is crisp and responsive; the handling is totally predictable, all the features real customers want.

I would have liked Ford to have engineered a bit more interior space into the new Focus but as it uses basically the same body frame and under pinnings that has not been possible. Shall we say the Focus is still a bit ‘snug’ for family use.

With ‘superminis’ getting bigger, the Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 207 for instance, the gap in size between ‘superminis’ and C-segment medium sized cars is narrowing. Only Peugeot with their new 308 have really upped the space in a new model in this sector.

MILESTONES

Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi Titanium 5-Door

Price: £18,295

Engine/transmission: 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbodiesel, 136bhp, 320Nm at 2,000rpm, 6-speed manual gearbox

Performance: 126mph, 0-62mph 9.3 seconds, 51.3mpg (31.7mpg actual on test drive), CO2 144g/km, VED Band C £115

For: Sharper more appealing body styling, better quality interior, more useful equipment, better sound proofing, all the previous car’s first class driving and handling characteristics, Econetic-low CO2 derivatives

Against: No increase in interior passenger space, no scarcity value for some customers

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