The all new Ford Focus (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Ford refocused

3:34pm Friday 4th February 2011 in Cars By Glynn Williams

Ford has transformed the top-selling Focus with about as big a leap forward as when the model was launched on the demise of the Escort over a decade ago.

There have been facelifts before but this time it’s all new and behind the ‘kinetic’ new grille there is a huge improvement from the ground up.

There is a brilliant chassis for a superb ride and roadholding, some great turbocharged petrol and diesel engines and the option of a whole swathe of clever driver aids – as good as anything rivals can offer if not better for a car in this class. A key part of the transformation comes from the introduction of speed variable electric assistance for the power steering, but more of that later.

One interesting element is that when the new Focus is launched in March there will only be five-door hatch and estate models initially, with no plans for a three-door.

Ford’s not ruled out the possibility of a sporty coupe based on the sparkling new chassis but nothing like that has got further than design studio sketches. Ford of Britain sales director Jon Wellsman said: “We have dropped the three-door model because it only accounted for a very small percentage of Focus sales – less than ten per cent and mostly ST and RS.

“It had limited value as a lead-in for fleets and some private buyers, but the bulk of sales are five-door.”

Even a four-door saloon version will be going to other markets, but not here, in a drive to sell between two and 2.5 million cars a year – a million more than the best with the outgoing model – with 85 per cent of the components in common around the world’s 120 markets.

In fact the next sporty ST due in the next eight to nine months will be a five-door with 250PS 2.0 litre petrol turbo. A new RS is “not in the cycle plan at the moment”.

Every new Focus has an alarm, DAB radio, Bluetooth with voice control and USB connection, body colour rear spoiler (hatch), full Isofix fitting for childseats and driver lumbar adjustment.

Innovations include stop-start technology to save fuel and emissions in traffic, shutters behind the grille to improve aerodynamics, an eco mode display and a gear change indicator. There are four specification levels, starting with Edge, followed by Zetec – expected to take over half the sales – then Titanium and Titanium X. For the UK, the top level specification Focus Titanium and Titanium X models will have a vast array of technologies available reflecting the equipment available on the latest Volvos, now departed from the Ford stable.

Using a camera mounted in front of the rear view mirror, these include low-speed crash avoidance – overriding the throttle and activating the brakes to prevent shunts – lane departure warnings and driver assistance systems such as traffic sign recognition, where the camera reads speed limit or warning signs which are then displayed on the dash.

The new electric power assistance for the steering not only reduces CO2 emissions, it also plays a role in lane discipline, gently steering the car back into lane it if starts to wander without use of the indicator or an assertive steering wheel turn.

Probably of greater regular use is parking assist, where the car can find a parking space at the side of the road and parallel park itself for you as you control brake, throttle and clutch – but not the steering wheel!

There is also, using radar, blind spot warning systems and advance cruise control which keeps you at a set distance from the vehicle in front.

What is impressive about these technologies, of which the average Focus driver has no experience and would be pushed to select, is that rather than being marketed individually, they are packaged with the main bundle priced at just £750.

Wellsman said: “We will get a good take-up, and to help the buyer choose we are putting on a new dealer prestige demonstrator package.”

He added that it was also part of their strategy to reduce complexity with four trim specifications and a choice of three petrol and four diesel engines.

The five-door Focus goes on sale in the UK in March with prices starting at £15,995 for the 105PS 1.6 five-speed petrol Edge, rising to £25,095 for the Powershift (automatic) 2.0 TDCi 163PS estate – arriving about a month later – in Titanium X trim.

But for real get-up-and-go, the new 1.6 petrol turbo will take some beating. Launched initially with 125PS, the 150PS version available later in the year has plenty of torque for 0-62mph in under nine seconds.