Ford puts the Focus on beauty and brains

ADELAIDE, Australia – The Ford Focus just got a facelift. Its front end now looks like an Aston Martin’s, right down to the menacing headlamps and oval-shaped grille. If you like hyper-expensive British cars as much as James Bond does, you will like how the new Ford Focus looks. 

A lower, wider stance that emphasizes width, and a new hood that sweeps elegantly toward the signature trapezoidal grille give the car a bolder, more muscular presence on the road. Slim, chiseled front headlamps link the aggressive front end to the clean, flowing lines of its sides, which kick up at the rear window. More rectangular, elongated fog-lamps add to the bolder front end. The rear of the car has a sleek new fascia and tailgate design, as well as thinner tail lamps, and a sculpted wing-type rear spoiler for enhanced aerodynamics and that racier look.

It’s smarter, too. It can do what a vast majority of other cars—even those costing three to four times as much—cannot do. Things like hands-free parallel and perpendicular parking. And not just into a parking slot, mind you; the new Focus can steer itself out of the tightest parking slots as well. All the driver has to do is work the accelerator and brake pedals and shift to Drive or Reverse. That’s what Ford’s Enhanced Active Park Assist can do. 

The new Focus can brake and come to a full stop by itself up to 50 km/h if it detects an imminent collision with an object in front. At higher speeds it will warn the driver of the object in front and automatically decelerate (via braking and engine torque reduction) to such an extent that any collision will be much smaller than if it didn’t have this safety feature which Ford calls Active City Stop.  

Many cars now have their own version of Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) or Electronic Stability Program (ESP). But only the Focus has Ford’s industry-first Enhanced Transitional Stability system, which monitors vehicle speed and the driver’s steering input in order to predict a loss of grip before it actually happens. If a potential loss of grip is detected, the system activates the vehicle’s Electronic Stability Program to reduce engine torque and apply individual-wheel braking to help keep the vehicle on track.

Lending the keys to a valet or your teenager? Make sure you give MyKey, Ford’s nifty key that can be programmed to reduce the maximum speed the car can be driven, give an earlier low-fuel warning, limit the volume of the in-car entertainment or even disable it completely if the seatbelt is not fastened. How cool is that?

Millennials and baby boomers alike will love SYNC 2, which offers a smarter and safer way to stay connected. Drivers can operate the car’s climate controls, entertainment system, navigation system and a paired smartphone with voice commands. A centrally placed, high-resolution, 8-inch touchscreen puts even more control at the driver’s fingertips, with color-coded corners for easy menu navigation.

The refined and athletic exterior is complemented by a modern new interior. Ford paid particular attention to customer feedback on the current generation Focus, which called for a simpler, more intuitive interior with fewer controls and switches. The revised instrument panel and reorganization of switches results in a clean and mature interior design that allows drivers to effortlessly control the vehicle’s features.

The simplified interior offers more space with a variety of new convenient storage options for a more comfortable driving experience. An adjustable console fits a variety of bottles and cups, and can simultaneously hold a 1-liter water bottle and a 400mL cup.

The new Thailand-made Focus also offers impressive levels of cabin quietness, with sound deadening materials – including sound-insulating windshield glass, thicker side-window glass, thicker carpets, increased insulation in the door trims, and improved engine insulation.

True enough, the Focus, which will come in four-door sedan and five-door hatch versions, displayed impressively low levels of noise/vibration/harshness (NVH) during our day-long drive within and on the outskirts of Adelaide. The seats provided excellent comfort and support that none of us felt tired or cramped at the end of the long drive. 

And it was a spirited drive, thanks to a completely new and very powerful (yet stunningly fuel-efficient) engine: The new Focus is powered by a cutting-edge 1.5-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine which delivers 180ps of power and 240Nm of torque—more than a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter engine—while also delivering better fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

The engine uses the core EcoBoost technologies of turbocharging, high-pressure direct fuel-injection and Twin-independent Variable Cam Timing to ensure optimum performance. A new aluminum engine block helps to reduce weight, which improves performance and efficiency.

The 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine is paired to a new modern, lightweight and efficient six-speed automatic transmission, delivering refinement together with excellent performance and fuel economy. Paddle shift controls enabled us to play F1 pilot as we zigged and zagged through the Australian twisties up and down a mountain.

A more refined Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) system further improves the driving experience with more precise steering and lower effort, while reducing unwanted damping and providing excellent feedback to the driver.

The new Focus truly takes the brand’s class-leading driving dynamics and fun-to-drive DNA to a new level with enhanced handling. Ford tuned the suspension for a more solid and responsive vehicle that feels firmly connected to the road. The car may wear an American nameplate, but its suspension tuning is definitely German. And the car is all the better for it.

The new Focus will land on Philippine shores in the last quarter of this year. Take it for a spin and see how this Mensa-level genius of a car, its head-turning good looks, and its overachieving drivetrain raises the bar in the compact sedan stakes. Beauty and brains have always been a winning combination.