Ford Focus FFV Flexes Muscle

Ford Group Philippines’ latest offering, the Focus FFV, was featured in an event held recently at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. FFV, which stands for "Flexible Fuel Vehicle", contains additional modifications to the standard, run-of-the-mill Ford Focus which would enable it to run on ethanol-blended fuel.

Ethanol, to the uninitiated, is a form of alcohol derived from locally available crops such as sugarcane, and other perennial, indigent sources. Blended with gasoline, it is termed as "gasohol", and is the most promising alternative to pure gasoline. The benefits of using ethanol include cleaner exhaust emissions and lower price per liter as compared to gasoline, with negligible to no performance loss. On the macroeconomic scale, it can reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuel, which it buys in dollars. In turn, increased dollar savings can be realized, paving way for other worthwhile expenditures. With these benefits, it is no wonder more and more people are queuing up worldwide to gas up with ethanol.

But not all cars manufactured worldwide will run on ethanol-blended fuel. Ethanol contains water. As such, special attention must be given to the fuel system so it resists rust and corrosion. At present, most new vehicles are rated to accept up to E10 blend, which is a mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline. Ford, being one of the alternative fuel proponents, raises the bar as the Ford Focus FFV will accept up to E20, which is a blend of 20% ethanol and 80% gasoline. At present the available ethanol blend in most gas pumps is E10.

A drive around the Bay City area with the Ford Focus FFV showed very little to no difference to the standard, E10-capable Focus. As a car having European roots, everything from steering, braking, and handling is a different experience compared to typical Japanese cars. Increased insulation from NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) elements also helped one to think that they are riding on a car which has twice the price.

Aside from the opportunity to test drive the entire Ford vehicle line-up around the Reclamation Area; Ford hosted a slalom/auto-cross event for motoring media personalities and celebrities, with a modified Focus 1.6 L Trend as the competition vehicle. So, aside from highlighting the environment-friendly cause of the Ford Focus FFV, it also enabled Ford to flex some suspension and steering muscle. Watching the Focus negotiate those very tight curves was very surreal. The Focus is truly at home with the corners.

Winners of the autocross event were C! Magazine’s Chuck Montecillo with 39.13 seconds, Manila Bulletin’s Anjo Perez with 39.51 seconds, and last but not the least, The Philippine STAR’s own Jeff Reyes with 39.62 seconds. For the celebrity category, TV personality Phoemela Barranda bagged the fastest female driver award, while Paolo Paraiso, Mark Nelson, and lawyer/motorsports enthusiast Mike Toledo posted the best time among celebrities.

The Ford Focus FFV is one example of having one’s cake and eating it too. Visit any of the Ford dealers nationwide for more information about this environmentally-friendly European-inspired car.