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By
EWAN KENNEDY
17 October 2005
Ford Focus raised many an eyebrow in its first
iteration. Its way out styling pleased some, but irritated others and
while this polarisation of opinion didn’t affect sales in Europe too
much, it certainly turned off many Australian buyers. In short it wasn’t
the sales success it could have been here.
So Ford Australia must be delighted that Focus
is more subtle in its shape this time around. The
second-generation, launched here only a couple of months back,
does have some styling cues that hark back to the original radical
shape, but on the whole it’s much less challenging than before.
Yet still an attractive car to look at, with good proportions and
enough nuances in its body to make it fresh and interesting.
Then again, there are those who say the latest
Focus is on the bland side and nowhere near as interesting as
before. Pity the poor car companies with the impossible task of
attempting to please everybody.
Though Ford of Germany designed this new Focus,
it had significant input from engineers in other countries,
including Australia, from the earliest stages of the design
process. In particular, our local engineers had a lot of say on
the suspension. Focus has been undergoing secret road testing in
Australia over the last couple of years, with a particular
emphasis on hot-weather testing in the outback and on the
suspension’s ability on rough roads. The result is a
small-medium car that’s very much suited to local conditions.
Five-door hatchback and four-door sedan versions
are offered. New Focus is bigger than before and, thought it’s
technically classed as a small car for statistical purposes, but
is closing on many medium-sized competitors. There's good interior
space and the car can be used as a family machine with a little
bit of compromise in seat spacing. The front seats are
comfortable, with plenty of adjustments and are well suited to
long trips, even on rough roads.
Boot space is most impressive, particularly in
the sedan and the space advantages of not having a differential
under the floor and the use of a space-saver tyre mean the Focus
sedan’s boot is similar in volume to that of the Ford Falcon.
All Australian Focus models have a 2.0-litre
engine. It’s a new design and is smooth and refined in the way
it delivers power. Some may find it doesn’t have a huge amount
of grunt, others will feel that it’s more than adequate in the
way it runs. Torque is strong and the spread is pretty good across
the everyday rev range.
Transmission is by five-speed manual and
four-speed automatic. The manual has a lovely shift action that
belies the fact this is a front-drive car. The automatic has
tiptronic settings like those on the Falcon so there's a good
degree of manual control over it.
Our testing on a five-speed manual in a solid
week’s driving showed the Focus to have typical fuel consumption
of about 10 to 11 litres per hundred kilometres in suburban
running. On the open road this dropped to eight to nine litres.
The steering and suspension are just lovely.
With plenty of feedback through the steering and the seat of the
pants it can be fanged at corners in the knowledge it won’t let
go unless you travel at silly speeds. This is an ideal family car
for the keen driver.
There's also a sporting model in the range, the
Focus Zetec, with slightly firmer suspension and changes to the
steering geometry. In reality only the full-on enthusiastic driver
will need this variant as the rest of the Focus range already has
such good dynamics.
Ford Focus Australia is far more serious about
the Focus than it was last time around. The previous Focus didn’t
get to us until four years after its European launch as Ford
Australia was concentrating on the Ford Laser at that time. Now
Ford is pushing hard on the new model and feels the current
fuel-price crisis will see a lot of buyers considering smaller
cars.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
CL 2.0-litre five-door hatch - $20,990
CL 2.0-litre four-door sedan - $20,990
LX 2.0-litre five-door hatch - $24,990
LX 2.0-litre four-door sedan - $24,990
Zetec 2.0-litre five-door hatch - $27,490
Ghia 2.0-litre four-door sedan - $30,990
FEATURES:
Air Conditioning: Standard
Automatic Transmission: $2000
Driver Airbag: Standard
Passenger Airbag: Standard
Anti-lock Brakes: Standard
Metallic Paint: $300
Cruise Control: Standard
SPECIFICATIONS (Ford Focus LX 2.0-litre
four-door sedan)
ENGINE
Engine Capacity: 1.999 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.8:1
Bore/Stroke: 87.5 x 83.1mm
Maximum Power: 107kW @ 6000rpm
Maximum Torque: 185Nm @ 4500rpm
DRIVELINE
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Four-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 4.06:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES
Length: 4488mm
Wheelbase: 2640mm
Width: 1840mm
Height: 1443mm
Turning Circle: 10.7 metres
Kerb Mass: 1301kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 55 litres
Towing Ability: 900kg with braked trailer
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, lower L-arms,
coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Control blade independent
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
FUEL CONSUMPTION
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 10.8 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 17.9 secs
Fuel Consumption - City Cycle: 8.8 L/100km
Fuel Consumption - Highway Cycle: 6.2 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY
Three years/100,000km
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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