FIRST LOOK 2019 FORD FOCUS HAS MORE SPACE AND MORE TECH
Ford’s all-new Focus will boast more interior space when it goes on sale in Canada in 2019, the automaker announced mid-April during the car’s global debut.
Though the same Focus will be sold in markets all over the world, available body styles will vary depending on region. North America is almost certain to get the fourdoor sedan and five-door hatchback trims, but Ford did not clarify whether we’d also get the five-door wagon or crossover-like ‘Active’ variant.
The new Focus features a cab-rearward interior that makes space for a longer hood, making the new car look bigger than its predecessor while actually maintaining the same overall footprint. More interior space than prior Focus models makes ingress and egress easier and seating more comfortable.
Ford’s new CoPilot360 safety suite will debut on the Focus, though specific technologies will vary by region, and FordPass Connect embedded in the car will let passengers turn the Focus into a highspeed internet Wi-Fi hot spot. The feature can also be paired with an app that would let owners remotely start or unlock the car and check on its fuel or oil levels.
A switch to an electric parking brake and a rotary gear shift dial is paired with a narrower centre console to free up interior space; buttons formerly on the console have been relocated to the SYNC 3-powered touch screen.
Back-seat passengers enjoy greater shoulder room, legroom and knee clearance, thanks to an extended wheelbase and flat floor.
Ford promises the new Focus will deliver a better driving experience, the result of an all-new stiffer chassis and redesigned suspension. Steering feel is improved, too, via a new Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) system.
North American-market powertrain options weren’t announced, save for a new optional adaptive eight-speed automatic transmission. It’s a good bet an electrified powertrain or a plug-in hybrid will be on offer, as well as a turbo small-displacement four-cylinder.
The new Focus will be available in European and Chinese markets before it arrives in Canada in the latter half of 2019. The vehicles on sale here will be built in China, to help Ford lower production costs. It will be the first time Ford sells a Chinese-built vehicle in North America.