Refocused Ford came up a winner
Owners pleased with the quality of Focus, though it eats tires
Kudos to the marketing genius who put a Ford Focus in the picture with the future king of England.
In1999, a teenaged Prince William displayed his newly acquired driving skills in a photo op with his father and brother Harry. Will successfully negotiated the gravel driveway at Highgrove, the Prince of Wales’s Gloucestershire home.
The prince already had his own car — a VW Golf given as a birthday present from his father — but preferred to be photographed with a loaner to safeguard his privacy.
That it was the all-new Ford Focus was brill, as the Brits like to say.
CONFIGURATION
The Focus, already on sale in Europe, would go on to win accolades and awards on both sides on the pond after its North American launch in October, 1999.
With its avant-garde styling and premium materials, the Focus aspired to be more than just an econobox. It was a ball to drive, too, thanks to its stout platform and sophisticated suspension geometry.
Ford gave the Focus here a simple facelift for 2005, eschewing the second-generation redesign that Europe received. Ditto in 2008, when Ford once again pinched its pennies and commissioned a refresh instead of an all-out reworking of its popular compact.
Reheating an eight-year-old leftover took considerable effort. The reskinned body was made more aero-efficient and quieter, thanks to added bracing to reinforce the front-drive platform. Other upgrades included a retuned suspension and improved brakes.
The Focus was available as a fourdoor sedan and, for the first time, a two-door coupe. Gone were the smartly styled hatchback and wag-on models that had made friends easily. More changes greeted occupants inside the refashioned cabin. Seating received more lateral and lumbar support, but no head restraints for rear-seat users. More insulation was packed inside and cupholders were added to the doors. A new display appeared at eye level atop the centre stack. Ambient lighting was configurable in seven cool hues. It’s as if the Focus was tailored for a certain desirable demographic. “The inside design looks awesome. I’ve gotten many compliments, even now three years later,” posted an excitable Gen-y owner. The lone engine choice was Ford’s DOHC 2.0 L four cylinder, tuned to make a competitive 140 hp and 136 lbs.-ft. of torque (the Mazda-supplied 2.3 L four was dropped). Buyers could choose between a fivespeed manual transmission and utterly conventional four-speed automatic. In 2009 its chrome gills were mercifully peeled off the fenders and an antiskid system became available. The coupe was dropped after 2010, and the four-door had a brief, final production for 2011. In a flash of brilliance, Ford adopted Europe’s third-generation Focus for 2012, making it a true world car again.
ON THE ROAD
With a standard transmission, the 2008 Focus could sprint to 100 km/h in 8.1seconds, or about 9 with the autobox. In the heavily contested econobox class, the Focus holds its own with mid-pack performance. The ride is smooth and never punishing, the engine well-behaved and never gruff, and the Focus is every bit as agile and fun to drive as the original that Prince William piloted with aplomb. However, in a published comparison test by Car and Driver of eight economy cars, the Focus finished last, earning demerits for its poor braking performance and “vodka bar” interior illumination.
Thanks to higher final drive ratios, the Focus delivered some genuine economy, scoring almost 30 mpg (9.5 L/100 km) in city driving and almost 50 mpg (5.5 L/100 km) on the open road.
WHAT OWNERS SAY
The majority of Focus owners are delighted with their cars; however, there’s at least one unsettling complaint that has come up frequently.
The Focus may exhibit suspension problems, often demonstrated by poorly wearing tires.
Reportedly, tires wouldn’t last much more than 40,000-to-50,000 km in some cases, particularly the rear pair.
Other setbacks included faulty automatic transmissions, bad engine mounts (causing vibration), broken door latches — one owner took to crawling in through the trunk! — short-lived wheel bearings and sundry rattles.
Overall, the Focus is a decent economy car, but test-drive carefully before parting with your money. Unlike Prince William, yours has to outlast the photo opportunity. We would like to know about your ownership experience with these models: Mazda Tribute, Volkswagen Passat and Dodge Charger. Email: toljagic@ca.inter.net.