SIPPER SLIPPER
SMALLER FOOTPRINT OF 3-CYLINDER FOCUS HAS REWARDS
Iam about to share something you may not believe until you experience it. And I wouldn’t blame you. But Ford’s 1.0liter, three-cylinder engine is a mighty minion.
It is Ford’s smallest engine around the world and is available in the subcompact Fiesta and compact Focus sedan (today’s tester) or the five-door hatchback. This turbocharged and direct-injection engine — weighing a mere 215 pounds — spins up just 123 horsepower, but it puts the power in the right rpm range to make this compact car a viable choice for the supercommuter with a 90-mile-plus daily roundtrip.
With either the six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, the fuel economy ratings are 29 mpg city, 40 highway and 33 mpg combined, on 87 octane.
With the stick shift, I was averaging 35-37 mpg, without really trying to excel. With a full tank (12.4 gallons) a driver will see a "distance to empty" reading of about 455 miles. That’s reassuring to those who drive more than 100 miles a day and would like to avoid the every-other-day visit to a gas station.
There are several comparable, mileagefocused compacts, but all with four-cylinder engines:
Chevy Cruze six-speed manual with 1.4-liter turbo: 28/42/33 mpg.
Honda Civic HF CVT with 1.8-liter: 31/41/35 mpg.
Hyundai Elantra six-speed manual with 1.8-liter: 27/37/31 mpg;
Toyota Corolla with 1.8-liter and CVT: 30/40/34 mpg;
VW Golf 5-door five-speed manual with 1.8-liter turbo: 25/37/30 mpg;
Most of these cars start around $20,000 and are well equipped. The 2016 Focus SE with manual transmission has a starting price of $19,885, including $875 freight charge from Wayne, Mich. The tester came to $20,635, including the $495 upgrade to the 1.0-liter. The six-speed automatic (automated-manual) transmission adds $1,095.
There’s also a $1,250 incentive to take new retail delivery from dealer stock by Jan. 4, 2016. And there’s a Friends & Neighbors discount of $785. That gives room to add the Cold Weather package, ($645) with its heated steering wheel and front seats, heated side mirrors and beefy floor mats.
Standard equipment includes: remote locking, air conditioning, rearview camera, center console with armrest and storage, lighted vanity mirrors, six-way manually adjusted driver’s seat, power windows, 16-inch alloy wheels, power mirrors (manual folding), halogen headlights, split folding back seat, floor mats, steering wheel radio and cruise controls and six-speaker audio system with CD/MP3.
I liked the simplicity and easy drivability of the Focus. It is one of those cars that doesn’t overwhelm with complex advanced technologies, though those are available. There is easy Bluetooth connectivity for phones with streaming music. The interior is attractively designed and ergonomically laid out with buttons and switches for most controls. Sightlines are good over the shoulder and over the hood. Front headroom is decent at 38.3 inches, back seat space is compact at 33.2 inches of legroom but trunk space is huge at 13.2 cubic feet, plus the back seat folds.
This is an ideal manual to learn the pleasure and finesse of shifting. Just tach it up and go. There’s enough grunt for freeway merging without fear of death, but always anticipate your need for acceleration. Auto start-stop at idle refires instantly when the foot presses the clutch.
This engine isn’t "all ate up with power," but the six-speed manual finesses the 148 foot-pounds of torque, hitting its peak at 5,000 rpm. The clutch is light and the gearbox has sweet and forgiving shiftability. And there’s a hill-holder to take the pucker away from start-ups.
To get maximum mpgs, the driver will be short shifting to get to the higher rpms for fuel sipping. But you’ll be able to cruise at 80 mph and higher with ease. I’ve driven less responsive four-cylinders with automatic transmissions.
The four-wheel independent suspension is compliant and comfortable but controllable with stabilizer bars front and rear. The brakes are hefty for an economy car: 10.9inch front discs and 10.7-inch solid rear discs.
If you haven’t driven a Focus lately, it will restore faith that Ford is building quality into a small car. The Focus SE is a so-called green car without waving a big "hybrid" flag. Thinking small has its advantages.