Ford Focus gets major facelift

FordFordUnited Kingdom, 1909 > present33 models
3718 photos
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is debuting at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and at next week's Geneva Motor Show a completely revised FocusFord Focus Gen.3 [III]United States of America, 2012 > present10 versions
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, which the brand expects will be able to regain a slot as the best-handling car in the class when it goes on sale in late 2014. The new FocusFord Focus 1.6 TDCiUnited Kingdom, 2015 > present marks the European debut of SYNC 2, Ford’s advanced in-car connectivity system, as well as the new 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol and TDCi diesel engines.

“We weren’t satisfied with being No. 1; we wanted to blow people away with a stunning new version of the Focus,” said Stephen Odell, president of Ford of Europe, Middle East and Africa. “New Focus marries modern design, advanced technology and leading fuel efficiency with the fun-to-drive DNA for which Focus is rightly acclaimed.”

Ford has given the Focus a redesign that reflects the One Ford global design language that carries through the new Mondeo and Fiesta. The new model gets new metalwork, bumpers, grille and lights, created under Ford Europe design director Steffan Lamm. The centrepiece of the new look is a hallmark, trapezoidal grille, now positioned higher up on the Focus nose. The top-spec Titanium version will receive five chromed bars with a chrome surround as shown in the images.  Entry-level and mid-spec versions will feature a matt-black mesh grille.

Regarding the interior of the new Focus, Ford has given attention to customer feedback in order to improve it. It gets a redesigned centre console to eliminate the 'multi-button' look that many drivers disliked.

"Technology has moved so fast with touchscreens becoming available, so we listened to Ford buyers and invested in a cleaner-looking dashboard," says Ford Europe boss Barb Samardzich.

The Focus also gets the new generation Sync II software for driver interface, which is now cleaner looking, and claimed to be simpler in operation. At the heart of the revised interior is a new, sportier-looking three-spoke steering wheel.

The new Focus takes the model’s acclaimed fun-to-drive DNA up a level with enhanced handling and steering. Ford engineers have delivered a more solid, responsive and connected-to-the-road feel by increasing the structural stiffness at the front, revising the suspension geometry, increasing lateral stiffness of “steering-relevant” suspension bushes, retuning the shock absorbers and incorporating a new Electronic Stability Programme. The Electric Power Assist Steering also has been retuned to make the driver feel even more connected to the road.

Revised engine range

The new Focus will be the first vehicle in Europe to offer the fuel efficient new 1.5-litre EcoBoost (150 PS and 180 PS) petrol engine and will also be offered with the new 1.5-litre TDCi (95 PS and 120 PS) diesel engine. It will continue to be equipped with the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine (100 PS and 125 PS) and there will also be a new version of the 99 g/km CO2 1.0-litre EcoBoost, the first non-hybrid petrol family car in Europe to offer sub-100 g/km CO2 emissions.

Next year Ford will be adding a new 120 PS 1.5-litre diesel PowerShift automatic that will offer a 19 per cent improvement compared to the equivalent-powered current Focus. The new Focus equipped with the automatic transmission and the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine also being introduced next year will offer a 17 per cent improvement over the equivalent powered engine it will replace. A 150 PS 2.0-litre TDCi diesel model will show a 14 per cent improvement when specified with a manual gearbox.