FORD FOCUS 2012 Ford finally gets compact car in F By Jim Robinson METROLAND MEDIA CARGUIDE MAGAZINE LOS ANGELES, Ca.: The people ai Ford knew going in that a 2001 Ford Focus was one of the worst cars I ever owned. I bought it from my father-in-law as a daily driver with just 19,000 km on it. After just 20,000 more km and about a dozen technical service bulletins (re- calls), I dumped it for $4,500 as part of a trade in on a 2006 Japanese car. it wasn't the worst car I ever owned. That dubious honour goes to a 1968 Pontiac Firebird HO, the HO standing for High Output which summed up the endless repair bills. But the 2001 Focus always stumped me because, on paper, it was so good. A European Car of the Year and North American Car of Year in 2000, I never really could figure out what went wrong. I think it took Ford by surprise too, because they poured buckets of money and engineering to turn things around. As a result, the second generation Focus was much improved with pro- duction moved to the U.S. with'a very serious eye on quality control. Nonetheless there was a very real difference between the one built on this side of the pond and the one sold in Eu- rope which was based on the Mazda3. That fragmentation is over now. As part of the "new" Ford strategy of "One World" cars, we will get the same 2012 Focus available around the globe. The compact car segment where the Focus competes is the largest in Cana- da, but there has been a fundamental change in what buyers want. What they want is style. Sure good mileage and reliability are strong motivators, but the days of "bland is best are gone and thats where Moray Callum comes in. Hes longtime acquaintance who keeps coming up with fresh new de- signs. As head of Ford styling for the Americas, Callum has introduced what he calls "kinetic design" on the new Fo- cus. He describes it as starting with a strik- ing front end with a very pronounced beltline rumnning from just behind the front wheel well to the rear making it look taut and fun to drive. But there is more to it than that. The new Ford design language is also highly aerodynamic. For instance the drag coefficient on the 2012 Focus is 0.297 compared to 0.320 for the cur- rent model. There are many contributing factors to ibis such as a steeply raked wind- shield, but a key is the grille. Using new active grille shutters, they close when airflow to the radiator is not required. This has the added bonus of improving aerodynamic efficiently at higher speeds and, ai the same time, reducing under hood temperatures at low speed that, in tum, increases thermal efficiency. lits what you call a win-wirr The 2012 Focus is powered by a gasoline direct injection infine, four- cylinder engine producing 160 hp and 146 lb/fi of torque. This engine is a great advance over what bas gone before. For instance the 2.0-litre four-cylinder used in my 2001 Focus made 135 hp and 130 lb/ft of torque. More to the point the 2.0-litre used in the 1993-1997 Ford Probe mus- tered only 118 hp. Fuel consumption ratings are still being calculated by Natural Resources Canada but the current four-speed au- tomatic Focus without the new engine or six-speed transmission gets 5/8L100 km or about 49 mpg so the new car should better that. A five-speed manual transmission is standard with a six-speed automatic op- tional at $1,250 and $1,450 with Select Shift. The automatic with Select Shift is The interior is not only one of the roomiest in the compact segment, but the quality of materials is also among the best in the class. standard on the Titanium models. Select Shift is a dual dry-clutch de- sign that reduces fuel consumption by up to nine per cent compared to a ira- ditional four-speed automatic. It also allows the driver to shift in a manual mode. Ford has positioned the Focus to cover the price gamut of most of the compact car segment. Starting prices by model are: S four-door Sedan, $15,999; SE four-door Sedan, $18,999; SE five- door Hatch, $19,899; SEL four- door Sedan, $21,499; SEL five-door door Hatch, $22,399; Titanium four-door Sedan, $24,499; Titanium, five-door Hatch, $25,099, Destination an-d Deliv- ery, $1,450. I drove several variants at the press launch in Los Angeles with most of my time in a SEL hatchback. • see BEST on page A33 4 ti i5ee page A36 for AUTOMOTIVE SAFETY TIPS UK.