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Could've fooled me. Despite some of the oldest bones in the business and America's different suspension tuning, the Focus's character is undiminished. Ten seconds at the wheel are all it takes to sense that the guys who designed the Taurus and the guys who designed the Focus speak two different languages. That the Focus speaks at all is the first clue. Most small cars turn corners with the spirit of a kid chewing spinach, but fling the Focus around and you get nothing but playfulness and encouragement. The feel of the steering is, in a word, great. In two words, really great, and in three, best in class. Effort builds naturally, feedback is abundant, and there's a pure, prominent self-centering action that increases strongly with speed. I was hooked by my first U-turn.
That's steering; now on to springing. Suspensions are a compromise no matter how one chooses to tune them. Europe likes them stiff, but since all too many American streets look like the result of clumsily-dropped A-bombs, the front struts and rear mutlilinks ("control blades" in Ford-speak) on our Focus are sprung softer. Despite our SES model's "Enhanced European Suspension," there ain't a tower in all of Italy that leans more than the Focus.
And even with the SES's P205/50R16 Pirelli P6 FourSeason tires, grip is not exactly outstanding either. They squeal pretty early considering their low profiles and AA traction rating, especially on so light a car. They do send clear signals, however, which keeps the communication theme going. Furthermore, the Focus can be coaxed into a rear-end slide: just stab the brakes in any moderately-fast turn and the hatch goes flying. It's almost as if Ford re-employed Mazda's rear suspension toe-out feature from those 91-96 Escorts. Danger? This is front-wheel-drive - what danger? Ok, it's a little scary how the traction control seems to wait a few ticks to catch the slide; the day could come when it's one tick too late. But it's still fun.
Since not everyone treats his commute as a time trial, the suspension allows for some suppleness in the semi-firm ride. The Focus feels as rock-solid on the freeway as any Euro-bred car. The rear brakes are of a drum design on most models, but respond so normally and naturally that I had to look this up. Even Ford's electronics seem to have undertaken a foreign work ethic: on the slightest uphill grade, the cruise control is absolutely determined to hold your speed, downshifting to second gear and revving the engine's guts out. Such dedication! Remember when older Ford cruise controls simply gave up? If only it could ease up on the throttle once the angles drop; it lingers too long in the lower gear. Also, it steps up in too-large 2-3 MPH increments (picky, I know).
2005 sees more global influence, as all Ford cars powered by 4-cylinder engines (all two of them) have traded in their Ford blocks for Mazda motors. Most Foci get the 2.0-liter found in the base-level Mazda 3 (the one without balance shafts or valve timing, unfortunately), which somehow returns with only 136 horsepower instead of 148. Likewise, the EPA highway mileage rating got knocked from 34 to 32. Who knew numbers could get lost in translation?
Living in a state whose abbreviation is CA, MA, ME, NY, or VT earns another downward bump to 130 horsepower in the name of partial-zero emissions. Hey, I'm all for clean air, but in a car that's no powerhouse to begin with, these deductions keep acceleration at barely passable levels. The engine is also a bit loud and agricultural-sounding when going slow, though at higher speeds it seems to play at the right volume since the road noise drowns it out, and all you hear is sportiness. The automatic transmission is also smooth in shifting and free of random lockouts on the shiftgate, unlike American Fords. Those who want real sport in their Focus can order the ST sedan, which gets the Mazda 3's other motor: a stronger, smoother 2.3-liter. It certainly suits the Focus' character, but Ford's choice to pair it exclusively to a manual transmission is baffling and severely limits its audience. And why can't these guys paint a redline on any of their tachometers?
Still, I could live with the Focus's performance as it is. And I could certainly live with its 28 miles per gallon.
Say goodbye to "New Edge," the Ford styling phase that lasted, what, six years? The 2005 restyle is pure convention. Even the decklid "Focus" badge is now in capslock.
The interior lost its original artfulness, but aside from the new corporate radio, most controls remain the same. New features include overhead console storage, a neat CD holder, and door-mounted cupholders. Further clues that the Focus came from abroad are the door locks, window switches, and air conditioner. They were designed the foreign way - the right way - i.e. the A/C system has standard temperature, mode, and fan speed knobs, and it leaks air naturally at speed. Love it.
Ford's radio looks the same yet sounds different every time. In the Focus, that luckily translates to powerful and boomy, and ours didn't even have the 500-watt Sony upgrade. It gets a bit lost in all the high-speed racket, but it's still pretty good for a base system, and easily better than the ones Ford puts in its other sedans. The remote radio controls look weird but work fine.
The appeal of the Focus fades a bit with some seat time. Reviewers have often complained - loudly - about the seats, usually citing intolerable back pain. I hate them just as much, for different reasons. There's no angle adjuster for more thigh support, and coupled with a way-too-lightly-sprung gas pedal, I found myself having to lift off, press on, lift off, press on. Gets old fast, but aside from performing the same tedium with the cruise control, it's the only way to avoid a state of constant acceleration. Also, those past the six foot mark might run out of legroom. Flaws that are this incessantly annoying makes it hard to appreciate things like the telescopic steering wheel or a seat that I personally found comfortable otherwise.
Other Focus flaws are more glaring, literally: daytime driving can produce reflections in the speedometer casing that render it nearly invisible. You see reflections of the grainy dash in the windshield, too. And Ford is certainly doing nothing to dissuade the association of "small car" with "cheap," judging by the look of some plastics or the clunky sound of the door locks. Ford put heated leather seats in our Focus, which is a little like pouring Grey Poupon on a Big Mac. It ain't great leather, either.
Despite the questionable driver treatment, you have to give credit for the amount of space they dug up in here. Our four-door hatchback is competition-free, so let's look at other Focus models: the sedan's got 108.9 cubic feet of interior room, which is within spitting distance of "mid-size" for a 175.2-inch long, 66.7-inch wide, 56.8-inch tall car. Both hatchbacks, the shortest cars in the lineup, are the same length and hold 18 cubic feet with the seats up, 40.2 with them down. (The lack of a hatch handle is an omission, though.) The super-practical wagon can even carry 73.7 cubic feet of crap with all the seats folded, and don't think seat comfort was compromised in any of these. Despite an intrusive cupholder in the middle of the floor, the back seat is one of the better benches, and headroom is great in all positions. And just when you thought Honda was the king of efficiency...
But just when you get all excited about packaging accomplishments, cheapness creeps in again: that roomy back seat has no head restraints. 1 five-passenger Focus + 1 rear-end collision = 3 snapped necks. That's not the kind of math I like. And while side air bags are optional on all models, you don't get curtains with them. Alarming side-impact crash scores from two federal agencies urge purchase of the side bags. The Focus seems to be doing well in most other crash tests, at least.
With a sedan, a wagon, and two hatchbacks, the Focus is tops of body count. Each has a code: ZX3 = 2-door hatch, ZX4 = sedan, ZX5 = 4-door hatch, and ZXW = wagon. Compared to the 2-door hatch, the sedan costs $605-610 more, the 4-door hatch $1,315 more, and the wagon $2,325 more. Note to Ford: hatchback-hating America doesn't need two hatchbacks and this ZX5 is especially unsightly, not to mention a rip-off. Please reshape a Focus body to make a new ZX2 coupe! Note to consumers: Focus hatchbacks are now built in Michigan along with the others.
Those trendy body names aren't to be confused with the trim lines, which are separated this year for clarity's sake. They go through S, SE, SES, and ST. There is no S wagon and the ST is a sedan exclusive, but otherwise all bodies and trims combine.
S models lack power windows and locks - rare these days even among base models. You can get air conditioning for $910. A ZX3 S marks the cheapest Focus at $14,010.
The $1,515 upgrade to the Focus SE ($1,520 on sedans) buys air and the power toys, keyless entry, variable wipers, MP3 capability, front armrest, overhead console and map lights.
After SE, the $1,110 upgrade to the Focus SES buys 16-inch alloy wheels (15 on the wagon), a rear stabilizer bar in the suspension (all wagons have one), color-keyed bodyside and decklid moldings, fog lights, cruise control, 6-disc changer, telescoping leather steering wheel with radio controls, tachometer, and black instrument cluster.
Finally, the stick-only ST sedan costs $1,520 more than an SES, adding the bigger engine, firmer suspension settings from last year's Focus SVT, antilock disc brakes, traction control, sport seats, heated power mirrors, satin grille, and chromed and sport-tuned exhaust.
An automatic costs $815 everywhere, antilock brakes $400, side air bags $350, traction control $115, a moonroof $625, leather $695, and Audiophile stereo $455. I'd pick an SES sedan with the first three, which nets me $18,810 worth of car. Not counting rebates, the Focus's close cousin, the Mazda 3 i (which is based on the new Focus we don't get), runs hundreds less with similar options. What happened to competitive Ford pricing?
Maybe the Focus's price isn't too out of whack. Remember, this car is fun. Things like visceral steering, tail-out good times, and constant communication are rare at this price range and much appreciated. The interior is in desperate need of help, but to drive the Focus is to make an ironic discovery: there's only one cheap compact car out there that's brimming with rich European flavor, and you won't find it at a Volkswagen dealership.
If there's one thing Ford's lineup could use, it's a little more Focus.
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