2012 Ford Focus Euro
As a part of the blue oval’s "One Ford" global strategy, the company says at least 80 percent of the new Focus will be standardized around the world—no small feat for a car that will be sold in more than 120 countries. (Check out our review of the U.S.-spec 2012 Ford Focus here.)
Focus on the (Powertrain) Family
The biggest difference between our car and the European model is in the powertrains. We will get only a 160-hp, 2.0-liter inline-four on non-ST models in the States. On this drive of the European car, we sampled the 161-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-diesel with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission and the top-of-the-line gasoline model: a turbocharged, direct-injection EcoBoost 1.6 producing 180 hp and mated to a six-speed manual.
Although the diesel’s pleasant rumble is always audible, it is a reassuring and relaxed sound, unless you rev it to redline, which doesn't get you anywhere anyway. The 251 lb-ft of torque are available from 2000 to 3250 rpm, and at those engine speeds, the car lunges forward when provoked. It reaches triple-digit velocities with ease, with a top speed of 134 mph.
The six-speed dual-clutch transmission shifts quickly, but the slower-revving diesel dulls the brisk shifts you would experience in a gas-powered car. Here, it feels almost like a torque-converter automatic, except in first gear, where you notice the slow clutch takeup. Manual shifts are effected by pushing a flimsy triangular button on the left side of the gear selector. It's an unhappy design that discourages use. If there’s not enough room in the center console for the shifter to have a manual gate, how about something completely radical like paddle shifters on the steering wheel?
We Always Want What We Can’t Have
Although the diesel performs well, the top-of-the-line gasoline engine adds real sophistication to the Focus. With 177 lb-ft (199 with overboost), the 1.6-liter turbocharged four is not quite as torquey as the diesel, but its power and torque are available over a much wider range. Ford says the gas engine will pull the Focus from 0 to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds and to a top speed of 138 mph. There is hardly any turbo lag, and the engine is responsive at any speed. The sound is pleasant, a sporty note similar to—but not quite as satisfying as—that of a VW GTI. The six-speed manual shifts easily and with precision, with well-spaced ratios keeping the engine happy. The dual-clutch tranny is not currently offered with this engine, but when Ford adds it to the lineup, we expect it to feel less like a traditional automatic than it does in the diesel.
Ford isn’t currently planning to offer the 1.6 turbo in the Focus here, but the company isn’t against the idea. "U.S. buyers are probably too pragmatic," says Gunnar Herrmann, the vehicle line director for the C platform on which the Focus is built. The engine isn’t much more powerful than the 2.0-liter four we’ll get here, and if Ford priced it according to its own cost to build the 1.6-liter, it would be prohibitively expensive. But the smaller engine should return better fuel economy, so if gas prices rise—and who doesn’t expect them to?—Herrmann says Ford could easily add the engine to its U.S. roster.
Of course, we'd still like more power. The 180-hp Focus is entertainingly quick, but it is not truly fast, leaving plenty of room for the upcoming ST, which will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four producing 247 hp. For those who want less, we expect a three-cylinder Focus to be added to the European portfolio. An electric version also is being prepared for worldwide distribution.
The Focus is a comfortable car. The cabin is spacious, with generous head- and legroom in the rear even with the front seats pushed far back. It is extremely quiet and rattle-free at speed and on uneven pavement, where the chassis really shines. The Focus is agile and compliant and difficult to unsettle. We were not very impressed by the "torque vectoring" function that applies the brake on the inside front wheel under cornering, and the stability-control system can be a bit heavy-handed. Electronics aside, though, the Focus’s chassis is supremely capable and competent.
Lord, Won’t You Buy Me…a Ford Focus?
The European Focus is available with a complement of assistance systems unheard of in its class. Among those are blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning and prevention, adaptive cruise control that can automatically panic-brake if it senses a collision is imminent, a camera-based traffic-sign recognition system that reminds the driver of the current speed limit, and Ford’s useful automatic parking system—although we maintain that parking for yourself is not that hard, particularly in a car this small. Additionally, the Focus packs a couple of technologies that will sound familiar from the Mercedes-Benz playbook: brake lights that flash when you stomp on the stop pedal and a system that monitors your driving style and suggests a break when it thinks you’re tired. We could do without these nannies, which is good, because the U.S. Focus won’t offer all of them.
There is sophistication here under the skin, but we were less than impressed by the quality of the interior, even in the top-of-the-line Titanium trim level. The angular shapes look fine, and the instrumentation is nicely executed, but there are details throughout that look and feel downright cheap. A perfect example is the big plastic housing for the lane-departure camera. Hidden behind the rearview mirror, this chunky casing could not have cost more than a few cents.
We do like the exterior and the Darth Vader front fascia, although we imagine the appearance would be more upscale if the upper front air intake were executed as nicely as those on other Ford models. Here, it's just a gap with a big chrome strip in the center. Ford sweated other details, though: We dig the futuristic shape of the taillights, and the shared seam between the right taillight and gas cap on the hatchback is a great touch. And in Europe, an optional lighting package lays a strip of LEDs over the headlights and replaces the taillights with diodes as well.
The lighting is another option we won’t see on the U.S. model. Global car or not, there are still different consumer expectations on different continents. But even if the U.S. isn’t ready for a Ford outfitted like a mini-Mercedes, the new Focus should help us shrug off our perception of small cars as undesirable.
As a part of the blue oval’s "One Ford" global strategy, the company says at least 80 percent of the new Focus will be standardized around the world—no small feat for a car that will be sold in more than 120 countries. (Check out our review of the U.S.-spec 2012 Ford Focus here.)
Focus on the (Powertrain) Family
The biggest difference between our car and the European model is in the powertrains. We will get only a 160-hp, 2.0-liter inline-four on non-ST models in the States. On this drive of the European car, we sampled the 161-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-diesel with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission and the top-of-the-line gasoline model: a turbocharged, direct-injection EcoBoost 1.6 producing 180 hp and mated to a six-speed manual.
Although the diesel’s pleasant rumble is always audible, it is a reassuring and relaxed sound, unless you rev it to redline, which doesn't get you anywhere anyway. The 251 lb-ft of torque are available from 2000 to 3250 rpm, and at those engine speeds, the car lunges forward when provoked. It reaches triple-digit velocities with ease, with a top speed of 134 mph.
The six-speed dual-clutch transmission shifts quickly, but the slower-revving diesel dulls the brisk shifts you would experience in a gas-powered car. Here, it feels almost like a torque-converter automatic, except in first gear, where you notice the slow clutch takeup. Manual shifts are effected by pushing a flimsy triangular button on the left side of the gear selector. It's an unhappy design that discourages use. If there’s not enough room in the center console for the shifter to have a manual gate, how about something completely radical like paddle shifters on the steering wheel?
We Always Want What We Can’t Have
Although the diesel performs well, the top-of-the-line gasoline engine adds real sophistication to the Focus. With 177 lb-ft (199 with overboost), the 1.6-liter turbocharged four is not quite as torquey as the diesel, but its power and torque are available over a much wider range. Ford says the gas engine will pull the Focus from 0 to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds and to a top speed of 138 mph. There is hardly any turbo lag, and the engine is responsive at any speed. The sound is pleasant, a sporty note similar to—but not quite as satisfying as—that of a VW GTI. The six-speed manual shifts easily and with precision, with well-spaced ratios keeping the engine happy. The dual-clutch tranny is not currently offered with this engine, but when Ford adds it to the lineup, we expect it to feel less like a traditional automatic than it does in the diesel.
Ford isn’t currently planning to offer the 1.6 turbo in the Focus here, but the company isn’t against the idea. "U.S. buyers are probably too pragmatic," says Gunnar Herrmann, the vehicle line director for the C platform on which the Focus is built. The engine isn’t much more powerful than the 2.0-liter four we’ll get here, and if Ford priced it according to its own cost to build the 1.6-liter, it would be prohibitively expensive. But the smaller engine should return better fuel economy, so if gas prices rise—and who doesn’t expect them to?—Herrmann says Ford could easily add the engine to its U.S. roster.
Of course, we'd still like more power. The 180-hp Focus is entertainingly quick, but it is not truly fast, leaving plenty of room for the upcoming ST, which will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four producing 247 hp. For those who want less, we expect a three-cylinder Focus to be added to the European portfolio. An electric version also is being prepared for worldwide distribution.
The Focus is a comfortable car. The cabin is spacious, with generous head- and legroom in the rear even with the front seats pushed far back. It is extremely quiet and rattle-free at speed and on uneven pavement, where the chassis really shines. The Focus is agile and compliant and difficult to unsettle. We were not very impressed by the "torque vectoring" function that applies the brake on the inside front wheel under cornering, and the stability-control system can be a bit heavy-handed. Electronics aside, though, the Focus’s chassis is supremely capable and competent.
Lord, Won’t You Buy Me…a Ford Focus?
The European Focus is available with a complement of assistance systems unheard of in its class. Among those are blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning and prevention, adaptive cruise control that can automatically panic-brake if it senses a collision is imminent, a camera-based traffic-sign recognition system that reminds the driver of the current speed limit, and Ford’s useful automatic parking system—although we maintain that parking for yourself is not that hard, particularly in a car this small. Additionally, the Focus packs a couple of technologies that will sound familiar from the Mercedes-Benz playbook: brake lights that flash when you stomp on the stop pedal and a system that monitors your driving style and suggests a break when it thinks you’re tired. We could do without these nannies, which is good, because the U.S. Focus won’t offer all of them.
There is sophistication here under the skin, but we were less than impressed by the quality of the interior, even in the top-of-the-line Titanium trim level. The angular shapes look fine, and the instrumentation is nicely executed, but there are details throughout that look and feel downright cheap. A perfect example is the big plastic housing for the lane-departure camera. Hidden behind the rearview mirror, this chunky casing could not have cost more than a few cents.
We do like the exterior and the Darth Vader front fascia, although we imagine the appearance would be more upscale if the upper front air intake were executed as nicely as those on other Ford models. Here, it's just a gap with a big chrome strip in the center. Ford sweated other details, though: We dig the futuristic shape of the taillights, and the shared seam between the right taillight and gas cap on the hatchback is a great touch. And in Europe, an optional lighting package lays a strip of LEDs over the headlights and replaces the taillights with diodes as well.
The lighting is another option we won’t see on the U.S. model. Global car or not, there are still different consumer expectations on different continents. But even if the U.S. isn’t ready for a Ford outfitted like a mini-Mercedes, the new Focus should help us shrug off our perception of small cars as undesirable.
No comments:
Post a Comment