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Ford Focus in three forms arrives with taut European manners
manners
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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MALAGA, Spain -- The road to Ronda, a walled fortress stacked atop stone bluffs in the Sierra Nevadas of southern Spain, runs up from the Mediterranean coast at Marbella against the mile-high Sierra Bermeja escarpment.
It wiggles up, around and through steep limestone cliffs over a narrow strip of asphalt to reach the Ronda plateau, along the way creating a hair-raising route which, in the right car rigged for aggressive action, affords a chance to play the gears, zip past so many bulky tour buses and have a lot of fun driving.
On a recent romp up the A376 road to Ronda, we played the gears, passed all of the buses and enjoyed an excellent time in the driver's seat, although our set of wheels for the journey was not a powerful sports car but rather an eensy-weensy hatchback coupe cast in a new series which the automaker Ford has developed to conquer the car world.
This latest Ford -- called the Focus -- clawed the dangerous road by displaying an aggressive attitude with precise European manners, despite its relatively modest powerplant and the small-car scale.
It provided a surprising amount of space in the concise cabin for a pair of travelers and their overwhelming load of luggage, with twin bucket seats set in front of a small fold-down rear bench and the back bay for gear.
It also looked dramatic and different, with a rounded form but sharply creased planes and wild shapes for lamps.
In a week's worth of driving around the Costa del Sol in Spain, the Focus proved itself as easy to use and entirely comfortable for long drives, but also thrifty to operate with an engine that earns high fuel economy figures.
Despite the size, it's an impressive vehicle -- and a classy step above the typical lot of small economy cars.
The Focus rolled out late last year in Europe configured as a three-door hatchback coupe, four-door sedan and five-door wagon.
It reaches the United States marketplace this fall wearing badges for model-year 2000 following production of North American models at Ford plants in Wayne, Mich., and Hermosillo, Mexico.
To create this new car for a world market, Ford with its global tentacles went to Europe and tapped into designers based in England and Germany to fashion a vehicle that's sized right for navigating narrow streets of London, Paris, Cairo, Dubai, Rio, Sidney and Singapore.
The resultant structure, while narrow like other subcompacts, stretches long and rises high.
Ford's designers counterbalanced spatial confinements of small cars by raising the roof and lengthening the wheelbase of the Focus to fashion an interior environment which feels spacious. Doors run deep to make entry and exit easy and front seats sit high for a commanding position, yet there's still generous headroom even for tall riders.
Essentially, the car was designed around the body sizes of intended occupants, with more than adequate room crafted for long legs and broad shoulders.
It's this attention to personal space that makes the Focus feel like a larger vehicle than the linear dimensions categorize it, and this perceived spaciousness means you don't mind spending time strapped inside the cabin.
Issues of personal safety in a small car were also addressed with structural elements of the Focus and the variety of active and passive safety systems incorporated into its design.
&&& The rigid steel safety cage contains built-in crush zones which will collapse in a controlled manner to absorb impact forces from a collision and deflect them from the passenger compartment. High-strength steel components appear at critical points in the front and back and on both sides.
&&& Seat belts have pre-tensioners and load-limiting retractors, while riders up front get frontal air bags, with tall four-gallon side-impact air bags available optionally to cushion heads and shield torsos laterally.
&&& A stiff platform, when linked to the lively independent suspension system and quick rack and pinion steering also becomes an active safety instrument in the hands of an alert driver to move the car away from danger.
&&& Further, brakes tie to available anti-lock controls.
&&& The suspension design installs MacPherson struts in front with coil springs and A-arms mounted on sub-frames, and a multi-link system in back with one upper and two lower control arms settles the tail on the road.
Working together, suspension and steering elements combine with that rigid chassis to create a taut but fluid machine with exacting deportment. The ride feels smooth and competent, and in curves like we tackled on the road to Ronda our Focus checked excess body sway and maintained a stable and predictable stance even under the stress of a sharp curve entered with too much speed.
As for performance, the Focus brings choices from two versions of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder aluminum Ford engine.
The economy mode with single cam configuration and split-port induction drops into base editions of the sedan and wagon, delivering 110 hp and fuel economy figures which extend as high as 35 mpg with a manual transmission.
The zippy mode with dual cams on top has more spark and more power -- to 130 hp. This is Ford's so-called Zetec engine and it shows up as the standard plant for the ZX3 hatchback coupe and ZTS sedan but may be added optionally to a LX or SE sedan and the SE wagon.
It's sporty with a manual stick but smooth and quiet with an optional four-speed automatic.
Despite the slick designs and caliber of precise hardware and comfortable appointments, the Focus comes to market with competitive price points.
A ZX3 three-door hatchback coupe with Zetec engine lists for $12,280, including a $415 delivery fee.
The four-door sedan hosts three levels of trim, from LX and SE with the smaller engine to a ZTS with the Zetec. prices begin at $12,540 for the LX and extend to $15,580 for the ZTS.
The five-door station wagon in SE trim rises to $15,795 at the top of the Focus price curve.
&&& Features on all Focus sedans and wagons include five-person seating with rear seatbacks split 60/40 to fold, a center console, passive anti-theft system, four-speaker audio package with cassette deck, and power door locks. The ZX3 coupe adds larger aluminum wheels, integrated foglamps, a tachometer and sporty leather-wrapped steering wheel.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2000 FORD FOCUS Specs |
| Description: |
Subcompact economy car, 3-door hatchback coupe, 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon |
| Model Options: |
Subcompact economy car, 3-door hatchback coupe, 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon |
| Wheelbase: |
103.0 inches
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| Overall Length: |
Coupe: 168.1 inches
Sedan: 174.9 inches
Wagon: 178.2 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.0-L I4 SPI
DOHC 2.0-L I4 ZETEC
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/4
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| Drive: |
Front
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| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/ABS opt.
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + opt. 2 (side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
SPI M/5: 28/35 mpg
SPI A/4: 26/33 mpg
ZET M/5: 26/33 mpg
ZET A/4: 25/32 mpg
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| Price: |
$ 12,280 to $ 15,795 |
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