Monday, February 14, 2005
Winning formula - Ford Focus
Along with new Mondeo, the Focus was the start of Ford Europe's giant product leap. Despite selling in huge numbers, nobody could say that previous Fords were design classics, whereas current Fords tend to be - in dynamic terms anyway - best-in-class.
This is probably down to two people, Richard Parry-Jones for the engineering and J Mays for the styling. Richard is Ford through-and-through, but J Mays was headhunted from Audi where he was Head of Design (he is now responsible for Ford styling Worldwide). He subsequently recruited Chris Bird, the designer of the original Audi A4 who has since become Design Director Ford Europe and has brought Audi disciplines to Ford design management. The chief designer of the new Focus is Claudio Messale, who has attempted to bring some Italian flair to what was already an excellent piece of design.
In the lower-medium sector, every manufacturer looked to Golf - the undisputed classicon - for a benchmark. Volkswagen took perceived quality to new levels in the Mk 4 Golf and caused other manufacturers to raise their games to the point that the Mk 5 Golf no longer has any real advantage over its competitors. Whereas VW had to lift the dynamic qualities of the Golf to match Focus, Ford had to lift perceived build qualities to match those of the Golf. And judging by the tighter panel gaps and improved interior materials they have succeeded.
New Focus shares its underpinnings with Mazda 3, Volvo S40 and V50 and of course Focus C-Max, though they all look very different and buyers really do benefit from the cost savings of joint development. The new Focus has styling cues reminiscent of the new Volvo S40 and its styling is certainly less of a dramatic leap forward than was current Focus over the old Escort. This is a process of evolution, says Ford, doubtless mindful of not wishing to move too far away from a winning formula in the design of the current model.
As is customary, the new car is bigger with a 25mm longer wheelbase, 40mm wider track and a 113mm longer boot. Extra interior room has been gained by pulling the windscreen forward by 140mm and the extra boot length increases capacity to 475 litres. The aim of the design team was to build on the driving qualities, with improved cabin comfort and ambience. Ford has worked hard on NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) and has achieved a great deal in this area. The engineers felt that the original Focus had room for improvement in terms of road and engine noise, and interior plushness and so have focused on these areas.
Ford had the benefit of being last to upgrade its lower-medium contender and has been able to benchmark against the high standards already set by Golf, Astra and BMW's new 1 Series. They would have no excuse not to come out best and on reflection they have succeeded, although it is close. Who would have thought that Ford and Vauxhall could match VW and BMW for cabin quality?
Initially, Ford will offer four petrol engines: 1.4-litre (80bhp), 1.6-litre (100bhp), 1.6-litre (115bhp), 2.0-litre (145bhp) and two diesel engines: 1.6-litre (110bhp) and 2.0-litre (136bhp) with a 1.6-litre (90bhp) diesel from February 2005 and undoubtedly more higherpower engines to follow. The 1.6 115bhp engine (Duratec Ti-VCT to give its full title) is new and very sophisticated, with variable camshaft timing which improves airflow and delivers more power and torque, yet improves economy by 5%
There are six trim levels starting with the Studio and splitting into the comfort orientated LX and Ghia and the sporty - Sport, Zetec and the new range-topping Titanium. At their press conference Ford showed a slide with a question mark above the Titanium model and this could well be an ST version.
Despite the rapid growth of diesel power, Ford reckons that 70 per cent of Focus sales will be petrol and the body split will be 73 per cent 5-door, 12 per cent estate, 10 per cent 3 door and 5 per cent 4 door (due February 2005). The forecast trim breakdown is 5 per cent Studio, 45 per cent LX, 25 per cent Zetec, 20 per cent Ghia and 5 per cent Titanium, though these predictions are rarely accurate and Ford will hope to sell more of the more profitable, high-specification cars. The new Focus will be available for ordering in October 2004 and on sale next January.
The original Focus was met with rave reviews and often described as a masterpiece with high levels ofcomfort and wonderful steering and handling. Ford had previously attained best-seller status with mediocre cars, but Focus would deserve its number one position. In fact 4,000,000 Focuses have been sold since its launch in 1998 and, because of the demand, there has been no over-supply and residual values remain very good for a high-volume hatchback. The car has proved durable and five and six-year-old cars still look current and drive as well as when new.
Despite the current model still having class-leading dynamic qualities, Ford wanted to do better with the new Focus and move the car towards the premium sector with higher levels of perceived quality. They have certainly achieved this and if the interior badges were removed, this could easily be a BMW or Audi. The dashboard is a huge improvement on the current car which tended to be stylized for the sake of it. The new instrument cluster is perfectly situated in front of the driver and the audio and air conditioning controls are intuitive, with no need to refer to the hand book.
When it comes to driving, the best just got better with an incredibly fluid feel to the steering and a wonderful handling/ride balance. The 2.0 TDCi is the real peach, giving much better real world performance than the 2.0-litre petrol, but with less noise and far better fuel consumption.
FW OVERVIEWFord staked a lot on the original Focus and their investment paid off with profitable best-seller status. They are again pushing the boundaries forward with even better build and dynamic qualities at an even more competitive price. Some may feel that the avant-garde appearance of the original has been toned down, but there is no doubt that the Focus will remain number one, despite strong opposition from Golf, Astra and BMW 1 Series.
FORD FOCUS 2.0 TDCIOTR price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBAEngine cyl/cc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/1,997Max power . . . . . . . . . . . 135bhp @ 4,000rpmMax torque . . . . . . . . . . . 236lb.ft @ 2,000rpm0-62mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3secsTop speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125mphCombined MPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.4mpgCO2 emissions . . . . . 148g/km (15% in 04/05)
This is probably down to two people, Richard Parry-Jones for the engineering and J Mays for the styling. Richard is Ford through-and-through, but J Mays was headhunted from Audi where he was Head of Design (he is now responsible for Ford styling Worldwide). He subsequently recruited Chris Bird, the designer of the original Audi A4 who has since become Design Director Ford Europe and has brought Audi disciplines to Ford design management. The chief designer of the new Focus is Claudio Messale, who has attempted to bring some Italian flair to what was already an excellent piece of design.
In the lower-medium sector, every manufacturer looked to Golf - the undisputed classicon - for a benchmark. Volkswagen took perceived quality to new levels in the Mk 4 Golf and caused other manufacturers to raise their games to the point that the Mk 5 Golf no longer has any real advantage over its competitors. Whereas VW had to lift the dynamic qualities of the Golf to match Focus, Ford had to lift perceived build qualities to match those of the Golf. And judging by the tighter panel gaps and improved interior materials they have succeeded.
New Focus shares its underpinnings with Mazda 3, Volvo S40 and V50 and of course Focus C-Max, though they all look very different and buyers really do benefit from the cost savings of joint development. The new Focus has styling cues reminiscent of the new Volvo S40 and its styling is certainly less of a dramatic leap forward than was current Focus over the old Escort. This is a process of evolution, says Ford, doubtless mindful of not wishing to move too far away from a winning formula in the design of the current model.
As is customary, the new car is bigger with a 25mm longer wheelbase, 40mm wider track and a 113mm longer boot. Extra interior room has been gained by pulling the windscreen forward by 140mm and the extra boot length increases capacity to 475 litres. The aim of the design team was to build on the driving qualities, with improved cabin comfort and ambience. Ford has worked hard on NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) and has achieved a great deal in this area. The engineers felt that the original Focus had room for improvement in terms of road and engine noise, and interior plushness and so have focused on these areas.
Ford had the benefit of being last to upgrade its lower-medium contender and has been able to benchmark against the high standards already set by Golf, Astra and BMW's new 1 Series. They would have no excuse not to come out best and on reflection they have succeeded, although it is close. Who would have thought that Ford and Vauxhall could match VW and BMW for cabin quality?
Initially, Ford will offer four petrol engines: 1.4-litre (80bhp), 1.6-litre (100bhp), 1.6-litre (115bhp), 2.0-litre (145bhp) and two diesel engines: 1.6-litre (110bhp) and 2.0-litre (136bhp) with a 1.6-litre (90bhp) diesel from February 2005 and undoubtedly more higherpower engines to follow. The 1.6 115bhp engine (Duratec Ti-VCT to give its full title) is new and very sophisticated, with variable camshaft timing which improves airflow and delivers more power and torque, yet improves economy by 5%
There are six trim levels starting with the Studio and splitting into the comfort orientated LX and Ghia and the sporty - Sport, Zetec and the new range-topping Titanium. At their press conference Ford showed a slide with a question mark above the Titanium model and this could well be an ST version.
Despite the rapid growth of diesel power, Ford reckons that 70 per cent of Focus sales will be petrol and the body split will be 73 per cent 5-door, 12 per cent estate, 10 per cent 3 door and 5 per cent 4 door (due February 2005). The forecast trim breakdown is 5 per cent Studio, 45 per cent LX, 25 per cent Zetec, 20 per cent Ghia and 5 per cent Titanium, though these predictions are rarely accurate and Ford will hope to sell more of the more profitable, high-specification cars. The new Focus will be available for ordering in October 2004 and on sale next January.
The original Focus was met with rave reviews and often described as a masterpiece with high levels ofcomfort and wonderful steering and handling. Ford had previously attained best-seller status with mediocre cars, but Focus would deserve its number one position. In fact 4,000,000 Focuses have been sold since its launch in 1998 and, because of the demand, there has been no over-supply and residual values remain very good for a high-volume hatchback. The car has proved durable and five and six-year-old cars still look current and drive as well as when new.
Despite the current model still having class-leading dynamic qualities, Ford wanted to do better with the new Focus and move the car towards the premium sector with higher levels of perceived quality. They have certainly achieved this and if the interior badges were removed, this could easily be a BMW or Audi. The dashboard is a huge improvement on the current car which tended to be stylized for the sake of it. The new instrument cluster is perfectly situated in front of the driver and the audio and air conditioning controls are intuitive, with no need to refer to the hand book.
When it comes to driving, the best just got better with an incredibly fluid feel to the steering and a wonderful handling/ride balance. The 2.0 TDCi is the real peach, giving much better real world performance than the 2.0-litre petrol, but with less noise and far better fuel consumption.
FW OVERVIEWFord staked a lot on the original Focus and their investment paid off with profitable best-seller status. They are again pushing the boundaries forward with even better build and dynamic qualities at an even more competitive price. Some may feel that the avant-garde appearance of the original has been toned down, but there is no doubt that the Focus will remain number one, despite strong opposition from Golf, Astra and BMW 1 Series.
FORD FOCUS 2.0 TDCIOTR price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBAEngine cyl/cc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/1,997Max power . . . . . . . . . . . 135bhp @ 4,000rpmMax torque . . . . . . . . . . . 236lb.ft @ 2,000rpm0-62mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3secsTop speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125mphCombined MPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.4mpgCO2 emissions . . . . . 148g/km (15% in 04/05)
# posted by Liz Laurie @ 2:25 PM 
