Amercian Ford gives Focus more muscle

With Volkswagen's Golf Mk. V and the General's new Astra already on sale in Europe, Ford has a lot of work ahead of it.

As such, American customers get the face-lifted Focus (pictured) for the time being, to try and keep sales from dropping.

Most other other territories, including Australia and Europe, will have to make do with the current model until the all-new Focus arrives early in 2005.

Talk of the all-new Focus based on Ford's global C1 small car platform - currently used by vehicles like the Mazda3 and Volvo S40/V50 - has been quashed in the US with the release of the restyled 2005 model.

The 2005 US spec Ford Focus isn't a dramatic departure from the current model in terms of styling, and beyond a mild facelift and rear end restyle, the new model will deliver more refinement, according to Ford.

This can only be seen as a good thing, because the Focus was endowed with a delightfully responsive chassis that, even when under powered, was still a hoot to drive. See our Focus ST170 road test for evidence.

In the US, the new Focus will be launched in four body styles: The ZX3, ZX4, ZX5 and ZXW.

These will comprise of a three-door hatch, a four-door sedan, a five-door hatch and the ZXW is a station wagon.

The revised model range has been given an even more technologically advanced engine range, with Ford claiming the new 2005 Focus will produce 32 per cent less smog-forming pollution, while at the same time reducing fuel consumption and generating up to 24 per cent more power.

Two new engines will be offered, 2.0-litre and 2.3-litre inline four-cylinder motors rated @ 100kW (136bhp) and (151bhp), which combine with a special PZEV (Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) model that is cleaner, Ford says, than some hybrid electric vehicles.

The entry-level DOHC 2.0-litre Duratec engine makes a Corolla-rivalling 100kW @ 6000rpm, and 180Nm of torque @ 4500rpm, which will endow the Focus with more standard-issue punch than the current 85kW 1.8-litre entry-level model.

The 2.3-litre engine, seen in Ford's Escape and the Mazda3 SP23 among others, generates 110kW of power @ 5750rpm.

Instead of trying to squeeze more poke out of the 2.0-litre VVT mill, Ford simply went for more capacity to increase acceleration levels.

Torque of 209Nm peaks @ 4250rpm will ensure that the tuned 'ST' models are the pick for those looking at a more powerful mid-range, and would also be ideal for tuning purposes (the current 2004 model ST170 model makes 196Nm).

The Duratec '20' and enviro-friendly '20E' 2.0-litre models come equipped with a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic, while the power-packing 2.3-litre Focus ST is offered with a five-speed manual.

Ford's chief US engineer (for Focus) John Sidelko mentioned that the priority for 2005 update was to bring more refinement to the car:

"We have refined the Focus' exterior styling and given it a smart new interior with a very clean, very contemporary instrument panel design.

"We have taken a great handling car and made it steer, ride and stop better. And we've backed up a great chassis with some of the most sophisticated, powerful and 'green' four-cylinder engines you can buy in any car," he said," said Sidelko.

The Ford Focus has always been loved by Boy-Racers, 4-cylinder enthusiasts and tuners alike, thanks to its compact size, edgy look and class-leading chassis.

And though the once-bold look is now less radical, the chassis that has seen the Blue Oval's World Rally Championship hopes soar is still in there, and it still beckons to be thrown into corners like a troublesome toddler.

Ford has chosen not to go the way of electro-hydraulic steering, keeping the driver's hands firmly in communication with the road underneath him.

In addition to the rack-and-pinion steering, a four-wheel independent suspension setup helps keep things smooth on the road.

Making use of MacPherson struts in front and a multi-link Control Blade design in the rear, the front end will lead and the rear will follow as you hammer down some of the hairiest mountain roads ever seen, and Ford even promises to deliver a smooth, well-controlled ride, for those who wish to partake in less manic drives.

The 2005 Ford Focus gets a deceleratory upgrade that still combines front discs and rear drums, but new brake linings are used and together with a disc size increase by about 1-inch over last year's Focus (now 278mm), should provide for an improved braking feel.

In the American market, the Focus ZX4 ST (sedan) rides on unique 16-inch aluminium alloy wheels, shod with Pirelli P205/50 R16 all-season tyres, and it uses the same front struts and rear shocks as the European/Australian Focus ST170 and the 2004 Focus SVT. It will also get features like a 6-disc in-dash MP3 player stereo, sports seats, front foglights with silver bezels and a chrome exhaust tip.

While many will lament the dropping of the ST170 and the SVT models, Ford will try and win back American customers with a fresh new approach to styling and a more powerful - and economical - 4-cylinder engine line-up.

In Australia, the new Focus was sitting on the number six spot in the 'small car' category for the month ending April, 2004. It had 6.4 per cent of the market share, where the Toyota Corolla sits atop the table, with 21.5 per cent market share.

To combat closer competitors like the Nissan Pulsar and Holden Astra, Ford may need to drop the entry-level price of the 2005 model Focus when it launches here. The possible inclusion of the 209Nm 2.3-litre four-banger should make for a more driveable hero model in Ford's small car range too.

As for an entirely new Focus based on Ford's C1 underpinnings, we'll have to wait another couple of years, but on the upside the new car does get a fresh interior and the nip and tuck performed up front is far from a step backwards.