There I was, stuck in traffic on the 710, just north of Compton. The 95-degree California sun bearing down on the Ford Focus had completely overwhelmed the chiller. I phoned TTAC HQ. “I’m ready to start a Ford Death Watch. This car is a disgrace! It’s… un-American!” Calm down, RF told me. Never mind the heat, feel the handling. Thrash it a bit and see what you think. Think? How can you think when there’s a brain-splitting noise coming from the engine bay that sounds like a small washer inside a metal band-aid tin wrapped in paper bags shaken by a cruel, malicious gremlin? At that point, even F1 handling wouldn’t have saved the Focus’ bacon.
At least it’s packaged nicely. Ford’s second generation Escort-killer employs the same tall ‘n boxy design motif as its larger brother, the slow selling (or is that just slow?) Five Hundred. True, both cars could use a bold, Fusion-style makeover. But the Focus got the better end of the deal. While its diminutive size keeps the cute, the Focus’ sheetmetal radiates a bit of sporting intent– especially when viewed head on. The Focus’ flared fenders look the biz. Its butt-in-the-air stance doesn’t. Nor does the wannabe spoiler perched above the trunk. The aerodynamic addendum is a functionally useless throwback to a stupider time that gives the Focus Lamborghini-like rearward visibility. Forget parallel parking; you can’t even scope out hot chicks at stop lights.
The interior is nothing less than a disgrace: an indictment of all that is wrong with American cars. It’s one thing to constantly remind a driver that he’s financially challenged. It’s another to tell him you hate him. The Burger King promotional toy-quality plastics deployed throughout the cabin aren’t just awful; they’re downright nasty. The air vents sag. The dashboard dents when you push on it. The faux carbon fiber is embarrassing. Ripe avocados feel sturdier than the glove box. The seats, despite the optional leather, are like lawn chairs– and not the fancy ones, either. If you can find a more depressing cockpit in a mass market motor, avoid it.
Luckily, I got the Focus out of traffic and found some corners. Suddenly, I noticed that the steering wheel is fantastic. Fat, tiny, firm yet soft– I mean, it’s perfect. While the arm rest was probably skinned with Chinese political dissidents, (whatever is cheapest), it’s ideally positioned. There’s also a groove in the door for your left arm, complete with a grab handle, that’s wonderfully cosseting. It turns out Ford employed a driver– not a cost-cutting committee (with decontented engineers) — to design the really important bits.
Fine, but what happens when you turn the wheel? The sucker squirts. Understeer was virtually absent, and employing trick techniques like trail braking meted out huge rewards when taking speed into corners. After a few hundred miles, I was dying to get this guy to a track and really wring its neck. Going straight is a different story. There’s no torque steer because… there’s no torque. One-hundred and thirty-three hp @ 6000rpm and 133 foot lbs. of torque at a lofty 4500rpm does not a dragster make. Truthfully, until 15mph, the Focus provides quick, golf cart like acceleration. Then it gives up and whines. I admit that my tester’s 2.0-liter 16v DOHC in-line four powerplant was not only new, but mated to an antiquated four-speed slusher. Still; no guts, no suburban glory.
Once underway, the Focus remains planted and focused– its well-sorted MacPherson (front) and SLA (rear) independent suspension (hear that, Mr. Mustang?) dismisses bumps and stifles lean. And then there’s a band between 75 and 85mph where things go all wobbly; the Focus inexplicably loses its "carma." Oddly, above 85mph the Focus returns you to normal programming. Warning! Do not take a Focus above 85mph. Around town the anchors do a worthy job of reining-in whatever speed you manage to eke out. On the highway… when some Scion-driving reprobate cut me off, I kicked hard and thought I was dead. Not that the brakes didn’t grab. They grabbed alright, but the Focus started convulsing, as the rear drums struggled. Wrong answer.
This leads me to a whole series of larger questions. Ford calls the Mazda6 a Fusion/Milan/Zephyr/MKZ. So why not cram the similarly priced Mazda3’s beefier engine and stellar tranny into the Focus? Then, get those guys from the F150’s tough-luxury department to loot the Volvo bin, create a killer cabin and make a fab first impression. That way when Focus drivers add some income they’ll think, “Hmmm… why not a Lincoln?” instead of “American cars suck.” Finally, why sell such a schizo vehicle? Why get so much so right in terms of feel and handling, and then suck runny eggs on the rest? FoMoCo: stick this little guy back in the oven.
[Ford provided the vehicle reviewed, taxes, insurance and a full tank of gas.]
I just went to the ford website and they have an extremely hilarious picture of Taylor Hicks (another American Idol idiot) as their main entrance picture. Bold wins indeed!
Yup, the Focus has a pretty well balanced chassis, it is the most entertaining rental car I’ve driven!
(Keyword: RENTAL)
TTAC needs to follow up with a story on one of these sick puppies:
http://www.ford-v8-focus.com/
Get on it, Mr. Mehta.
Though, I suspect the handling will go right out the window.
Depressing. The Focus was a pretty nice car in ’00 (that’s what year mine is), but it sounds like they’ve moved it downscale. You step in the river, but the water has moved on.
I’ve been reading TTAC for a long time now, here’s why:
What other auto mag/e-mag has the balls to say that, while testing a car, they have been cut off by some punk in a Scion, and then use that as a backdrop to describe the feel of the tested car’s brakes. That is a situation many drivers actually encounter, sometimes at least twice a day (on the way to work, and back).
While other publications use soft, constructive critisism to describe the average American compact car interior, it is not a reflection of what is really being said on the streets. Here, Jonny Lieberman gives his , in black and white, the real sentiments reflected, and saved for posterity, and all to see. Ford, (DCX & GM, I’d listen up too, if I were you) their is a reason a Northern Virginian, if asked to choose, would rather drive a Mazda3 sedan, than a Ford Focus. I’ll give you a hint: it’ll take more than the teeny-bopper body cladding of the ZX4 ST to sway this class of cars’ target demographic in NoVA.
JL, thanks for the read, and to quote you, “bravo…bra-fucking-vo.”
Much Respect TTAC,
–Michael
Cheers, Michael.
Though, in the interest of Truth… let’s just say that Farago has a calming influence on me.
Mark,
The Focus didn’t go downscale per se, it got stagnant. For all of Ford’s talk, this ride (and the Taurus) never got the upgrades/redesigns to keep it competitive.
Sajeev,
The ride is just fine.
It is the interior that is sub-mental.
Also, the door handles are the worst I have ever handled.
can someone explain why the American market doesn’t get the improved and better looking Focus(ie the European one)? it just seems that ford is shooting itself in the foot by building a great car and not selling it to their biggest market
There is no answer.
That’s the really odd part.
Jonny: agreed on the interior. Its an old design and the whole thing needs refreshing.
Dr. Brian: Last I remember, Ford’s excuse for not bringing Euro Focus here was its cost. While its true that Americans don’t normally buy high dollar econoboxes (how is the Audi A3 doing anyway?) Ford really needs a fresh entry in this segment. They are probably gun shy after the relative failure of the Contour/Mystique/Cougar, their last high-content Euro-transplant.
Sajeev,
I believe that the A3 is selling between 600 and 800 units per month and has for the last year. I dont think Audi intended to sell more than that… for fear of the A3 cannibalizing A4 sales. This position is affirmed in my opinion by not making leasing a viable option as there are poor leasing rates. See NY times adverts for A4 & A6 lease rates… A3 where? Audi is also overlooking the entheusiast market by leaving the 2.0T quattro manual out of the US market…. A real unique product would be a 1.9 or 2.0 TDI quattro dsg or manual.
I remember watching that weaksauce show on speed about worlds whateverist auto shows “china”… where ford unveiled a tight little successor to the focus, but it was noted we weren’t going to recieve this product for whatever reason. How strange, we need independant rear suspension for a behemouth truck (explorer) but an updated econobox is just too costly.
Perhaps when we see the $8/gal gasoline buyers will gravitate towards smaller cars like the focus. I guess that would maybe take buyers away from the F150 and other trucks which are actually profitable… hmm.
Mark Fields, Ford’s “President, the Americas” (more on him later) asserts that Ford spends $7.5 BILLION (!) on R&D per year. You have to wonder what they’re researching and developing with that all money when you see what they’ve done with the Focus (nothing) and Taurus (ditto) and the entire Lincoln/Mercury line (ditto again, except for rebadging a few Fusions and Five Hundreds). It’s sad watching the “Total Performance” brand of the 50s and 60s deterioriate into “Totally Pathetic” brand it is now.
Earlier this month I was considering buying an ’06 ZX4 ST manual transmission, and the dealer was kind enough to let me borrow it for 24 hours. I must say, I really liked it. The interior was nothing to write home about, but it handled and accelerated well enough for my not-quite-an-enthusiast-but-something-of-an-aspirant tastes. I was going to get $2,000 off (incentives) as well as the employee-pricing plan (my employer does business with Ford). Without those sweeteners, I wouldn’t have even visited Ford, but to be frank, I was impressed with the car. My wife, however, told me that she wouldn’t be seen riding in the car with me and ridiculed me mercilessly for considering it (insert suburban, car-rental fleet, and butt-ugly jokes here). Suitably chastened, I told her, fine, I’ll spend $5,000 more for the VW new GTI, which I did. I like the GTI a lot, but in my opinion, the Focus matched up pretty well to it.
7.5 billion? How much of that is for PAG?
The reason you get the focus of today is because Ford lost so much money on the original. It was a great car and sold alot, but at a loss. So, the bean counters got involved and pressed for material cost reductions on everything and anything. Some parts made it but much did not, hence the schitzo downgraded focii.
Sajeev,
His exact words were:
The Japanese auto manufacturers employ about 4,000 R&D jobs at 33 facilities nationwide. That’s all well and good, but as a point of comparison, there are 65,000 people employed in auto R&D at 200 facilities in Michigan alone.
Ford alone spends about $7.5 billion a year on R&D. That’s nearly as much as NASA and more than the Department of Agriculture, Interior, Labor, Justice, Commerce, Transportation, EPA, Education and Homeland Security combined.
I’ll let you draw your own conclusions. Or you can just think they really put that much into the US economy every year like he hopes you do. It has to include the PAG. And Mazda. And all their other overseas operations. If it doesn’t, someone has some serious explaining to do to their stockholders about the mismanagement of R&D funds, considering what they’ve developed to sell here!
Frank
Sorry, Sajeev… just reread your post. He didn’t specify how much of that went to whom. From the context of his speech, he wanted the audience to think they spent that much in the Ford R&D facilites in the US.
Frank
Ok gotcha. Judging by the advertising blitz of “Ford working with Volvo to make safer cars” its prolly a safe bet that cash was for all of Ford, not just NA operations.
Just for kicks, I’m gonna throw out another question: anyone know how much green Ford’s dumped into Jaguar since acquisition? That’s where your new Taurus, Crown Vic, and Focus R&D money went.
Not only that, but the Mazda3 MSRPs for nearly a grand cheaper!
Its that in europe, the focus got redone throughly (Mazda3/EuroFusion/S40), and even comes with some serious go-faster kit.
In the US, ford was too (@)#*$ cheap to pay for the tooling to redo the US factory.
Ford is really a mystery how they can screw up so badly. Mazda makes ~800M a year for ford (with ford only owning 1/3rd) and provides a BOATLOAD of free R&D as well (Mazda6 derivitives, CX-7 derivitives, Mazda3 derivitives, 6 speed trannies, VVT engines, better 4-bangers, etc etc etc), and Ford still squanders it all.
Sajeev-
I’ve heard estimates of $2B to $5B that Ford has dumped into Jaguar since they purchased them in 1999. On a per year basis, it is less than $1B.
For a comparo, Toyota puts about $15B into R&D each year.
Please tell me that there is no planned worldwide Jaguar knockoff getting badge engineered from that car as a BMW 1series “beater”!!!!!
Val
That’s much less than I expected. Maybe a large chunk of that R&D cash goes to their class-leading trucks and SUVs. Which, as a Texan, I appreciate…you start noticing these things after you humiliate some guy in a modified Jetta 1.8T in a stock Lincoln Aviator.
Unfortunately for Ford, this was before gas prices went through the roof. :-)
JL u have an awesome writing style
The article really made an entertaining read n of course was informative :)
I rented a very similar car a few weeks ago, but without the leather. You hit the nail on the head with the interior–the redesign borders on criminal. Cheap materials, and the design itself is thoroughly uninspired.
The Mazda3 uses a similar engine, just with VVT. It’s not going to make much of a difference. If you want to scoot, get the ST with the manual. Quite fun. Same awful IP, though.
Figure out the seat height control? When I got my car, the seat was all the way up. And it’s high up even in its lowest position. The control is so hard to find, I wonder how many renters simply endured the seat in its highest position, thinking it was not adjustable.
I love my ’06 ZX4 ST.
I traded in an ’04 SRT-4 for it, and have never regretted making the change. The former’s “Neon” bodystyle (along with it’s “Viper inspired seats”) made it too uncomfortable for me to drive on a daily basis.
I like Ford’s overall design concept of an “upright seating position” that it has applied to nearly it’s entire vehicle line-up. Always did, always will.
Also, the body structure/integrity is on a much higher level than that of my former Dodge. And I don’t really miss the 80 hp that I lost in the trade, as there is an ample supply of aftermarket goodies for those who want to “crank up the hp” (I’ve already added about 10 hp to my stock vehicle’s 150 hp 2.3 L Duratec with just the addition of a Steeda intake/Cat-back exhaust).
So kudos to Ford for making a solid car that is a ball to drive and is still comfortable on the bod …
But doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg to drive (sorry, but $27,000 for just a mildly optioned Mustang GT is outrageous).
I’m a Focus owner myself (as my screen name suggests) and I must say this assessment of the current Focus seems to be fairly well spot-on. The Focus started out promising but was clearly left to waste (well, here in North America anyway) – by the time the “new” 05 model was introduced I had pretty much stopped holding out hope for something exciting. Yawn. I’ve got the “best” Focus model you could get in 2002, the SVT, and it’s still weaksauce compared to the RS that Europe was treated to. The idea that the 2005/2006 North American ST is supposed to be the “performance” model is laughable when you look at what Ford Europe is selling with the ST badge on it.
Also, from the perspective of an owner with an older model, the new interior does seem to reek of cost-cutting, like Ford looked at the situation and said “hmm, how much cheaper can we make this and still get away with it?” And this is not Focus-exclusive, I have seen this on a rental Taurus, and a rental Freestar van, both the newest model years available; same cheap, hard, ugly plastics with crude fit and visible mold lines. A shame. Come on Ford, get it together.
Well, you’re off the mark on this one 02SVTF. Way off.
Carpages.co.uk shows a test of the European ST with an as tested price of L20,720.
http://www.carpages.co.uk/ford/ford-focus-st-review-part-1-21-05-06.asp
This converts to $37,657.51 US Dollars!
Someone would have to be literally insane to pay almost $40,000 for a 217hp Focus.
My $19,000 151hp ’06 is not what is “laughable” 02SVTF, rather, it is the idea of a $37,000+, 217 hp Focus which is really “laughable”.
So for that price Ford, you might as well as keep your “European ST” IN Europe.
Because no American is going to be stupid enough to pay that much for a car over here.
“Come on Ford, get it together”.
Okay, thanks for that useless bit of nonsense. Can you think of another European-derived hatchback with a high price selling just great here in the U.S.? How about the new VW GTI? The performance between the two is comparable, and the price Ford charges is not exactly set in stone my friend. Just because that’s what it sells for in Europe doesn’t mean that’s the price Ford would charge for it here in North America.
What’s “insane” is paying $20,000 for a North American ST and thinking you just bought yourself a bona fide performance vehicle. I guess people like you are the reason Ford isn’t selling the better products here, because there’s more than enough people willing to pay less and get A LOT less in return.
Useless nonsense? What world do you live on 02SVTF?
$36,000 for a Focus is not “useless nonsense”, not to anybody, no matter where they’re from. And there is no way that the price tag is gonna drop over $16,000 in the States so as to make it competitive with my US spec ST. For anyone to think that it would drop that much they would have to be crazy.
The GTI you say? The 200hp GTI STARTS at $3,000 MORE than my loaded ST, and weighs 400 lbs. more to boot. So alot of that 200hp advantage has already been lost from the git go.
But heh, it’s prety close in price to my ST, right?
Wrong! A search of my local dealer’s lots show that they sticker for between $22,500 to $25,000. That’s $3,500 to $6,000 more than my fully equipped ST.
Do your research 02SVTF, before you make such senseless comparisons. My US spec ST is a great value performance car, and it remains so. I’ve proved that.
But heh, I guess it’s because of people like you that Ford gets away with charging such incredible prices for their Euro spec ST. Because other foolish people such as yourself would not only defend their pricing policies, but would actually go ahead and buy one to boot.
So please 02SVTF (as it relates to why Auto Manufacturers are literally getting away with “financial rape”), stop being part of the problem …
And start being part of the solution.
Though from your less-than-informed attitude, I seriously doubt that you will. Honestly, you insult SVTF owners everywhere with your logic (or lack thereof).
What in the hell are you even talking about? Do you know?
#1, I wasn’t comparing the price of the VW GTI to YOUR car, I was comparing it to the Euro ST, as in, an example of how a relatively high-dollar Euro hatch could sell well here in the States, in spite of its price. Option the GTI up and it reaches the low 30s, which is a price range that is totally attainable for the Euro ST if sold in this market, and the performance between those cars would be comparable. I don’t know why you keep referring to the performance of your car as a comparison point?? Call me back when your car can hit 60 mph in the 6-second range like the cars I mentioned can, stock from the factory.
#2, my original point had nothing to do with cost. I don’t WANT your shitty half-assed ST, I don’t care if you find it to be a great bargain. I would be willing to pay more for a car with the quality improvements, refinement, and speed of the Euro ST… all qualities your warmed-over version of a car that debuted 7 years ago lacks. Just because you balk at a higher-priced Focus (whatever that price may be) doesn’t mean EVERYONE ELSE out there thinks like you, so stop using phrases like “Someone would have to be literally insane” or “they would have to be crazy” because that’s only your OPINION. You state those things as though they are FACT! Hello??!
#3, Ford doesn’t even sell the Euro-spec Focus here, so how are they getting away with those “incredible” prices? Are you saying you think they overcharge the European consumer? Go to Europe, the Focus is NOT the bottom of the line cheapest car Ford sells in Europe, it is positioned as a mid-grade car and the price is according to that. People in Europe value qualities like hatchback utility and small size, there are plenty of vehicles you might think (in your OPINION) should be cheap, but they are not, and yet people still buy them. How about that?
#4 “Financial rape” huh? You’re going off on some kind of bizarre tangent now, I guess you think your ST should have been even cheaper than what you paid for it? Here’s a thought: don’t buy a new car then. If you think they charge too much, don’t support the system. Buy a used car, ride a bike, walk.
And, BTW, that GTI would be worth every penny of the “$3,500 to $6,000” it cost over the price of your “fully-equipped” ST.
firemanfrank: you do know that ford can build cars in america right?
you do know that they could(if ford wanted) copy the tooling and build the Euro spec ST in america pretty cheaply.
Answer to the original question in the article… why, yes… yes they did. The new Focus is a new Mazda3… just more expensive with a nicer looking interior.
Just don’t expect the AC to be much stronger, though.
RE: Euro Focus Prices: UK prices aren’t representative of the value of the car in general, as they pay taxes through the wazoo. A European Focus ST sold at American prices would likely come in at the same price point as the Golf GTi, or lower.
In the UK, the Golf stickers for over L 20k, also. Meaning to say, their price HAS dropped that $16k in the move Stateside. But not really. That price difference is all tax. Ergo, a Euro Focus ST here would start at exactly the same price as the Golf GTi.
The reason Ford won’t bring the new Focus in is money. Not the high cost of the new Focus per unit, itself… but because Ford isn’t willing to spend money to tool up for the new Focus when it’s still milking the old design for all it’s worth… just like they did… oops, are still doing, with the Taurus.
Yes, they do have most of the tooling to do it… but that tooling is busy making Mazda3s at the moment. Ford isn’t very eager to compete with the Mazda3 with a newer and more developed version of that platform… not just yet.
Thank you to both Dr.Brian and niky for making two good points! I mean after all, my Mk. I Focus was built in Hermosillo, Mexico – not Germany. MSRP on my car was $18,670 U.S. – a quick search of the internet seems to show that the selling price of the ST170 would have been equal to about $29,000 in U.S. currency (at today’s exchange rates, yes, but the price gap is still clear). So how about that? Two cars virtually identical and yet selling for prices markedly different. Add sales tax, license, blah, blah, blah here in the U.S. and the price is still vastly different. NOT POSSIBLE! How can that be, firemanfrank?
02SVTF… WOW
What an ignorant person you are… I mean you are putting down a Focus… your own car… that doesn’t make any sense at all. You bought the car and then rag on it… do you know how stupid you sound?
Unfortunately even though Firemanfrank doesn’t particularly care for my opinions or me in general… I am going to have to agree with firemanfrank 100%.
I have a U.S spec ST and would NEVER pay that kind of money for a Focus… I have a FULLY LOADED ST and walked out paying a little over 19,500 after rebates and all. With what I have done to the car performance wise (about 4500 bucks) I will be putting out 215-220 crank HP and I will soon to have a dyno to prove it.
Firemanfrank has not said anything that was “NONSENSE” only facts… which I wish I could say the same for this review… all it is is OPINION’S.
Of course it makes sense for me to “put down the Focus.” I’m not ignorant at all, I’m college educated, with three degrees, and furthermore (and to the point), I’ve had the car more than three and a half years, and after all the trouble I’ve had with this car, believe me I have earned the right to say whatever I damn well please about the Focus. It’s a love/hate relationship, and a lot of Focus owners feel that way the longer they own their vehicle. The only thing that’s “stupid” is people who blindly support a brand or product – because I own a Focus myself I’m supposed to support the Focus no matter what?
And BTW, since we’re all going off on an ST tangent, myself included, let us not forget the car reviewed was an SES, not the ST. IMO, the ST is the only current U.S. Focus that’s even worth considering. The rest is mediocre. And even the ST is really nothing to lose sleep over. You guys who keep talking about “I can mod this, and mod that, and have xxx amount of horsepower” are forgetting that the VAST MAJORITY of buyers are never going to engage in that kind of activity, they are looking for the complete package from the factory, and the Focus is really falling behind in that category. But, just to follow your argument, I guess you think only the U.S. model ST can be modded? If Ford sold the Mk. II here complete with a turbocharged engine, you couldn’t mod that? Because modding a turbo engine is going to net you a lot more gains that pushing what you can out of the 2.3 Duratec.
A second generation US-Focus = Mazda 3 or Volvo S40/V50. The generation gap can be felt in the thickness of your wallet. If you want a better car you just have to pay more money, something americans seem reluctant to do.