Fundamentally there is nothing wrong with the existing Mk.1 Focus architecture; back in the late '90s, Ford poured in tremendous amounts of money to create a decent frame and an advanced Control Blade multi-link rear suspension setup and it paid off. The '07 Focus is still a great driving car by today's standards, which might explain why Ford didn't feel the need to go reinventing the wheel again. This reasoning was no doubt supported by the car's newfound reliability; after the outgoing model set records for recalls it became one of the most dependable in its segment. Moving to the new design, some of the ingredients have changed, such as the conversion to electrical power steering. Ford has also removed 18 kilos (40 lbs) of weight on average from equivalently equipped vehicles, despite adding on an average of 29 kilos (64 lbs) of additional equipment. And did I mention that the new Focus Sedan is 12-percent more rigid than the old one?
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| I was surprised at how much the Focus has changed; it's grown up in a mature sort of way. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
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| Interior is much improved. It's not bland in the slightest, and the "poke through" console controls are user friendly. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
Though much is the same, the new Focus has a different character than the old one, a more sober, mature character. The steering maintains the effortless, light feeling of the old car, but it's less hyperactive. While still precise it feels slightly dulled when going straight ahead, something I'd chalk up to the setup of the electrical power steering to require less inputs when driven at high speeds on the highway and fewer kickbacks from the wheel. The conversion to an electric rack also leaves the wheel mostly devoid of feedback, an area which the old Focus was very strong. The Focus' handling has also been tweaked fairly substantially to increase its stability. The new model now reacts neutrally to input, safely understeering its way out of problem situations, which is in sharp contrast to the current car's desire to oversteer upon throttle lift-off or when trail braking. Our Sport Package equipped Coupe tester featured a rear stabilizer bar for a slightly flatter ride, but there's still a fair deal of body roll. Still, the new Focus is fun to punt around on back roads, since you can tell it's trying to make an effort to engage you in the heat of the moment with its slightly more burbly exhaust note and the audible intake sucking air in, but its trade off makes itself best known when running around town and in traffic.
