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| The 2009 Ford Focus Coupe SES is a good looking little two-door, even if not as dynamically appealing as Ford's European Focus. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press) |
Yeah, we all know the 2009 Ford Focus SES coupe isn't the model the Euro-trash drive, but it's what we've got here on the North American continent and it's not such a bad car that we should, um, trash it.
The Focus model has been around since 2000 as a World Car from Ford, and a nice redesign for 2008 freshened up the body a bunch. Edges are crisp on the 2009 Focus notched coupe (not a hatchback anymore), particularly in top-of-the-line SES trim where it gets a roof-attached rear spoiler with venturis that ostensibly aids downforce.
The overall aero tweaks are minimal on this little car, which is about as big as anyone really needs: 4,445 mm (175 inches) long, 1,725 mm (67.9 inches) wide and 1,488 mm (58.6 inches) tall. The wheelbase is an accommodating and comfortable 2,613 mm (102.9 inches) and the Focus SES weighs in at a fairly lithe 1,174 kilos (2,588 pounds).
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| The Focus is now only available in sedan and this notchback coupe form. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press) |
This front-wheel drive coupe has a reasonable turning circle of 10.4 meters (34.2 feet) and excellent MacPherson strut front and control blade multi-link rear suspensions, both equipped with stabilizer bars. The handling is reasonable and there is good torsional rigidity to the chassis. Ford retains front disc/rear drum brakes for the Focus coupe, adding antilock brakes and electronic stability control as standard with SES. The rack and pinion power steering is a bit on the light side, but that is not unexpected and it's not sloppy.
The 2009 Ford Focus SES coupe has a Duratec 2-liter, 16-valve, all-aluminum inline four cylinder engine that makes 140 horsepower at 6,000 rpm on a 6,500-rpm redline; it has 136 lb-ft of torque at 4,250 rpm. The five-speed manual transmission has good gearing, while the throws are a bit on the long side. The nice single stainless steel exhaust has a good tonal note to it.
