New engines and style for 2005 Ford Focus
Ford's Focus compact car lineup has had an interesting mix of praise and criticism since it debuted in 1999, winning most of the major awards (including North American Car of The Year) and then going through an almost comic string of recalls.
Ford has been working hard to improve the quality of Focus and has been very successful, and now the Detroit-based firm is about to offer an even more exciting product.
On the quality front, Ford of Canada's vice-president of public affairs, John Jelinek, says that Focus now ''ranks as the top pick in the small car segment, according to a leading independent consumer advocacy group that tracks vehicle quality and reliability. J.D. Power & Associates also ranks Focus well above the industry average in its Initial Quality Survey -- on par with Honda Civic.''
When the 2005 Focus models begins rolling out of Ford's Wayne Assembly plant in Michigan (that means no more Mexican cars), they will have what Focus chief engineer John Sidelko calls ''major performance, design and handling improvements,'' including a 24 percent increase in base-model horsepower and a 32 percent reduction in tailpipe emissions.
To add more spice to the Focus lineup, says Sidelko, Ford will add an ST trim that ''marries chassis components from Ford of Europe's Focus ST170 and SVT Focus with a 150-hp, 2.3-litre version of Ford's new Duratec engine family.''
Sidelko says the priority for 2005 was to add more refinement to areas customers can see, and make a bold statement in what they feel and hear -- particularly in the ''stop and go'' department.
''We have refined the Focus's exterior styling and given it a smart new interior with a very clean, very contemporary instrument panel design,'' explains Sidelko. ''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.''
For 2005, Jelinek says, Focus will again offer four body styles but with new, simpler model and trim designations. The range includes a three-door hatchback (ZX3), a four-door sedan (ZX4), a five-door hatchback (ZX5) and a station wagon (ZXW). The entry-level trim series is "S," followed by "SE" and "SES," which have higher levels of standard equipment and unique options.