Ford Focus Challenge 2012: an astounding day in the company of a refined car

(22 photos)

By Marc-André Hallé,

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Thursday, June 23, 2011

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Last week I got the chance to take part in the Ford Focus Challenge 2012 organized by, you guessed it, Ford, behind the wheel of its new compact model and alongside eminent bloggers specializing in everything high tech, among other things.

It was a fantastic opportunity to get to know a completely overhauled and very promising car with consumers like you and me, but also to put my “legendary” sense of direction to the test. You see, I’m the type of guy who gets lost in his own backyard.

Photo: Marc-André Hallé/Auto123.com

What could be better than an eight-hour rally during which every aspect of the car (and my so-called sense of direction) would be dissected and extensively tested?

Ford is extremely proud of its 2012 Focus, and Matt St-Pierre, who had a recent encounter with it at its unveiling at the Los Angeles Auto Show, only had good things to say about it. So it was that I had high expectations before ever having sat my butt down in the Focus. Thankfully, the compact munchkin met every one of said expectations, and then some.

The rally kicked off in early afternoon at the chic W hotel in Montreal. I was teamed up with Martin Mainville, winner of the Ford Focus Global Test Drive contest. He knew all about the Focus, as he’d had the chance to try it out before everyone (even us) in Spain, and then drive it on a daily basis for six weeks.

After a formal introduction, we received a booklet outlining the itinerary we had to follow to get to the day’s various activities. We were then lead outside, where a horde of Titanium hatchbacks were waiting, the best-equipped version of the lineup.

We chose a yellow number and my partner, a good sport unaware of my propensity for getting lost, decided to let me drive first. We lowered the windows, cracked the sunroof and took off for our first destination: the ICAR track in Mirabel.

Track as well as road worthy
After a few kilometres, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the materials, the comfortable seats and especially the suspension. The balance achieved between stiffness and vitality maximizes ride comfort on roads of all kinds.