Other convenient details include a rear wiper that is engaged by pulling the front wiper stalk backward, rather than the usual button placed haphazardly on the dash. Turn signal and wiper stalks feel and work similar to upscale European brands as well, while easy to understand universal pictographs are everywhere.
The Focus comes in four body styles. A sporty two-door hatchback, new 5-door hatchback, 4-door sedan and cavernous wagon offer a variety of options. The most economically priced is the $15,970 LX sedan that comes with remote keyless entry, power door locks and an AM/FM cassette with theft deterrent and speed sensitive volume. The amount of options throughout the line is too lengthy to list and varies between models. Of note is leather seating surfaces, a moonroof and the obligatory power windows and side mirrors. Optional safety features include ABS, traction control and side-impact airbags.
My test car included a thoughtfully laid out, great sounding 6-disc dash-mounted audio system. It incorporates a pen-size relay that pops out, rather than the removal of the entire faceplate, rendering the entire unit useless to would be thieves - clever.
The seats are comfortable and offer excellent lateral support. The thick leather-wrapped steering wheel included on the test car is optional, and incorporates thumb indents in the best possible positions for performance driving - foreshadowing something more?
Fortunately yes. Ford's engineers delved beyond the skin, endowing the Focus with equally impressive handling. The European derived suspension is taut but not harsh, making quick memory of tight back roads and winding bits of highway.
Likewise the optional 16-valve, 2.0-L Zetec 4-cylinder engine is always ready to rev, but its 130-hp only just reaches the fun factor in the upper rev ranges. That said the 110-hp 8-valve variant is even more biased toward fuel economy rather than 0 to 60 sprints. A 5-speed manual transmission comes standard, with fairly smooth shifting capability attributed to low-friction needle-roller bearings and low-viscosity mineral oil to help improve fuel economy. A 4-speed automatic is also available.