There’s no denying the fact that ever since the glory days of Ford passenger cars – circa early 90’s – there has been a dearth of run-of-the-mill passenger cars available locally from the Blue Oval, that would cause the hairs on the back of your neck to come to attention. Sure there were the smatterings of ST’s and RS’s that most petrolheads would trade-in their first-born for, but nothing much for the regular Joe with a smaller budget to really aspire to. Until now!
Having recently had a go at the all-new Ford Focus during its launch, it was time for a much longer test drive, which we attended very recently. The gist of it, seeing as how nobody seems to have the time to read long articles these days, is summed up in these 5 pointers below, beginning with….
Twisted Practicality: It’s the perfect ‘family car’ for the family man…with a dark ‘petrolhead’ side.
Are you a family man with a wife and kid who isn’t about to hang up his PUMA driving shoes anytime soon, and still craves the occasional ‘spirited’ run with just you and the lads? Do you currently feel you need at least 2 cars for that; one for the whole family and one for those much-needed Sunday drives with the boys, but don’t have the budget for it?
Well, fret not ‘cos you don’t, because insofar as ‘family-car’ type space is concerned, there’s a helluva lot of room in the new Focus, not just in terms of cabin size, but also luggage-hauling capacity. Yes, there’s enough passenger-comfort shoehorned into the Focus cabin to make even the fussiest, (wife) fusspot, (mother in law) nuisance, (kids) very happy during any commute, be it long or short, but with one added bonus…
Hidden Powers: You’ll not believe how fast it is…shh, don’t tell the wife.
There’s no getting around this, and there’s no need to sugar-coat it, this car is very, very fast. There’s 180Ps and 240Nm of torque just waiting to be unleashed from a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder EcoBoost (turbocharged), direct-injection engine with twin-independent variable camshaft timing, and 6-speeds plus paddle-shifts to play with, from a new automatic gearbox, equipped with both normal and sport modes.
Now, the best thing is, if your wife just happens to be the resident ‘speed-limiter’ (aren’t they all) the new Focus has a very clever trick up its sleeve; she’ll never know how fast you’re going. I’m not kidding, the NVH is so good in this car that 160kmh feels like sixty less. But it gets to 160 (and beyond) very quickly, the only giveaway to your surreptitious intentions being…
Sound Engineering: The Focus rewards with something that all other new cars in this segment have forgotten…
Hit the accelerator hard and you’ll know what I’m talking about. In a world that has become so afraid of untoward engine noise, the new Focus says ‘phah!’ and does things its own way. There’s a very distinctive ‘growl’ that emanates from the engine when pushed hard, and only reveals itself thus. It’s a bit of a Dr.Jeckyll and Mr.Hyde scenario really, on the one hand when driven sedately it’s as quiet and refined as a C-segmenter should be, BUT alter your driving attitude and the Focus will gleefully do the same.
It’s a glorious burbly-rasp that results when driven hard, clearly audible from within the cabin as the speedo hurtles past all country-wide legal limits, and continues accelerating well beyond what you’d expect a 1.5 to do. Its grunt is comparable to a 2.0L and above, easily. And then just when you think that’s all it has to offer, it goes and surprises you again with…
Ride & Handling: Sorcery was definitely involved…
There’s an age-old automotive conundrum that still plagues ALL cars that are not equipped with electronically-selectable /adjustable suspension, and that is combining comfort with performance handling. It’s an ‘either or’ deal really, it’s not possible to have a car that handles like it was made for a race-track, but at the same time be gentle and comfortable for daily use on our less-than-perfect roads. Until now.
The new Focus seems to have an uncanny ability to be really forgiving on roads that could use a complete makeover, but at the same time return class-leading handling characteristics on tight twists and turns. Even the steering (EPS) is nicely weighted, and offers a lot of feedback during more spirited drives. I’ve often been asked why this ‘feedback’ is so important when driving hard, and the simple answer is, if you can’t feel what the front tyres are doing under you, there’s really no way to know what the rest of the car is doing, when you’re on the limit and when there’s more, and the whole experience becomes sanitized. It never feels that way driving the Focus. This car offers the best ride and handling package in this segment, bar none. Period. And if that still isn’t enough…
Electric Dreams: Putting technology in the right place…
Here’s a chance for you married boy-racers to score some brownie points with the missus and it’s all thanks to the Focus. “Honey, this car can park itself!” Yup, no kidding. If ever you needed justification / blessing from the other half to buy a new car, this could very well be the ‘be all, end all’ of arguments.
The new Focus can not only park itself in parallel and perpendicular parking, thanks to more sensors, it can correct itself so you don’t appear on the numerous social-media pages dedicated to idiots who park badly. The new Focus now also comes with ‘Park Out Assist’, which means, it will also get you safely out of a parallel parking spot all by itself; you don’t even need to touch the steering wheel, it turns itself. Sorcery. It’s all sorcery if you ask me…
Conclusion: So why shouldn’t you go test drive the new Ford Focus?
Simply because I’m pretty sure Ford values a strong, healthy, happy relationship between you and your spouse, so if she’s set on buying something else for the family, this car is going cause complications in that department, FOR SURE. Why? ‘Cos you’re really gonna want this car instead of the X, Y and Z models that you’ve already tested, and she may already have other ideas (again…don’t they all), so this is going to be a problem (Psst! mention that it parks itself! Then show her this awesome photo of how good it looks below).
But all said and done and all levity aside, the new Ford Focus, available in three variants with prices starting at RM111k, and available in both sedan and hatchback guise, most definitely deserves your attention and strong consideration. It’s a fantastic car to drive, it ticks all the ‘must-have’ boxes and then some. Yes it’s a ‘family-car’, but who ever said they need to be boring? So, Have you driven a Ford, lately? If you haven’t, you really should try this one. – Chris Wee.
Photo Gallery (photos by Aaron Lim, courtesy of Ford Malaysia)
