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| 2005 Ford Focus Review | |||
| Whether you're about to spend $40K on a brand new car, or half that on a used car, it is always important to learn as much as you can about the used car. Read these car reviews to learn about all aspects of the vehicle. Each of the usedcar reviews cover interior and exterior features, options, road tests, and more. | |||
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Introduction
| Road Test
| Inside & Out
| Other Thoughts
| Last Word
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| Road Test | |||
Could've fooled me. Despite some of the oldest bones in the business and America's different suspension tuning, the Focus's character is undiminished. Ten seconds at the wheel are all it takes to sense that the guys who designed the Taurus and the guys who designed the Focus speak two different languages. That the Focus speaks at all is the first clue. Most small cars turn corners with the spirit of a kid chewing spinach, but fling the Focus around and you get nothing but playfulness and encouragement. The feel of the steering is, in a word, great. In two words, really great, and in three, best in class. Effort builds naturally, feedback is abundant, and there's a pure, prominent self-centering action that increases strongly with speed. I was hooked by my first U-turn.That's steering; now on to springing. Suspensions are a compromise no matter how one chooses to tune them. Europe likes them stiff, but since all too many American streets look like the result of clumsily-dropped A-bombs, the front struts and rear mutlilinks ("control blades" in Ford-speak) on our Focus are sprung softer. Despite our SES model's "Enhanced European Suspension," there ain't a tower in all of Italy that leans more than the Focus. And even with the SES's P205/50R16 Pirelli P6 FourSeason tires, grip is not exactly outstanding either. They squeal pretty early considering their low profiles and AA traction rating, especially on so light a car. They do send clear signals, however, which keeps the communication theme going. Furthermore, the Focus can be coaxed into a rear-end slide: just stab the brakes in any moderately-fast turn and the hatch goes flying. It's almost as if Ford re-employed Mazda's rear suspension toe-out feature from those 91-96 Escorts. Danger? This is front-wheel-drive - what danger? Ok, it's a little scary how the traction control seems to wait a few ticks to catch the slide; the day could come when it's one tick too late. But it's still fun. Since not everyone treats his commute as a time trial, the suspension allows for some suppleness in the semi-firm ride. The Focus feels as rock-solid on the freeway as any Euro-bred car. The rear brakes are of a drum design on most models, but respond so normally and naturally that I had to look this up. Even Ford's electronics seem to have undertaken a foreign work ethic: on the slightest uphill grade, the cruise control is absolutely determined to hold your speed, downshifting to second gear and revving the engine's guts out. Such dedication! Remember when older Ford cruise controls simply gave up? If only it could ease up on the throttle once the angles drop; it lingers too long in the lower gear. Also, it steps up in too-large 2-3 MPH increments (picky, I know). 2005 sees more global influence, as all Ford cars powered by 4-cylinder engines (all two of them) have traded in their Ford blocks for Mazda motors. Most Foci get the 2.0-liter found in the base-level Mazda 3 (the one without balance shafts or valve timing, unfortunately), which somehow returns with only 136 horsepower instead of 148. Likewise, the EPA highway mileage rating got knocked from 34 to 32. Who knew numbers could get lost in translation? Living in a state whose abbreviation is CA, MA, ME, NY, or VT earns another downward bump to 130 horsepower in the name of partial-zero emissions. Hey, I'm all for clean air, but in a car that's no powerhouse to begin with, these deductions keep acceleration at barely passable levels. The engine is also a bit loud and agricultural-sounding when going slow, though at higher speeds it seems to play at the right volume since the road noise drowns it out, and all you hear is sportiness. The automatic transmission is also smooth in shifting and free of random lockouts on the shiftgate, unlike American Fords. Those who want real sport in their Focus can order the ST sedan, which gets the Mazda 3's other motor: a stronger, smoother 2.3-liter. It certainly suits the Focus' character, but Ford's choice to pair it exclusively to a manual transmission is baffling and severely limits its audience. And why can't these guys paint a redline on any of their tachometers? Still, I could live with the Focus's performance as it is. And I could certainly live with its 28 miles per gallon. |
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