The French Riviera, the outskirts of Nice. Around us, our compatriots in fur capes and status cars keep flashing by…
It was here that Ford brought the facelifted Focus for a showcase. The choice of location was no coincidence — from their lips came the repeated refrain: “Premium, premium...”
| Electric folding and heated mirrors with integrated turn signals — an option for all trims except the base Ambiente |
Until the very last moment, Ford representatives managed to keep details about the updated Focus under wraps. When the car was finally unveiled in Frankfurt, the audience was astonished: is this really the same car? After all, not a single body panel remained except the roof!
In reality, we are dealing with a typical facelift, that is, an update of the exterior without changing the platform. New fenders, hood, bumpers, lighting, mirrors, side panels without moldings but with more expressive stampings — and the Focus, after three years on the assembly line, has become the spitting image of the Mondeo. The metamorphosis has benefited the car: the angular body seemed to have been waiting for this sharpened “nose,” slanted headlights, and a huge trapezoidal grille in the front bumper. By the way, the fresh “kinetic” style, along with the stamping on the rear door of the hatch, does a good job of masking the still record-breaking width for the golf class — 1839 mm. But the abandonment of practical black inserts in the lower part of the bumpers is a step backward: now any contact with a curb or snow mound will leave an unsightly mark on the paint.
The rear of the Focus has changed much more modestly — but for all body styles except the sedan, LED taillights are offered as an option along with xenon or adaptive lighting. Premium! Chrome is also intended to emphasize the model's ambitions: shiny strips have appeared above the radiator grille (except for the “hot” ST hatchback), on trunk lids, and around the grilles in the bumpers of the top Ghia and Titanium trims.
Titanium is another “luxury” new addition to the Focus. If previously the conservative Ghia was considered the most luxurious, now the “tech-savvy” Titanium has been added to its pair. True, in Russia it will appear with a delay — simultaneously with the start of sales of “our” Mondeo.
Bumpers without black inserts and the lower “lip” look more solid. Ghia and Titanium received a new spoiler on the rear window
In the interiors of both senior trims, there is a different central tunnel with a built-in armrest that extends by 80 mm. However, it cannot be called “premium” — it is hard and has no trim. But the new dual-zone climate control unit with compact knobs is much more convenient than the previous button-based one. On the console and the top of the door cards, the plastic is more expensive. The instrument cluster also looks richer: it has become three-dimensional, with scales and display illuminated in red. Premium again?
 |  |
| The layout of the panel remains the same, but the needles of the small gauges now point downward, a wide T-shaped silver insert and rings around the dials have appeared. The photo shows the cluster of a version with a manual transmission and a small screen: cars with an automatic have a larger display. ESP is now turned off not by a button, but through the on-board computer menu | There are fewer changes in the interior. In some places, the plastic has become better quality, the climate unit has been updated, and the optional Sony audio system can receive digital radio DAB |
 |  |
| Keyless entry and the Ford Power engine start button on the tunnel for cars from Vsevolozhsk will appear by mid-2008 | The power window switches in the Titanium trim are edged with chrome |
The rearview mirrors have become slightly larger, and their housings deflect the oncoming airflow downward — like on old BMWs. It was not possible to check how much this saves from dirt: over two days of rainy trips along the Riviera, there was not a single dirty streak on the body…
The character of the Focus has not changed — after all, the body structure, powertrains, transmissions, and suspension settings for cars for Russia will remain the same. Still the same successful balance of handling and ride comfort, understandable brakes. The only innovation is that during emergency braking with deceleration above 7 m/s², the Focus automatically turns on the hazard warning lights.
 |  | |
| For the European market, the Focus 2.0 TDCi turbodiesel can now be ordered with a new six-speed dual-clutch robotic gearbox Ford PowerShift, developed together with Getrag. Like DSG in Volkswagen, PowerShift has two input shafts — for even and odd gears — and two “wet” clutches that operate alternately | LED rear lights are available only together with adaptive lighting or xenon | |
 |  |  |
| Under the central armrest is a new box for small items with a 12-volt socket. A 220-volt inverter for devices up to 150 watts has appeared in the options list | The capless fuel filler neck Easy fuel — now on all Focuses | |
We managed to drive only cars with two-liter engines and manual gearboxes. If the gasoline engine still does not cause delight, then the fresh 136-horsepower 2.0 TDCi turbodiesel is simply a beast! Even though according to the passport it has 9.3 seconds to 100 km/h versus 9.2 for the gasoline version, subjectively the diesel wins by at least a second! And the six-speed “manual” engages more precisely than the five-speed on the gasoline car — especially since less viscous oil is now poured into it.
However, the two-liter diesel is not in store for Russians. So far, we only sell the Focus 1.8 TDCi, and it sells poorly — its share does not reach one and a half percent. If demand grows to at least five percent, the Ford people promise, then we will think about it…
 |  | |
| There are no official photos of the sedan's rear yet. But from spy shots it is clear: there will be a new bumper and a chrome trim on the trunk lid, while the lights will remain the same | The “hot” Focus ST hatchback has an even wider mouth in the bumper, the trim above the grille is body-colored, without chrome. At the rear — a bumper with a diffuser | |
What about prices? They have, of course, increased — premium! But on average by only 3% — inflation eats money faster. The cheapest Focus — the three-door Ambiente 1.4 — now costs 345 thousand rubles ($14,140 — at an exchange rate of $1=24.4 rubles) — ten thousand rubles ($410) more than before. The five-door Comfort 1.6 with an “automatic” has risen by 14 thousand rubles ($570) — to 455 thousand rubles ($18,650). The Ghia 2.0 sedan with a “manual” will now cost 521 thousand rubles ($21,350) versus 460 thousand rubles ($18,850) previously. In mid-2008, Titanium will join them. And where is the “dynamic” Trend? It has been renamed Sport — now it is an options package for the Comfort version.
I wonder if a Premium version will appear?
The updated wagon has a different rear bumper, and optionally — LED lights and new-style roof rails