Flashback: Ford Focus II - a radical change 20 years ago

See what AUTO BILD Bulgaria wrote 20 years ag magazin de piese auto online.

Flashback: Ford Focus II - a radical change 20 years ago

All good things come in threes. After its rivals – VW and Opel, now Ford is also demonstrating its new representative in the compact class. The appearance of the new generation of Focus definitely cannot be called surprising - the main highlights should be sought in the increase in size and internal qualities of the new model.

At the moment, the compact class of cars can easily rival the autumn vegetable stalls in terms of quantity and variety of the goods on offer... On a closer look at this abundance, however, one can easily find the few bestsellers among the fruits and vegetables on which the whole business is built to the owner of the stall. The rest only contributes to the creation of the colorful color that is appetizing to the customer's eye.. Parbriz.

In this segment of the European car market, the familiar compact blockbusters VW Golf and Opel Astra play a dominant role, while the rest take care of creating a colorful mise-en-scene. The first generation Ford Focus was one of the secondary characters in this performance and was considered underrated with its original design and perfect on-road dynamic chassis. The intention of the creators of the second edition is to make it a more attractive proposition for the mass consumer in the compact European menu.

This task will certainly be facilitated both by the still considerable successes of the first generation worldwide (four million Ford Focus sold since its introduction in 1998) and by the fact that the technical platform of the Focus II, which will debut on the market in mid-November, has already demonstrated serious potential in the Ford C-Max, Volvo S40/V50 and Mazda 3.

There will be no notable stylistic changes at Focus

The model will be available in five-door and three-door hatchback versions from the start, while the Turnier station wagon version, produced at the Spanish plant in Valencia, will appear later. The sedan version, which is expected on the market next year, will also come off the conveyors in Spain. Like its predecessor, the Focus II will be a true "publicist" and will be available in over 80 markets around the world.

The extremely important new model for the Ford company has been developed quite cautiously and carefully both in terms of styling and technical basis – stunning design changes and technical innovations such as those of the Opel Astra are missing. It is true that the front and rear parts of the body are shaped in a new way, but the similarities with the previous model are so compelling that they completely exclude the possibility of coincidence. Among the most pronounced and eye-catching elements are the bulging arches of the fenders, already familiar from the styling of Mondeo, Fiesta, Fusion and C-Mach.

The strongly sloping roofline at the rear gives the Focus II the elegance characteristic of sports coupes and emphasizes its overall dynamic appearance. Similar to that of the first generation of the model is the decision to "frame" the rear glass in the high left and right rear light blocks. The overall impression that the new Focus makes both from the outside and the interior is one of massiveness, stability and strength - a subjective feeling that Ford engineers further reinforce with the promise that the body of the second generation of the model is the most resistant to torsion in this car class. The fact that the very first edition became a kind of benchmark in this respect fully explains why this proven structural concept has been retained in the Focus II as well. However, it has seen a serious increase in size, with which the new Ford model also surrenders to the acceleration that prevails in the class. The external length (4.34 m) and wheelbase (2.64 m) are the same as those of the C-Mach, but are larger than those of the Golf V. The width (1.84 m), height (1.45 m ), the front and rear footprints (front 1,535, rear 1,531 mm) have also grown, making the new Focus a rather large car, admirably illustrating the stretchability of the concept of the "compact class"…

The large dimensions mean more space – not only for the passengers, but also for the luggage space, which in the Focus II can enjoy a record volume of 385 liters for this class. The driver is seated comfortably and securely behind a neatly arranged instrument panel whose materials and level of execution mark Ford's progress in terms of quality. Overall, the interior has undergone a noticeable "fine-tuning" compared to that of the previous model and gives a much more valuable impression.

The increased dimensions of the car, however, bring not only positive results - according to the head of the development of the Focus II project, Gunnar Herrmann, the road behavior of the first prototypes of the model created a lot of problems for his team of specialists, as it deviated a lot from the desired extremely high level. Thanks to targeted interventions in the chassis upgrade, however, the attitude of the new Focus has been brought in the desired direction and the car really does its creators credit, offering a remarkable combination of active road behavior and very good comfort. To achieve this complex combination, it was necessary to isolate the drivetrain from the body with the help of an additional frame and flexible pads, and to further strengthen the front-end structure with the addition of a cross-beam, providing cornering stability.

Among the advantages of the new Focus must be mentioned the very good noise reduction measures – thicker side windows, double door seals and subtle changes in body aerodynamics isolate the passenger compartment almost completely from all noise caused by the oncoming air flow, the operation of the undercarriage and the contact of the tires with the road surface. As a result of these efforts, the new Focus is 100 kilograms heavier than its predecessor, but it is also almost 20% quieter – a serious basis for the realization of Ford's ambition to occupy a leadership position in the compact class and in this respect.

In general, the scheme of the complex independent multi-link suspension of the wheels of the rear axle with longitudinal beams has been preserved from the previous model, but in the Focus II it has been added to it the familiar from the sporty Focus RS, bearing on double hinged transverse stabilizer, which should reduce the lateral body roll in a dynamic driving style on a cornering section.

The range of engines of the new model consists of four gasoline and two diesel engines. The smallest unit has a working volume of 1.4 liters and a power of 80 hp, followed by an engine with a cubic capacity of 1.6 liters and 100 hp, the new 1.6-liter engine with a power of 115 hp. with and Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Technologу (the system for changing the valve opening time in different rev modes increases the efficiency of filling the cylinders and helps to achieve better torque characteristics while simultaneously reducing fuel consumption), and the range of units is crowned by the gasoline engine with a working volume of two liters and a power of 145 hp.

The diesel engines are the product of joint development with PSA Peugeot-Citroën and have a power of 109 and 136 hp. As an option, both engines will be available with a particulate filter using a fuel additive to meet Euro 4 emissions standards.

The traditional Trend, Sport and Ghia interior lines for Ford models will be supplemented by the Titanium top performance in the future. For now, Ford is remaining silent only on the price of the new model, but we believe that the "quotations" will remain at their traditional levels just below those of the Golf and Astra, which means that in most European markets the Focus II will start with a price that deviates minimally from the amount of 15,000 euros.

Sounds interesting and promising. And why not as proof that the most interesting characters in a performance can also come out of the mise-en-scène...

Car parts AutoPower
Car parts AutoPower

All good things come in threes

At the moment, the compact class of cars can easily rival the autumn vegetable stalls in terms of quantity and variety of the goods on offer