The
Ford Focus is a ground-up re-evaluation of the subcompact. For years, the small car has been a shrunken version of the standard sedan.
Ford studied the needs of passengers and designed the Focus from the inside out. Although you may have heard that song and dance before, There is more truth to it with the Focus.
Instead of figuring how to fit passengers within the conventional three-box sedan profile scaled down to compact proportions, Ford raised the roof for today's taller average heights the elevated the seating height for more effective legroom.
To accentuate this change in concept, Ford employed its New Edge styling (introduced on the Mercury Cougar), which combines arcs with crisp edges. As a result, the Ford Focus stands out from the crowd yet delivers good fuel economy.
The Ford Focus comes in three body styles: three-door hatchback, four-door sedan and five-door wagon. Two four-cylinder engines are available with a choice of 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic.
The sedan comprises the bulk of Focus sales and is available in three trim levels, an entry level LX ($12,220), an upgrade SE ($13,565), and the fully-equipped ZTS ($15,165). Leather interior trim is only available for the ZTS ($695).
The wagon is available only in the SE trim level ($15,380) and offers the largest cargo capacity in its class.
Three-door hatchbacks in base-model stripper trim have in the past often been used to used to low-ball buyers into the showroom only to be switched into larger, more expensive and more profitable models. Ford has instead positioned its Focus hatchback as a sports model and named it the ZX3. (The model designation is derived from the Ford Escort ZX2 coupe.) Ford Focus ZX3 comes with such sporty accoutrements as 15-inch aluminum wheels, fog lights and a more powerful 130-horsepower twin-cam engine. ZX3 also offers sportier and even more distinctive styling than the Focus sedan. Only a limited number of options are available for the ZX3 ($11,960).
ZX3 comes with a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Options include side-impact air bags, anti-lock brakes and remote locking. Not available on the ZX3, however, are power windows, cruise control and the tilt/telescoping steering column offered on other Focus models. The only additional ZX3 options include floor mats, smoker's package (lighter and ashtray), and an engine block heater.
We drove the Focus ZX3 hatchback and it didn't take long to figure out that this is a car that is noticed. Its New Edge styling, with tidy creases that define intersecting arcs, looks simpler than it really is. Large pie-section headlamps give the front end a distinctive appearance. On the ZX3, they are joined by fog lamps in the grille opening below the bumper. There's a similar, but smaller opening above the bumper that houses the turn signals. Both are outlined by arcs. The front and rear fenders are highlighted with geometric curves creased into the sheetmetal. The roofline is highly arched, particularly noticeable when parked next to another car. The roofline is truncated just aft of the rear axle line. Wedge-shaped tail lamps set in the C-pillars enliven an otherwise plain rear end.
Ford claims the tail lamps are more noticeable in that location and reduce repair costs in minor accidents. However, the sedan and wagon have conventionally placed tail lamps, so we'll accept the unique shape and location as distinctive and effective styling.
Lower bodyside PVC coating provides protection from stone dings on all models, and the underbody gets PVC coating as well. Clearcoat paint is standard across the board. The ZX3 and LX have black rather than body-color bodyside protective molding, but this is offset on the ZX3 by black rocker panels. The door handles on all models are black as well. The door handles on black cars blends in, but black also masks the distinctive lines of the Focus that are accentuated by the brighter colors.
