Focus is firmly on tech

Published on 23 September, 2018

Ford has reinvented its best-seller and the all-new model comes loaded with connectivity

Overview

A cold, wintry morning? No problem, just use your smartphone to turn on the engine, the hot air and heated seats, and your car will be warm and cosy by the time you finish your toast. Remote technology is at your fingertips in the new Ford Focus.

Always fun to drive, the Focus, a best-seller since it was launched in 1999, is now loaded with connectivity that makes driving safer and more interesting. For example, the new FordPass Connect system turns your car into a mobile wifi hotspot with connectivity for up to 10 devices, enough to keep passengers happy on the move and a place to work for the driver when parked.

The system also enables live traffic updates to be fed through the navigation system and if you are forgetful it can locate your car in a parking lot, shopping mall or street.

There are driver safety aids such as adaptive cruise control, speed sign recognition, lane keeping and speed limit warning, all of which reduce stress.

For night driving there is adaptive lighting, another big safety feature for the driver and oncoming traffic. This function automatically pre-adjusts headlight patterns for maximum visibility before reaching curves, junctions and roundabouts using a camera which picks up all road signs and feeds them to a computer. There is also a glare-free beam which prevents dazzling on-coming traffic. New also is a feature usually only found in executive cars: a heads-up-display which beams information on to the windscreen in the driver's line of vision. Another thoughtful safety feature.

Add in pre-collision assist which detects pedestrians and cyclists and brakes when necessary, a blind-spot warning system and cross-traffic alert and you get the confident feeling that you are in a safe place in this new offering from Ford.

Features such as these are big selling points in the market today, with entertainment through DAB radio and streaming music through smartphones by voice activation or gesture at an 8in- touchscreen also a priority.

Ford boasts that this is the best car in the company's history. All new, no body parts have been carried over and it is based on a new platform with more sophisticated suspension. Sales are expected to be 3,500-4,000 next year, with a station wagon version arriving later this year. There is also an Active version giving a more rugged look with cladding on wheel arches and roof rails.

Power comes from a one-litre EcoBoost 125PS petrol engine which Ford say has been tweaked to give 4.8l/100km consumption and a Co2 rating of 108g/km. The 1.5-litre 120PS is flagged at delivering a respectable 3.6l/100km with 94g/km of Co2. An eight-speed automatic transmission is available and works well when mated with the diesel power plant.

Prices start at €24,900 for the Zetec petrol version with six-speed manual transmission, with the diesel version adding an extra €1,900.

The wagon versions will add an extra €1,100 over the price of the hatchback. Technology does not come cheap and the ST line, expected to be the best seller, sees prices starting at €26,400 for the petrol version and €28,300 for the diesel.

The higher Titanium version prices start at €27,400, with top specification Vignale entering the market at €32,230.