2008 Ford Focus Sedan SES Road Test

A drive in Ford's new Focus reveals one thing: this is a small car that's grown up.

When it first arrived on the scene a little less than a decade ago, the Focus was one of the hottest small cars on the market. Cool, hip (do they even say that anymore?) and 100-percent European, it was Ford's way of fighting tooth and nail against the Golf and Civic, while keeping tabs on more mainstream Cavaliers and Neons. And while being a good, all-round small car it was a vehicle designed to appease the enthusiast inside. With sharp steering and the clever control-blade multi-link rear suspension, it was a car that was enjoyable to drive on a day to day basis, with a smooth ride and quiet engine. Midway through its life-cycle, the once unified world-car Focus split into two distinct vehicles. Like the Escort and the Contour that came before, two vehicles that also started out life as world cars, our Focus headed off on a different path than its European brethren. It went to high school, and for a little while it got a bit lost along the way. The high standards that it set started to shift as rivals from Mazda and

Gone is the curvy shape of the old Focus; it's much tauter and leaner looking. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Volkswagen arrived. Toyota's Corolla got quieter and more refined, becoming a junior Lexus, while Honda's Civic emerged with a brand new space-age personality, and more recently Volkswagen reverted its decision to build its Rabbit in Germany, raising the bar in quality. And the Focus? Well, not much of anything happened over those years. Looking at the Focus in its final few years in production, it seems as if it didn't know what it wanted to be. Gone were the muscle models of the range, such as the SVT and the Mazda-powered, sport-tuned ST, and yet Ford's entry-level model finished off production with a rally-inspired body kit. Between then and now, the car's rally phase is officially over, the Focus having emerged as a more sophisticated grownup. As often as it's brought up that Ford really should be selling the European-market Focus here in North America, it's a fact of life that it didn't work out that way, and that as consumers we're just going

A little more power, a little less weight makes the Focus a better performer. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

to have to deal with it. The next generation car is in the works, and will return as an international model, or so we've been led to understand, so the car you see here is a stopgap, a refreshed and enhanced model to tide us over. It isn't going to be that long anyway, as Ford has pledged to significantly update its vehicles every two to three years to keep everything fresh. At the very most then, this car won't be around much past 2011. At the very heart of things, the Focus is still the vehicle that it was, which means that at its core it's over a decade old, but you couldn't tell just by looking at it. The original frame and hard goods are wrapped in such a way that lined up next to a first or second generation car, the connection isn't easily seen. The once egg-like shape has gone through a Red, White and Bold treatment, bringing it right in line with the Fusion and Taurus. Like it or not, the Focus won't do one thing, be just another car, not in the same way the Corolla is often described. Its distinctiveness, in this regard, is a big plus for me.

Sync works like a charm. It's one of the Focus' strong points. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Ford has also strengthened and lightened the Focus' frame, making it feel more solid. It's quieter, calmer and a much more soothing machine. Its frame features higher grades of steel and more sound-deadening material, so that during a highway cruise the most prominent noise you'll hear is actually not so much the wind or the din of the Zetec engine, but the tires. A desire to rip around corners and drive it like you stole it is no longer present, however. This isn't to say that behind its post-polishing school behavior it isn't still up for some fun. The Focus' steering still has a good, pleasing weight to it, and thanks to its multi-link suspension it sticks to the road better than most in its class. I've tried both manual and automatic versions, and there isn't a question that the automatic isn't as lively as the DIY gearbox because of its slower shifts and widely spaced ratios, meant for boosting fuel economy figures. It works, mind you, as I averaged 34 mpg during the week.

Ambient lighting gives the Focus a cooler atmosphere at night. What other compact has this? (Photo: Justin couture, American Auto Press)

Just like the exterior, you'd be hard pressed to find anything carried over in the Focus' interior. I find the design attractive and modern, particularly the new poke-through buttons and knobs that form the controls for the HVAC and stereo. The white-faced gauges look sporty too, and rate highly for both visibility and style. The tester also didn't seem to be too embarrassed over the fact that there were bundles of brightly colored wires and plastic connectors poking out from under the dash. Ford did a good job with the design of the dash, so let's see some better quality materials, please. The grain on the dash has a decent texture and a low sheen, but it's quite hard and somewhat low rent. One thing I'd like to see are rear headrests. Yes, visibility is improved without ‘em, but Ford should consider the “shingle” design headrest as featured in the Hyundai Accent hatchback, which tuck out of the way when not in use. In fact, Ford should know this given that the Taurus has shingle style head rests, and they're on the third rows of the Taurus X and the new

Having your car fully linked in with calls and text messages is a huge plus. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Flex. But qualms of headrests and plastics aside, the Focus presents itself as a good, inexpensive commuter car. The multi-link rear suspension delivers a wonderfully isolated ride, and better sound insulation keeps the outside world outside, and the inside world quiet so that you can effectively operate Sync, my favorite new gadget, via voice commands. Sync allows the Focus to be one of the few affordable compact cars that's fully integrated with smart phones and MP3 players, and if you don't opt for an SES, where it's standard, Sync doesn't cost an arm and a leg to get. It's easy to operate too; simpler and less frustrating to set up than many infotainment systems I've come across. And the Focus gets better still. The seats were clearly designed by people who understand that cars are places that people spend hours in at a time, and that they don't want to be left feeling numb or cramped. Ford also fitted some logical seat operation controls, no twirly knobs or twisty handles. Trimmed in leather or sport cloth, they can be heated for added winter comfort. If you've got more cash to shell out, Ford's Audiophile sound system provides crisp,

Quiet, comfortable, and as technologically up to date as cars come, the Focus makes a case for itself. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

clear tunes via conventional radio, CD, your MP3 player or Sirius satellite radio. With a square-shaped trunk that features scissor-style hinges and struts, the Focus also as a lot of cargo space. Come to think of it, this isn't just a good commuter car, or student car, it's a good road-trip car too... provided you aren't stuck in the back, riding without headrests. If you're an enthusiast considering a car, the Focus probably isn't going to float your boat. Sure it's good - better than most - but it's less frenetic and sharp-edged than the original. There are plenty of other cars on the market that were designed with driver entertainment in mind. This in mind it seems as if Ford is pitching the new Focus to those who previously bought the Focus in its original form, that is men and women who have grown up with it. Now that they've put on a few years they're more interested in refinement and comfort than sport. The fact that A/C is standard across the board is a no-brainer. Then again, younger buyers haven't been ignored either, as the Focus is still a good drive, and they'll certainly like the colorful interior ambiance and, of course, Sync. In the end, the Focus feels like an intrinsically good value, something that consumers will surely like. If that's the bottom line of your purchasing decision, as it is with a lot of people, the Focus scores well.

source automobile.com