2012 FORD FOCUS TITANIUM HATCHBACK<\/p>\n
BY DAVID COLMAN<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0If you think of the Focus as Ford’s VW Golf beater, you’re aiming too low.\u00c2\u00a0 Golf was just the low hanging fruit in Ford’s quest to redefine the sport compact sedan.\u00c2\u00a0 The real target was Audi’s A3, a loftier goal indeed.\u00c2\u00a0 Has Ford succeeded in outdoing the A3?\u00c2\u00a0 Not quite, but close enough to give Audi reason to be concerned.\u00c2\u00a0 If you want to build a better sport sedan than Audi, you’d best hire Germans to design it, and that’s just what Ford has done.\u00c2\u00a0 The Focus was conceived in Germany, and has been on sale across Europe for more than a year.\u00c2\u00a0 It has already established a successful track record in World Rallye competition as well as World Touring Car track contests.\u00c2\u00a0 While Focus may be new to the US, it is by no means an unproven entity abroad.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Looking at this svelte sedan from outside, you are first struck by the clean-lined ethos of its design.\u00c2\u00a0 The snout sits low while the butt remains slightly elevated to impart a feline rake to the static posture.\u00c2\u00a0 Horizontal detailing around the front grill is handsome without being fussy.\u00c2\u00a0 The side view looks racy and succinct, with windshield A pillars so extravagantly flattened that the sedan version posts a stellar wind tunnel coefficient of 0.297.\u00c2\u00a0 Although the Cx of the five-door hatchback we drove is slightly higher than that, the hatch chassis is stiffer because the five door openings require added structural chassis reinforcement.\u00c2\u00a0 The solidity of the platform, which Focus shares with the European C-Max minivan, is indisputable.\u00c2\u00a0 Over the worst road irregularities, the Focus evinced no squeaks, groans or deflections.\u00c2\u00a0 The interior remains ethereally silent no matter what racket the road surface beneath promises to impart.<\/p>\n
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\u00c2\u00a0Handling of the base model Titanium hatchback is responsive and predictable.\u00c2\u00a0 The steering is perfectly weighted, with lots of road feel passed back to you through the fat rimmed, two-tone steering wheel.\u00c2\u00a0 Continental SportContactPro tires measuring 215\/50R17 are standard, but if you wish to upgrade handling, the Titanium handling package, including stiffer anti-sway bars, springs and 18 inch wheels and rubber, is available for an extra $595.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Even without that package, the handling of the Titanium Focus is strong enough to justify sticking with the base suspension system.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Performance of the 2.0 liter Duratec four cylinder motor is hardly scintillating, especially when coupled to the slow-shifting 6-speed dual-clutch gearbox.\u00c2\u00a0 If you want more pop underhood you should wait for the 247hp turbo motor, coming sometime in the next year.\u00c2\u00a0 In the meantime, opt for the 5 speed manual gearbox model to coax the most performance out of the Duratec base motor.<\/p>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Where Focus really shines is inside the cabin.\u00c2\u00a0 All 4 seats are posturepedic, with the fronts luxuriously supplied with multiple electric positioning controls.\u00c2\u00a0 Even the fixed rears are acceptably comfortable for long day trips.\u00c2\u00a0 The interior of our test Focus, finished in a pleasing medley of burgundy and black, mimics the cabins of much more expensive vehicles like (no surprise) the Audi A3 or the BMW 1 Series.\u00c2\u00a0 If you’re in the market for a small sedan with fit, finish and handling comparable to cars costing twice as much, be sure and give the new Focus a test drive.\u00c2\u00a0 You’ll be amazed at how far Ford quality has come since they hit bottom several years ago.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
2012 FORD FOCUS TITANIUM HATCHBACK
\nENGINE:\u00c2\u00a0 DOHC, 16 valve in-line 4, aluminum block and head
\nHORSEPOWER:\u00c2\u00a0 160 @ 6,500 rpm
\nTORQUE:\u00c2\u00a0 146 lb.-ft. @ 4,450 rpm
\nFUEL CONSUMPTION:\u00c2\u00a0 25 City MPG\/ 36 Highway MPG
\nPRICE AS TESTED:\u00c2\u00a0 $23,490<\/p>\n
PROS CONS 2012 FORD FOCUS TITANIUM HATCHBACK BY DAVID COLMAN \u00c2\u00a0If you think of the Focus as Ford’s VW Golf beater, you’re aiming too low.\u00c2\u00a0 Golf was just the low hanging fruit in Ford’s quest to redefine the sport compact sedan.\u00c2\u00a0 The real target was Audi’s A3, a loftier goal indeed.\u00c2\u00a0 Has Ford succeeded in outdoing the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-automobile","category-new-automobile-products-tests"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44206"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44283,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44206\/revisions\/44283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stokednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/span>Euroslick styling
\nGem-like interior fittings
\nRazor sharp handling<\/p>\n
\n<\/span>Lack of paddle shifters for dual clutch automatic
\nHVAC dials where radio controls should be and vice versa
\nDriving concentration distracted by Ford Synch GUI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"