Ironically
named little car, the Ford Focus. While you could surely argue we're drawing
too literal a line between the car and its moniker, we have to chuckle a little
when we recall just how far afield Ford drifted with its compact offering over
the last several years. Suffice it to say that Ford lost its way somewhere
after the original Focus was introduced as a so-called 'world car' back in
1999. At the time, the spunky Focus shared the same C170 platform no matter
where in the world it was sold.
Many
tears were shed in the form of lost dollar signs over the ensuing years, until
Ford finally promised to make the Focus a truly global car for the 2012 model
year. We'll start with its exterior appearance. Instead of telling you how the
2012 Focus was drawn up with smooth, flowing lines and more than a few traces
of Ford's Kinetic design language, we'll instead share a little story.
After
a few days of daily driving duties, our Tuxedo Black Focus sedan was sorely in
need of a good washing. After finishing the deed and taking a few moments to
admire the shiny metallic flecks in the bright Arizona sun, we noticed we
weren't alone... three burly-looking, bearded workers and their supervisor had
stopped toiling away at whatever project they had been assigned and were
talking amongst themselves about our car. Eye contact was made, so they gaggle
of laborers decided to come take a closer look.
Fortunately,
we found the automatic gearbox to be extremely well suited to this application.
There's enough power on hand that the transmission doesn't hunt and peck for
gears in daily driving and downshifts come right on schedule when called upon
by either the driver's right foot or by a steep grade.
Despite
its aforementioned handling prowess, the car's ride was plenty smooth and
controlled, without any undue noisiness echoing through the cabin.
There
isn't a ton of room in the rear seat when a six-foot driver gets comfy behind
the wheel, and taller passengers in the front seat may find that their legroom
is pinched a bit by the thick center stack and console. Similarly, trunk space
in the sedan isn't anything to write home about, and its 13.2 cubic feet of
volume isn't as easy to make use of as we'd like, mostly due to a distinct lack
of depth. Taller items will need to be placed on the rear seat, which does fold
in something like a 70/30 split. Frequent haulers might do better to consider
the five-door hatch, which offers up to 44.8 cubic feet of storage space with
the rear seats folded.
Considering
how much electro-gadgetry the 2012 Focus offers, the center stack is rather
easy to navigate. Part of that overall look of cleanliness, though, is
attributable to the steering wheel, which rivals that of a Formula One's tiller
for its sheer number of controls. Not counting the horn, there are six clusters
of buttons that can be pressed – and no, we're not making this up – 19
different ways. With controls for cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, SYNC,
the audio system and the in-dash computer (which has its own menu system
directly between the speedometer and tachometer), we strongly suggest that any
new drivers spend a few minutes acquainting themselves with the layout before
heading out on the open road.
That
said, in practice we didn't have any problems using all the technology packed
into the Focus, and we appreciate the dedicated set of dials and buttons for
the climate control system mounted below the LCD and Sony audio system.
We
spent just one week with the 2012 Ford Focus, but that was plenty enough for us
to realize that it's a worthy contender in the hotly contested compact car
segment. No other competitors offer the level of available equipment the Focus
offers, but the basic goodness of the car's platform should surely shine
through on lesser trims, as well.
We
went ahead and made use of Ford's online configure, and found that a very nice
Focus SE sedan with the five-speed manual gearbox, 17-inch wheels, leather,
sunroof and SYNC rings the register at around $22,000. Add about a grand for
the six-speed automatic. Either way, you'll end up with a highly desirable ride
that does an equally fine job of catering to enthusiasts and commuters alike.
Or even a grizzled quartet of hard-edged construction workers, apparently.
