Test Drive: 2012 Ford Focus SEL

The most rapidly changing and growing segment in the US market is the C-segment. Cars like the Civic, Corolla, and Focus are becoming some of the biggest sellers on the market, passing the previously dominant mid-sized market as buyers realize they'd rather trade some space for increased fuel efficiency in these days of gas prices less predictable than Lucas electronics.

So it's not shocking that every high-volume manufacturer is throwing a lot of money and research into their C-segment entries, because that's where the buyers are.  The vast majority of the big selling C-segment cars are new for 2011 or 2012, including the Cruze (Chevrolet's replacement for the Cobalt), the Jetta (now simplified, cheaper and larger), the Civic, and interesting upstarts like the Kia Forte.

Now, Ford has been selling a C-segment car here for ages - the Focus since 1999, and the Escort before that - but no one's really cared in quite a while.  When the original Focus debuted in the US in 1999, it took a lot of people by surprise with it's sharp styling, fun handling, availability of 4(!) different body styles, and bizarre interior.  It was pretty cool, honestly - or at least it was by the standards of the day.  But while competitors continued to actually update their models, Ford decided they'd rather focus their time and money on trucks and SUV's, which were bigger sellers with considerably higher profit margins (at the time!)  So while the C170 (original) chassis Focus was replaced by a brand new one in 2005 in Europe and the rest of the world, America got... a facelifted version of the original, with a more boring, more plasticky interior.  And another facelift of the same thing in 2008, along with the elimination of the hatchback and wagon body styles, leaving only the sedan and a seriously awkward-looking Coupe.  And while the original Focus was pretty close in specifications to the European models, with each successive facelift, Ford continued to dumb down the car from a driver's perspective - softer suspension, the elimination of the hot-rod SVT model after 2004, etc.

For 2012, though, the Focus makes a drastic leap from bottom-feeder rental special to a class-competitive (and class-dominating, in some ways) compact car.  If you're skeptical, I don't blame you - I was too.  So I rang up the local dealer - Capital Ford of Raleigh - and set up a test drive of the new Focus.

The new third-generation Focus replaces both the second-generation European model and the repeatedly-facelifted first generation US model as a true "global" vehicle.  While the rest of the world will get the option of a 5-door wagon (and at some point a 3-door hatchback), the US is limited to a four-door sedan or a 5-door hatchback model.  Like a lot of other C-segment cars, Ford has simplified the options on the Focus to streamline production - two body styles, one engine, two transmission (although only one's available on upper level models), and four trim levels.  The most basic Focus - the S - is only available as a sedan.  The SE has more features and is available as either body, the SEL is another step up (with no manual option), and the Titanium is the new top of the line Focus.  My test vehicle was an SEL sedan, with a whole slew of options.

Let's start with the styling.  If you're familiar with Ford of Europe's lineup, the new Focus is not a surprising-looking vehicle.  The Kinetic design language has been a great success on the latest Mondeo (Ford of Europe's mid-sized sedan, comparable to a Fusion) and Fiesta, and it gives the new Focus a very distinct appearance among the sea of somewhat boring C-segment cars here in the US.  Unlike competitors like the Forte, Civic, and Jetta, the Focus eschews the origami school of design for an almost entirely fluid shape.  It's certainly not as off-the-wall bizarre as the original Focus was compared to it's competitors, but it does have a handsome maturity to it.  Some elements of the shape are odd - like those huge triangular intakes on the front bumper - but there's nothing offensive to it.  Nor is there any of the rampant copycat-ism  you see in cars like the Forte (which looks like a Civic) or the Jetta (which tries to look like an A4.)  It's certainly a more interesting design than the old Focus, which suffered from a lack of design in the first place.  Big credit to the wrap-around tail lights, which reduce the visual mass of the trunk, making this one of the few cars in this segment where the sedan doesn't look awkward in comparison to the hatchback.

While the exterior styling is a pleasant surprise, it's the interior that will really knock your preconceived notions of the Focus askew.  The old Focus interior was fairly dismal - large expanses of cheap gray plastic, buttons just sort of put wherever they'd fit, and some of the most uncomfortable seats I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing.  Hop into the new Focus, and you have to wonder if Ford's been stealing notes from Audi.  It really is that nice inside.

The mixture of tan, black, and aluminum-look trim makes the interior of the new Focus an inviting place to be, and the quality of materials is astounding.  The entire dashboard is a chunk of soft-touch polymer, and the angled control panel - divided up into an upper and lower tier - is logical, concise, and easy to find controls at a glance.  And there are a lot of controls to find.  One of the focuses of the new Focus (pun intended) was integrating the kind of technology you'd previously only find in much larger, more expensive luxury cars.  Mission accomplished - the SEL tester, which wasn't even a top of the line car, is so loaded with features that you'd probably need to spend a day reading the manual just to figure out all the stuff the car has.  First and foremost is the optional MyFord Touch system, which has received rave reviews from almost every tester.  And it's all well-deserved.

All the primary controls can be accessed through the large 8" touch screen in the center console, as well as redundant physical controls (for things like HVAC and stereo controls) elsewhere, including steering wheel hand controls.  There's also a 4.2" color LCD display situated between the speedometer and tachometer for other readouts.  The 8" color panel has 4 primary tabs - one at each corner- that allow you to quickly flip to basic function categories.

The red tab on the bottom left provides access to audio, entertainment and media functions.  With the uplevel MyFord Touch, that means AM/FM radio, Satellite radio, CD's, USB or auxiliary input, or Bluetooth audio (like, say, streaming Pandora via bluetooth from your smart phone.)

The top left (yellow) is wireless mobile phone functions...

The bottom right (blue) are climate controls...

And the top right (green) is SYNC and Navigation controls.  Everything's logical, easy to find, and convenient.

The gauges are housed in deep bins that keep sunlight from washing them out, and the full-color display in between shows trip data, radio stations, etc - all controllable through the 5-way pads on the steering wheel.

The SEL model is pretty loaded; I'm not sure what else there is you'd want that you can't get on this model.  In addition to the standard features, this SEL carried the Rapid Spec 303A package (which is the uplevel MyFord Touch system, Sony 10-speaker 355w stereo, rear parking sensors, automatic wipers, 17" alloys, and power driver's seat) as well as the winter package (heated seats and mirrors, approach lights on mirrors) and the Parking Technology Package(!) with the Automatic Parking System (no, I didn't try it, these still creep me out) and a full-color rear view camera that pops up an image on the screen when you put it in reverse.  It also has guide lines that adjust with the steering angle to show you where the car's gonna go, which is pretty damn spiffy.

So it's nice to look at, incredibly nice to sit in, and packed to the gills with features. How does it drive?

Well, if you're familiar with how the old Focus felt and drove, erase those thoughts, because it's nothing at all like it.  For one thing, the Focus finally has a truly state-of-the-art engine.  The new 2.0L Duratec I4's spec list reads like the who's who of high technology.  The block and cylinder head are aluminum, and the Focus now has Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI), which uses a conventional in-tank pump (around 200psi) to supply fuel to a high-pressure fuel pump on the fuel rail, which delivers fuel at around 2150psi directly into the cylinder.  This allows for a higher compression ratio on regular gas for more low-end power, as well as more efficient operation.  There's also Ford's Ti-VCT (twin independent variable cam timing) system on both intake and exhaust cams, to optimize timing for any given situation.  Other interesting goodies on the new 2.0L include a smart alternator (which charges primarily when braking or decelerating), deceleration fuel shut-off (for efficiency), piston oil squirters, low-friction coatings on the piston skirts, and a composite intake manifold with equal-length runners for low weight and optimized torque output.  It's remarkably high-tech stuff for an "economy" car, and maybe you're starting to notice a pattern here.

Most surprising of the Focus' high-tech features is the "automatic" transmission.  Available on all models (and standard on the SEL and Titanium), the 6-speed PowerShift (seriously?  What's with the goofy name?) isn't an automatic at all, it's a twin-clutch automated manual.  It works the same as it does in the VW GTI, Evo MR, Nissan GT-R, etc - gears 1, 3, and 5 are on one clutch, and 2, 4, and 6 are on the other - so whichever gear you're in, the one above it or below it is preselected, and it swaps instantly.  The benefits of this are obviously performance-related (almost no gearchange time) as well as efficiency.

Driving the new Focus is surprising for what you don't notice: noise.  Almost at all.  It's so quiet at idle that you have to check the tach just to see if it's running.  The steering is electric power assisted, and it's light and a touch numb, but still accurate and devoid of off-center slack.  The new Ti-VCT Duratec is a sweetheart of a motor: smooth, with a linear powerband and an absence of thrashiness at high rpm.  Whereas the motor was what really let the new Fiesta down, in the Focus it's one of the best parts of the driving experience.  With 160bhp(@6500rpm) and 146lb-ft of torque(@4450rpm), the Focus stacks up quite well power-wise with it's competitors, easily outpacing it's largest domestic competitor (the Cruze, with a 138bhp turbo 1.4L) as well as the Civic (140bhp).  The Jetta with the optional 2.5L I5 has more power and torque (170bhp and 177bhp) but also gets considerably worse fuel economy - the Focus with the PowerShift DCT is EPA rated at 27/37, while the 5-cylinder VW is down 4 on both cycles, at 23/33.

While the concept of a twin-clutch automated manual in a civilian Focus had me all excited, I really shouldn't have been.  It's clear from the first application of the gas pedal that this transmission was programmed first and foremost to maximize fuel economy.  Pull out onto the road at half throttle, and this thing'll grab the highest gear it can without stalling the engine - we're talking 4th gear by 20mph aggressive. In normal driving, the PowerShift really doesn't feel any different from a conventional torque-converter automatic - there's no "bump" during gear changes, but you do notice that damn, this thing swaps cogs quick. It's a touch clunky engaging first gear from a dead stop or a very slow roll, probably to conserve the life of the clutch.  Most people will never tell the difference though, and that's probably what Ford was going for with this transmission.  It's more efficient without alienating traditional customers - but those looking for something sporty will have to wait.

Thankfully, there's a "Sport" mode below Drive on the selector, which holds part-throttle upshifts longer, and downshifts to provide engine braking as you come to a stop, but much like the same mode in some Audi's, it's really aggressive about holding gears.  Another oddity: even though it's a DCT, there are no steering wheel mounted paddle shifters - just a rocker switch on the driver's side of the shift lever.  And it doesn't do anything in "D" - it will only change ratios when the shifter's pulled into S.  To Ford's credit, unlike most other rocker switch gear selectors, this one actually changes gears when you tell it to, which is usually a major annoyance with these systems.  So if you're not concerned with fuel economy and want to enjoy the benefits of this high tech transmission, here's my tip: pull it into S, and shift with the rocker switch.  Otherwise, the engine's going to be bogging down like crazy, shifting into fourth gear at 15mph - or it'll be holding 5,000rpm as you slowly brake for a red light.  Two oddities, both likely programming related-rather than mechanical related: the Focus makes an odd shake for about a half-second when you fire it up, and it's really slow to engage reverse gear, making three-point turns a bit awkward.

Rolling down the highway at a 70mph cruise, the Focus just doesn't feel like an economy car.  Like it's little brother the Fiesta, it's traded some of the fun corner-carving abilities for a smooth highway ride, which is probably what most customers want.  Mind you, it's not a doorhandle-scraper in corners - but the Mazda 3 is a much more exciting drive for similar money.  But for buyers looking to step down in the size of their car, without losing comfort or features of a mid-size or full-size automobile, the Focus is just what the doctor ordered.

If this doesn't sound super-exciting to you, it's because you're reading CarThrottle- and you probably care more about second-gear wheelspin than voice controls, bluetooth, and NVH characteristics.  But judging the Focus on what it's intended to do - provide luxury and refinement in the C-segment - it gets an A+.  And if you do want second-gear wheelspin, wait until next year when Ford starts selling the Focus ST here.  That will use the EcoBoost version of the 2.0L Duratec, equipped with a turbocharger and intercooler to boost power to 247bhp, as well as typical performance car trappings - aggressive bodywork, stiffer suspension and stickier tires, etc.

For the daily commute, though, the Focus takes most of the pain out of it.  The seats are supportive, the interior's amazing, the fuel economy is beyond reproach (37mpg highway on normal models, although Ford has a high-efficiency version of the SE that gets an EPA rating of 40 on the highway), and it's got all the gadgets and gizmos you could ever want.  They don't come cheap, though.  A fully-loaded Focus (a Titanium hatchback) can actually ring up north of $30k with every box ticked, at which point you start to wonder about either getting something larger, or a really nice one year old Volvo S40.  Still, the fully loaded versions of small cars never make a whole lot of sense (tick every box on the Audi A3 option chart and your MSRP is almost $42,00, and let's be honest, the A3 is just a Golf), so choose wisely.

What Ford's done here is remarkable.  The outgoing car didn't have a lot going for it, but the new Focus delivers all the stuff this class of buyers wants, with unexpected refinement and luxury too.  And man, I can't wait to get behind the wheel of the turbocharged ST model - all the good things about this car, plus another 87bhp?  Where do I sign up for some of that?