Detroit Auto Show: We finally bring live shots of the Ford Focus and Five Hundred
After the debut of the Interceptor and MKR, the redesigned Focus and Five Hundred got lost in the buzz, so now, we finally bring you live shots of Ford's people movers. Enjoy. -Ed.
Before trotting out its three concept cars, the Ford Motor Company took the opportunity at the Detroit Auto Show to publicly unveil the redesigned 2008 Focus and Five Hundred.
Much has been written of the Focus' controversial new styling. In person, it seems uninspired, with several features that don't seem to work well with each other. What's with that triangular vent on the front fender - was this an attempt to share design language with the new Super Duty? The good news is that the interior appears relatively nice for an economy car, and the new Ford/Microsoft Sync feature will be available. The car also lost 60 lbs during the redesign, which is almost unheard of nowadays.
The first thought upon seeing Ford's press shots of the Five Hundred was that the new front end had a flat squashed appearance, but in the flesh, it appears to be proportioned properly. The new sheetmetal probably won't end complaints about the sedan's bland styling, however and the interior is also a bit undistinguished. Obviously we didn't get to sample the new Duratec 35 powerplant, but potential buyers will likely find that to be the most significant change.
Click the vehicles name below to view the full gallery.
500
Focus
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Ron 5:33PM (1/09/2007)
the new focus looks like some cheap Chinese car..
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Chris 5:18PM (1/09/2007)
I have already seen plenty of Five Hundred and Focus pics.. I think both are markedly improved. The Focus has been WAY improved and should significantly improve sales and profitability... less body styles is good.
There is video of the Five Hundred/Focus unveiling at http://www.rpmdaily.com under the video section.
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gkz 5:20PM (1/09/2007)
Designers: Stop putting f#cking fender vents on every damn model. You're not fooling anyone.
This isn't aimed only at Ford... just a really annoying general trend.
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Mark 5:48PM (1/09/2007)
Fender vents are "in" right now, I don't think they are going anywhere.
Also, is the new Focus 2-door a true coupe, or is it actually a hatchback in disguise (like the Eclipse and Tiburon). I can't really tell. Hopefully it is a liftback.
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Todd 5:50PM (1/09/2007)
Whose brilliant idea was it to steal the headlights off the Nissan Versa?
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Richard 5:45PM (1/09/2007)
I owned a first-gen Focus ZX3 and apart from the serious build quality issues, it set a new standard for compact cars (at least within the domestics). I was hoping for the something similar to the Euro-style Focus to wash up on North American shores for years, but instead we get this? "Uninspired" is an understatement. The first Focus broke new ground for style at Ford; this looks like it was cobbled together by automotive design school rejects in 1995. Every piece looks like it was glued on from whatever parts they had hanging around in the plant. And Ford is wondering why they're losing ground...
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CJ 5:53PM (1/09/2007)
Would car companies please stop trying to graft a "family face" on all of their models? What's wrong with a model standing on its own? Both of these look like bad automotive plastic surgery. The Five Hundred and Focus were bland, but they was a pleasing, "comfortable" designs. These are just jarring, and not in a good way, IMO.
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Adrian 7:24PM (1/09/2007)
I love the Focus but am not inspired by the 500. I'm not sure where all the negative comments are coming from, but the new U.S. Focus looks much better than the old one. I also think it looks better than the E.U. Focus, but that's my personal opinion. What Ford needs to do is "focus" on building quality cars. If they don't fall apart in two years, people WILL buy them.
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Louis 6:03PM (1/09/2007)
The new 2008 Focus comes with rear drum brakes again - that’s dumb not bold. It doesn't have electronic stability control (ESC) available, even as as option. Thankfully it does have ABS braking but only as an option. These should all be standard features. If Ford wants to start making money again, it'll have to do better than this. On the bright side, the new Focus does have standard side airbags. I only hope the new Focus does better in the crash tests than it's predecessors. As you may remember, Consumer Reports was going to recommend the Focus as their best small car pick but after it failed the IIHS side crash test, Consumer Reports changed their mind. Let's hope Ford has learned that safety sells.
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Aki 7:08PM (1/09/2007)
Yuck. I thought the Focus looked okay, now that front end is really starting to turn me off. So sad to see a better, newer Focus across the border in Mexico. So sad.
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Baapo 7:07PM (1/09/2007)
So that's the car they're pitching against the Honda Civic...WOW, talk about defeat before the game has even begun...
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J Finz 7:23PM (1/09/2007)
500 is ok, but i like the new focus, very mean looking, especially at the front.
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Adrian 7:28PM (1/09/2007)
Oh.... did I mention that I LOVE the new front end! Yes, I said it.
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Tool 7:32PM (1/09/2007)
The Five Hundred does look better in person than in the promotional pics.
Did you notice that no one is looking at it? In all the auto show pics, not a single audience member has their eyes fixated on this vehicle. Odd.
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Jaypee N 7:32PM (1/09/2007)
Wow. Wow, wow, wow.
Ford really surprised me with this one. I was thinking something a little different, but this is an odd idea: take the interior of 1983's "car of the future" and actually use it in a 2009 (hah!) model. It looks better in tan but I can't get over how busy it is. Buttons everywhere. Integrated stereo (which will have to be replaced... this is a Ford people). Exterior is even worse. It's very obvious that they got a Civic and tried to emulate it in more ways than one. Even the blue Focus press release photos are the same color as the Civic's were... a couple of years ago.
I had a 01 Focus and have to admit that it was a nice driving car. Clean lines and modern looking in 99 when it came out. Many other small cars copied its tall look and improved upon the styling. Ford has done just the opposite. It has turned a good car into a rental fleet buyer's dream (the first remake) and now has outdone Chrysler's Sebring for the most mismatched styling with remake number two. If I owned stock in Ford, I would be selling it now and at a very low price.
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Paul 7:49PM (1/09/2007)
The Focus is defeated by the Civic? That stupid "near and far" instrument cluster is enough reason not to buy a Civic
Wasn't it established in the 80's that people don't like digital speedometers?
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laserwizard 7:57PM (1/09/2007)
The whole point of design is to have a "love it" or "hate it" dichotomy. Ford's have been bland for decades. Finally designs that are polarizing. The styling on the 500 isn't my cup of tea, but it won't prevent any blue hair from buying one and might just snag some of those moderates who sit on the fence (and me thinks the fence posts if you catch my drift) who are motivated by what's new. Personally, the first time I saw the pics of the Focus I was stunned by how ugly the car was. However, thanks to the pics from the Autoblog people, I soon realized that the Focus is going to look much better than I had thought. After showing it to some of the "children" (my word for today's teenager and 20 somethings), they went nuts over the Focus. So, I guess Ford has aimed right on this and my nearly five decade old eyes will just have to come around. Regardless, it is far better than that snore Cobore and the interior is far nicer with the features it has than Cobore. Now if only Ford would SVT that 2-door!
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Chris 7:56PM (1/09/2007)
Is it me or the 500 will have two different headlamp designs? in most of the pics it shows plain headlamps but in two close up pics it looks like it has integrated projectors, anyways design looks like an improvement from the original 500
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207guy 8:02PM (1/09/2007)
I like the new Focus. Wouldn't have bought the previous model but would look at this one. Still can't imagine driving the 500 though.
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Chesters Liver 8:10PM (1/09/2007)
Ford is so screwed if this is what they have to offer. I am a GM man, but I have at least respected Ford. Now I can't even do that!
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