Autoblog

First Drive: 2012 Ford Focus

Zach Bowman — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Hatchback, Ford, First Drives

Ford Proves It Can Build A Compact With A Pulse

2012 Ford Focus - Click above for high-res image gallery

We should no longer be surprised by the notion of a compact car with big-sedan features and eye-popping fuel economy. New creations like the Hyundai Elantra and Chevrolet Cruze have gone about making the compact segment one of the most hotly contested arenas in the market, rankling the chains of long-time fighters like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla in the process. But while the Cruze and Elantra have proven that big content can come in small packages with smaller price tags, there's a growing sense that the fun-to-fling small car may be on its way out in favor of commuters that have inherited the soft-riding genes of their bigger brethren.

In a way, the change was all but inevitable. Whereas the compact segment once served up a cornucopia of rides that were low on power but big on handling, the market has proven that above all else, buyers in this neck of the woods want value. In an effort to pinch every last copper cent, both Hyundai and Chevrolet have scrapped the independent rear suspension in their respective compacts in favor of the considerably cheaper torsion-beam design.

So when Ford announced that American buyers would finally be able to get their hands on the global Focus, our ears perked up. The last Euro-Focus had built a reputation for being a smart handler, and if this latest version could make it across the pond without becoming too watered down in the process, compact buyers would once again have a vehicle that's as fun to drive as it is responsible to own. Now we get to find out if Ford pulled it off.

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Gallery: 2012 Ford Focus: First Drive

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First Drive: 2012 Ford Focus originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Ford Focus configurator comes online

Jeff Glucker — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:56:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Hatchback, Ford

How would you take your 2012 Ford Focus? The time to decide is at hand because Ford has just turned on the Focus configurator. The compact car comes in two flavors; sedan and hatchback, with the sedan receiving one lower trim in the form of the base S model. The sedan starts at $16,270 and the base SE hatchback is priced at $18,065.

If it were our money, we would start with the 2012 Ford Focus SE hatchback and build from there. This way we get to choose the five-speed manual gearbox. Throw in the Rapid Spec 203A option package, a moonroof, the SE Sport Package for a slightly more aggressive look and then paint it Kona Blue Metallic. What's yours look like? Go build your 2012 Ford Focus over at Ford's configurator. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

Gallery: 2012 Ford Focus

[Source: Ford]

2012 Ford Focus configurator comes online originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Ford Focus: North America's version of global car in detail [w/video]

Steven J. Ewing — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Wagon, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, Ford

2012 Ford Focus - Click above for high-res image gallery

Ford has worked hard over the past few years to completely overhaul its entire model line. Recent product launches like the 2011 Mustang and Fiesta show that FoMoCo is committed to making class-leading vehicles, and the larger (ahem) focus on style, quality and packaging is nothing short of impressive.

Perhaps the most important new car launch for Ford, however, is the 2012 Focus, which makes its world premiere at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. This is the first product designed from the ground up with the Blue Oval's "One Ford" product strategy, and Ford's group vice president of product development says the Focus is the automaker's "flagship" for global vehicles. The Focus you see here will be sold in both North America and Europe with only very minor tweaks being made for the individual markets. Not even the original Focus that was sold in both markets when it debuted back in 1999 shared so much with its sibling on the other side of the Atlantic.

It certainly looks good, and with a raft of new engineering, safety and infotainment technologies on hand, the 2012 Focus is ready to set the C-segment on fire.

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Gallery: 2012 Ford Focus

Continue reading 2012 Ford Focus: North America's version of global car in detail [w/video]

2012 Ford Focus: North America's version of global car in detail [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next Ford Focus to be built exclusively in Europe?

Chris Paukert — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Ford

2009 Ford Iosis Max concept - click above for high-res gallery

Since it first came to the market in 2000, Ford's Focus has been consistently lauded for its crisp "European handling," and thanks to a Ford of Europe press release yesterday, that bromide sounded like it was about to become truer than ever. The release in question announced that the next all-new Focus is to be sourced from a single location - the Blue Oval's Saarlouis Plant in Germany. Quite understandably, that proclamation caused a bit of consternation here in the States, with some news outlets reporting that North American Focus models will also originate from the German facility. Not so.

Autoblog spoke with Lincoln, Mercury communications manager Mark Schirmer this morning (despite his title, Schirmer has been tasked with preparing for the U.S. launch of the 2010 car) and he has re-confirmed that all North American Focus models will originate from a freshly renovated Wayne Assembly Plant in Michigan (something that Ford officials initially promised back in May).

The intention of FoE's confusingly worded statement was to note that Saarlouis is to be the single point of origin for all European Focus models. In addition to Saarlouis and Wayne, Ford will also likely produce the next Focus at a plant somewhere in Asia, but a location announcement has not yet been made.

Gallery: Ford iosis MAX Concept

Next Ford Focus to be built exclusively in Europe? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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