2011 Ford Focus Testing Details Revealed

The team at Ford have just released details on the test they have conducted to see how climate extremes may affect the performance of the new Ford Focus, as well as the comfort of the driver and passengers. The Focus has therefore experienced locations such as frozen lakes, deserts, or high Alpine passes.

Ford's climate control test team had to make sure that the car's EATC (Electronic Automatic Temperature Control) system can handle any conditions.

One of the team's regular testing locations is Antequera in Southern Spain. In the height of summer this is one of the hottest places in continental Western Europe, with temperatures regularly rising above 40 degrees Celsius.

"We are doing a subjective and an objective evaluation of the EATC system so that we can finalise its calibration. We take the data from the EATC, compare with how we feel inside the car, as well as with objective data from the cabin, such as the breathing level temperature. We then make adjustments to fine tune the system," stated Ford systems engineer Klaus Schuermanns.

The team has conducted tests with both a four-door version for the North American market and a five-door European-spec Focus. There are more than 200 sensors that are placed around the car, and that record data such as ambient temperature, AC pressures, engine speed, and sunlight.

After 250km of motorway driving, the two cars are parked side by side in direct sunlight. "This is the pull down test," explains Klaus. "The vehicles are soaked in the sun for about an hour, until the temperature in the cabin reaches about 60 degrees Celsius. Then we drive 30km or so and see how long it takes to get back down to the chosen comfort point."

Other tests carried out by the engineers include an altitude test and a control curve, where the temperature settings are changed and the team monitors how it feels as the system adapts.