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Driven: 2019 Ford Focus

Since the beginning, Ford established the successor of the Escort as the best-handling car in the segment. Fast-forward to the present day, and the fourth generation of the Focus still leads the non-premium compact hatchback segment in this regard.
2019 Ford Focus 87 photos
Photo: Andrei Tobosaru for Ford Romania
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Had he been alive, Henry Ford would be 155 years old and surprised by the automaker he founded in 1903. Gone are the extreme cost-cutting measures of the Model T, and in come endless options that would seem sci-fi to the pioneering but unscrupulous industrialist, including Co-Pilot 360.

Sophisticated by all means, Co-Pilot 360 brings together the “most advanced suite of standard driver-assist technologies including automatic emergency braking.” If you so wish, the 2019 Focus with the eight-speed automatic transmission can park and get out of the parking spot by itself, as long as the driver keeps his finger pressed onto the button that reads P.

The adaptive cruise control with stop & go and lane-centering function is also in a league of its own. Like all the semi-autonomous driving technologies currently available, the system demands the driver to put his hands on the steering wheel from time to time. Regulators are asleep at the wheel of self-driving cars, so you can blame them for the annoying warning that pops up on the TFT display in the instrument cluster every 15 seconds or so.

As impressive as the technologies of the 2019 Focus are, there’s something that Ford did even better. Take it to the race track, and the ace up the car’s sleeve becomes perceptible. Push the Focus as hard as you want in the corners, bring it to understeer or get the tail out with lift-off oversteer, and you’ll feel how the digital nannies get you out of trouble without taking the fun out of the act of driving.

2019 Ford Focus \(European model\)
Photo: Andrei Tobosaru for Ford Romania
As much as I hate traction control and Electronic Stability Control in a controlled environment where speed limits aren’t enforced, the Focus is programmed so that automatic interventions from the braking system won’t exasperate you.

The station wagon with the 1.5-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder turbo and ST-Line package is a surprise in its own right, willing to oversteer in a grander fashion than the hatchback. A downtuned version of the engine in the Fiesta ST (for Europe, sorry America!), the newest member of the family has 182 PS (180 horsepower) and 240 Nm (177 pound-feet) on tap. In combination with the weight of the Focus and short-throw gear lever of the six-speed manual transmission, this engine likes to be pushed hard and doesn’t run out of puff as easily as you’d imagine.

From the departure point to the MotorPark racing circuit, Ford gave me the keys to an ST-Line with the 1.5-liter EcoBlue and eight-speed automatic that could’ve been the Hydra-Matic 9T50. The Blue Oval didn’t use the General Motors-developed transmission out of the box for a couple of reasons, choosing to develop an eight-speeder instead.

How does the gearbox relate with the EcoBlue amid diesel woes? Accelerating off the line takes the transmission one moment to get into the action, but once on the move, the two are like the peas in a pod. Perfect for one another, smooth, and close-knit in comparison to other torque-converter automatic transmission in the compact segments.

All new from the ground up and based on the 2.0-liter EcoBlue, the 1.5 doesn’t feature Selective Catalytic Reduction emissions after-treatment technology. That says a lot about how much Ford of Europe invested in this powerplant, which was developed in Dunton, England and at the automaker’s research & development centers in Germany.

Low-down torque (270 Nm from 1,750 to 2,500 rpm) helps with overtaking at high speeds, making the 1.5-liter EcoBlue the right choice for customers who drive lots of miles per year. Fuel consumption figures in the real world don’t reflect those of the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure, but it’s good enough for a car of this size and weight.

There’s a saying that goes like “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Ford took a different approach with the interior, which can be described as a sea of plastic of good and sub-standard quality. The Vignale trim level tries to sweeten the deal with leather and soft-touch padding, but when all is said and done, we were expecting more attention to the quality of the materials.

2019 Ford Focus \(European model\)
Photo: Andrei Tobosaru for Ford Romania
Tapping the plastic panels in the lower part of the cabin reveals the extent of the cost-cutting, which Ford plans to accelerate in the coming years. The plan is to cut the number of platforms from nine to five, and Ford relies on Volkswagen and Mahindra to make it happen.

The Focus is the first application of the C2 vehicle architecture, described as some sort of Holy Grail by the head of engineering of the European division. Modularity is the name of the game, along with cost-cutting. This gets us to the Vignale once again, which features torsion-beam suspension if you order the car with the 1.0-liter EcoBoost. The EcoBoost with at least 1.5 liters of displacement gets you an independent setup.

Better in every single aspect compared to the Global C vehicle architecture (C1), the C2 has been developed with electrification in mind. The 2020 Ford Kuga (a.k.a. Escape in the United States) and Lincoln MKC will transition to this platform, and so far, we’re aware that Ford is working on a plug-in hybrid option.

Turning our attention back to the Focus, the fourth generation also features an incommensurable collection of buttons, burdening the design of the dashboard. Something that Ford did right, however, is rear-seat legroom and headroom, along with the tablet-inspired infotainment system. The 8.0-inch SYNC 3 in our test vehicles has more processing power and superior graphics than the previous generation, along with wireless charging for Qi-enabled mobile devices, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto compatibility.

If you go for the wagon, the 2019 Ford Focus can swallow up to 1,650 liters worth of luggage with the rear seat folded. The five-door hatchback isn’t bad, but let’s forget trunk capacity for a minute. The most brilliant packaging decision can be found under the false floor, where the subwoofer and spare wheel coexist. That’s right; even models equipped with the B&O Play optional audio system come with the spare!

Tire repair kits are all the rage these days because they save weight and, to a certain extent, are cheaper than the spare wheel. These kits don’t help in scenarios more serious than a puncture, and Ford deserves a big thumbs up for choosing to go old-school in this regard.

2019 Ford Focus \(European model\)
Photo: Andrei Tobosaru for Ford Romania
Also commendable is the Door Edge Protector, similar to the system introduced in 2011 by the 2012 Ford Focus. They’re cheap and in the long run, replacing the pop-out plastic costs less than repainting the doors. Another point of interest is the head-up display. While the information isn’t projected onto the windshield à la BMW, the HUD has been developed to work even if the driver is wearing polarized sunglasses.

Codenamed C519, the Focus Mk IV boasts one of the better full-LED lighting technologies in the segment. The glare-free high beam of the Adaptive Front Lighting System is one of the highlights, along with a function that broadens the shape of the beam if the forward-facing camera identifies a roundabout or bend sign.

The Evasive Steering Assist rounds off the technological advancements brought forward by the 2019 Focus. If the electronic brain of the vehicle identifies the possibility of a crash, the system provides steering assist if there’s a gap the Focus can steer into. The accident-avoidance technology isn’t meant to exclude the driver from prevention and mitigation, with Evasive Steering Assist programmed to offer the possibility to yank the steering wheel the opposite way if the situation calls for this measure.

Exterior design? This is one area Ford of Europe didn’t get 100-percent right, with the Focus appearing to be a mélange between Ford (up front), Lexus (on the sides), and Mazda (at the rear). The longer wheelbase and shorter overhangs give a dynamic presence to the car, and if you’re not careful during configuration, the grille can ruin the exterior design altogether.

The horizontal slats of the Trend and Titanium aren’t cohesive enough with the rest of the vehicle. The Vignale makes a better impression, boasting the coolest front-bumper design available for the Focus. The ST-Line, on the other hand, is the pick of the bunch as long as you don’t mind the lowered, stiffer suspension system. The ST-Line adds further flavor with by means of a dual-exhaust system, more aggressive lip spoiler and side skirts, and the Rock Metallic Y-design alloy wheels wrapped in 215/50 R17 summer tires.

On the subject of pricing, it’s no secret Ford has been losing money in Europe for a handful of years now. But in spite of the financial adversity, the Focus is €200 cheaper than before. In Germany, that is.

Manufactured at Saarlouis, the Focus starts at €18,700 for the Trend with the 125 PS (123 horsepower) version of the 1.0-liter EcoBoost and six-speed manual. The list of standard features won’t get your heart racing, but all that one expects from a compact hatchback is there.

2019 Ford Focus \(European model\)
Photo: Andrei Tobosaru for Ford Romania
LED daytime running lights, 16-inch tires wrapped around steel wheels, Pre-Collision Assist with Forward Alert, pedestrian and bicycle detection, leather on the steering wheel and shifter, air conditioning, Lane Assistant with Lane Keeping Assist, Intelligent Speed Limiter, adjustable lumbar support for the driver’s seat, just about everything of utmost necessity comes at no cost to the customer.

Fleet operators who would like the sedan should take their minds off this body style, which is reserved for Turkey and Romania at the time of writing. There are no plans to bring the Focus Sedan further westward, but if the dealer network in Europe puts pressure on the Ford Motor Company, availability will be extended. After all, the sedan is built at the same assembly plant as the five-door hatchback and family-friendly estate.

Taking the unsatisfactory elements into consideration, the 2019 Focus isn’t just good. It has managed to keep its crown as the best hatchback in the non-premium compact segment. A technological trailblazer that handles better than the Mazda3, the Focus is an appealing choice even to the most demanding or skeptical of customer.

“Why didn’t you mention the Volkswagen Golf at all?” Fair point, dear reader, but there’s no competition between the two, at least not until the next generation of the Golf comes along.

The cheapest configuration available in Germany comes in at €18,250 with three doors, 15-inch wheels, a tire repair kit, and the particulate filter-equipped 1.0 TSI. The one with 85 PS (84 horsepower) and a five-speed transmission, making the entry-level Golf inadequate for driving on the motorway.

There are cheaper alternatives in the segment, of course, including as the Hyundai i30 and Opel Astra. But as long as pricing isn’t at the top of your priorities list and the new-car buyer understands the fundamentals of value for money, the Focus is a no-brainer.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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