by Michael Collins
Auto journalists from across the country test drove
the 2008 Ford Focus. Go to Fordvehicles.com.
DEARBORN, Sept. 25, 2007 - Automotive journalists from across North America had near-unanimous praise for the overall ride, handling, tight steering and extremely quiet interior of the 2008 Ford Focus.
Nearly 140 automotive reporters and analysts converged on Seattle this week for the Focus introduction. Not only were they able to test-drive the totally redesigned small car entry, they were able to compare it to last year's model and the segment leader from the competition.
"This is a big step forward and puts Ford back in the game in the small-car segment," said Matt Stone the executive editor of Motor Trend. "Frankly speaking, Ford has not played in this segment for some time. You will now be among the competitors."
The media was also invited to test their personal phones and music devices on Ford SYNC, the exclusive Ford technology that uses voice commands for most portable digital music players and Bluetooth-enabled cell phones.
"I am impressed with the SYNC system, said Joe Langley of CSM Marketing. "It is very intuitive and easy to use. It seems that will be a very positive feature for most customers because it is so useful. I agree with the statement that Ford is leading the way to the future."
Other comments included:
Andy Bornhop, Road & Track: In terms of the suspension, powertrain and interior quietness, this is a vast improvement. This car feels so much more sophisticated than the previous generation Focus. That is the biggest difference for me.
Amy Wilson, Automotive News: The new Focus is a good effort from Ford with no glaring omissions to note. This vehicle should be competitive in the market place. The interior is particularly noteworthy, with very good fit and finish. This is an interior that I really like.
Don Sikora, Consumer Guide: The new Focus is really a nice vehicle to drive. I was quite surprised, in fact, with how good it is. There is plenty of grunt from this engine, more than the 140 hp would indicate. And there is a very nice feel to the controls -- the air conditioning and heating controls feel very high quality and expensive.
My biggest complaint is that the headroom in the sunroof-equipped vehicles is not very good -- it takes up a lot of space. There's far more headroom in the non-sunroof version.
Scott Burgess, The Detroit News: I think the design is very good -- I like everything but the rear-end of the car. The highlight is the interior. It is excellent. It looks very expensive. The front and rear seats are very good and very comfortable -- I think that is real a surprise in a vehicle at this price point.
Overall, this seems like an excellent value in the marketplace.
Don Sherman, Automobile Magazine: There is not enough power in the engine -- it is a good engine that loves to rev and it sounds good, but there is not enough power. The chassis is excellent and could handle a lot more horsepower. You really need to be considering the SVT version of this car. The shifter on the manual is very nice.
Josh Hancock, L.A. Times: Really big difference here compared to the 2007 models we drove. This is night and day. You can feel the improvements throughout the car -- in the seats, the steering wheel, in the engine noise. This is a great improvement. This car raises the bar in terms of interiors. My only real complaint is that the designers did not provide more storage space for devices in the center stack.
Rex Roy, Winding Road: The NVH improvements compared to the previous generation model are very impressive. The NVH performance makes the car sound like a high-quality piece. This is a good little car. There a couple of minor design flaws, like no where to grab the door handle from the inside, but overall, those are minor details. I think this is very competitive.
Byron Pope, Ward's: Wow. I have to admit I am very impressed. This vehicle is far better than I expected. The gearbox is nicely done; smooth and very easy to shift. With that gearbox, it is fun to drive. That is what this part of market needs. Fun to drive cars.
Marcus Amick, Freelance: This car rides great. The chassis works really well on these roads. And the Sync system at $395 is a killer deal. I told my brother about the capability of the system and he guessed the price would be over $2000. When I told him it was $395 he could not believe it.
Ken Patton, eCityofStyle.com: I wasn't going to come on this drive program because Focus is an economy car and we don't cover that. But with Sync, I had to get out here and cover the story. And now that I have seen the car, I have to say I am impressed. It does look and feel more expensive than $15,000. I like the brake feel, handling and lack of body roll, it's all much improved over the 2007 model. The car could use grab handles.
Jack Baruth, Dubspeed Media: I race the Focus and was sent to compare it to the street version. There are many attributes in the drive of the 2008 model that relate directly to the sedan car I race. I'm not convinced the European car would be any better in terms of drive performance.
Bengt Halvorson, CarConnection: The car is really nice to drive, and the interior looks very expensive. It is more comfortable and far quieter than I ever expected from a Ford Focus.
Ray Thursby, Auto Journalist: I'd love this car if you took the new design and threw it away. I liked the old design better and the hatchback strategy was smarter. This is a great chassis that deserves the hatchback strategy. That is what people want. I think it drives well. This has always been a good chassis, and this is the best yet. The car is so comfortable it feels like it should be dull but it is not. Chassis feels like it could handle another 20 hp easily.
Matt Marchese, The Car Lab: The Sync system is a standout technology. I found it very easy to use and intuitive. This is definitely the future available right now, today. Everyone is going to have this sort of system in a few years. Is good to see you leading this, and putting it in Focus is a smart move.
Linda Water Nelson, INSIDEout Cars & Trucks: Interior is just great. I love the look of the instrument panel. I think it is very clean and almost retro in the way it was designed. And the ambient lighting is wonderful. This is a wonderful improvement. The quality of the interior switches is very high. I was also impressed with Sync. I have a lisp and voice recognition technology usually doesn't work for me. Sync heard me and this was the first time I have been able to connect with any technology like this.
