MOTORIZATION | Focus attracts attention

Dimensionally, it is said that it has improved in key areas like knee clearance, which has increased by more than 50mm – by moving pillar A and the dashboard towards the front – while the shoulders increased by more than 60mm

The director of color and material design at Ford, Serife Celebi, who has worked on all generations Focus, says that the one of the customers' requests was to have a more spacious cabin, without necessarily having a longer car

. is the same length as the outgoing generation with relatively short overhangs but with a longer wheelbase of 50mm than its predecessor.

The cabin appointments are similar to those of the new Fiesta with similar architecture, highlighted by the Sync 3 infotainment display clean layout and without clutter. The model has about 50 fewer buttons than the previous version, which makes a welcome change, something that was also cautious in the last Fiesta.

The perceived quality is good, but the feel of certain materials, especially on the doors and the lower half of the dashboard is a bit cheaper compared to an equivalent Golf.

For models in South Africa, two engines will be offered: the 1.0-liter Ecoboost three-cylinder, familiar but reworked, and the three-cylinder 1.5-liter. ecoboost powerplants.

The first provides 92kW and 175Nm, while the second will probably be the 134kW and 240Nm variant. Both engines are paired with either a six-speed manual or a new eight-speed automatic. The 1.0l has a new six-speed gearbox, which is good but not as sleek as that of the outgoing model, while the latter has an improved, smoother six-speed manual.

I spent a little time in the engine While the engine reaches its cruising speed of 3,000 rpm, it struggles to get started before this twilight zone, while the slopes require a pbadage as low as the second gear to keep the engine boiling

. ] The 1.5l is the best proposition of both engines because it has a bigger seam of torque that should make it more able to cope with the vagaries of daily traffic.

Finishing levels include the Ambiente base, Trend, The sporty ST line illustrated here

Unfortunately, the latter is not yet on the cards for our market, but I think it would make good, because it has a slightly sportier appearance, accentuated by a lower body height of 10mm, standard models.

There are semi-leather leather benches The metal pedals complete the sports theme.

The new model shines with ride quality, engineers have found the right balance between a comfortable and refined layout and "

According to Guy Mathot, responsible for driving dynamics, the team that has worked on the current model also worked on the previous three generations of Focus.

The entire suspension was redone with the independent rear suspension which now includes an isolated subframe for the SLA (short long arm), which is supposed to mix comfort and driver pleasure which we have spoke earlier. Crossing some of Nice's narrow roads in the south of France during inclement weather, the new Ford Focus Ecoboost model feels composed and relatively quiet with a minimum of NVH (noise, vibration and hardness), thanks in part to stiffness improvements The direction is light in its operation, but rather direct and with few road vibrations which cross the column of direction when driving on broken roads

. The model brings new elements to the Ford fold in the form of a HUD (head-up display) in perspex glbad, while the Active Parking Assist 2 makes parking even easier thanks to fully automatic maneuvers for parallel parking spaces and in

Thanks to the shift capability of Ford's new eight-speed automatic transmission, the system identifies the appropriate parking spaces and the driver can simply control the vehicle's motion by selecting the appropriate parking space. neutral and holding a center depressed button mounted on the console – no coordination of hands or feet is required

The model is expected to arrive in South Africa early in the year 2019, when prices and the derivatives of the complete model will be announced. For now, you can expect a more refined Ford Focus and mature than before.