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It was a little busy at Ford. His British director is worried about the future of diesel engines, saying the new ones were as clean as gasoline. That the decline in popularity is affecting factories that manufacture a million diesel engines a year. A few days later, his American parent company announced that the 2025 goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 30% had been achieved eight years in advance.
Then some bad news – complaints of engine failures on older cars. liter Ecoboost gasoline engine. Allegations were made that it was dangerous. Ford said the owners had been invited three years ago to have their cars checked.
Meanwhile, in the hills behind Nice, Ford was approaching a media event that was starting in March with the launch of new Fiesta and Mustang models. Focus.
The location was a fabuloso multi-star golf hotel with cascading suites on the hill. The breakfast buffet was 46 €. It is called Terre Blanche if you are in this financial state of mind.
We were there to drive and enjoyed few amenities. Not even the pool from the horizon. The roads were the point, the circular route from Nice airport taking us into the green high pieces of the map, beyond the capital of Grasse perfumes.
Much of it was familiar with other car launches over the years. "We had lunch there," said George, my co-star who covers only events taking place overseas. As a result, he had a lot of free French lunches.
The strange thing was that the roads were now perfect. If they had been ravaged by frost, snow and heavy trucks, all traces had disappeared. They were adapted to the modern Tour de France, smooth, not a single pothole or erosion seen.
This was not ideal. We want to know how a car reacts to such things, if its direction is deviated, how much does it drink – or not at all? How much tire noise is coming from coarse surfaces?
We talked a bit about football. Ford of Germany was leading the show and his team still had to be fired from Russia. We talked about Brexit. We loved driving the Focus, the fourth Ford with the badge since 1998 when it replaced the Ford Escort. This Focus has set new standards in tailgate refinement with exceptional handling and driving pleasure. The following two changed the looks and the feeling, perhaps softening the ways. The all-new Focus of last week reminds me of the thrill of the first Focus. His steering response and his balance should please most of us. The shape is taut, lower and wider, on a longer wheelbase offering more passenger space but no length increase. The screen has been raked, giving a longer hood. The "look" is in balance, smoother, less chunky. He lost the Aston Martin grille. Today's Focus grille has something of a Suzuki Swift, a bit of Mazda3 – a car as stylish as this Focus.
All the old Focus has been replaced. There is the new rear suspension, the torsion beam with lighter engines, a new independent system for heavier engines and the field. There is a permanently monitored system on top models that mitigates some of the impact of the potholes and even prevents the rear wheels from what is coming. It is one to try virtually anywhere in Britain. In these French hills, it was superfluous. It also facilitates the car on sidewalks for half and a half parking – frowned upon here, common there.
There are so many new things that the list could become tedious. Some, then. The first head-up display on a European Ford; much fewer switches, an eight-speed automatic gearbox; an automatic push-button parking system; new "connectivity" batteries for phones and audio; headlights that do not dazzle in full beam; recognition of signs; management of the progress of the shutdown; the centering of the tracks; Collision prevention and mitigation.
George was too fast for this intervention. Scene, the A8 motorway. 80-ish speed. George begins to curse. Not unusual. I got up from my notebook. A black MPB was bouncing along the central barrier, dragging burnt rubber, skid marks and many body parts. On the right, also stopping, the truck in which he had fired.
George was skilfully avoiding everything. In a more critical situation, the Focus would have slowed down. Maybe he was already helping with his system of avoidance of impact
Verdict: Oh, uh, the door pockets are too short. Otherwise, a biscuit.
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