Los Angeles Auto Show

The 2008 Ford Focus brings a bold new look, a refined and flexible interior and a higher level of driving enjoyment to an evolving small car market. With features including Ford Sync™, standard side-curtain air bags and fuel economy in the mid-30s, the redesigned Focus will play an important role in Ford Motor Company’s resurging car portfolio, continuing the momentum built by the successful Ford Fusion mid-size sedan.

2008 Ford Focus

“The 2008 Focus is further proof that Ford is back in the car business,” said Cisco Codina, Ford group vice president, North America Marketing, Sales and Service. “The new Focus delivers the superior quality, refinement and exciting driving dynamics that today’s small car customers demand – and introduces some cutting-edge innovations that will make it stand out from the pack.”

Muscular stance, sharp character lines define Focus

For the new 2008 Focus, Ford’s design team drew inspiration from the highly successful Fusion, borrowing that car’s prominent chrome-bar grille design, flared wheel arches and sweeping, crisp lines to create a small car that stands out with a sporty stance.

Even details in the distinctive headlights help enhance the 2008 Focus’ design story. Horizontal bars with a matte surface run through the reflection area, visually connecting the headlights with a sweeping line running through the chrome-bar grille.

The taillamps borrow cues from the 2008 Ford Escape, with a white arc cutting across the red lens. Complementing the taillamps, the center high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL) is carefully integrated into the decklid and features a new clear lens that illuminates with red LEDs for a progressive, modern appearance.

Focus SE and SES models feature a front fender appliqué integrated just behind the front wheel well, adding a bright accent to the profile. On all models, the “Focus” name is brightly spelled out in bold italic letters on the decklid, scuff plates and instrument panel.

The 2008 Focus is available in two body styles – two-door coupe (a first for Focus) and four-door sedan – in S, SE and SES trims. Focus is built in Wayne, Mich.

Redesigned cabin is quiet, inviting and refined

While the exterior design helps the Focus stand out, the real news for the 2008 Focus is the interior design. The all-new interior design, with unique materials and new levels of craftsmanship, delivers a sense of modern, contemporary openness and provides even more flexible storage space.

Interior features include:

* A new “top of dash” display positioned at eye level at the top of the center stack. This simple, efficient design puts much of the vehicle’s information in one place, making it easier and quicker to read when driving.
* A new “poke-through” center console design replaces the traditional “brick” design for the radio and HVAC controls. The all-new center stack houses the controls for the audio and HVAC as well as a standard auxiliary input jack and two power points. In vehicles equipped with the available Sync option, the associated USB port is located on the center stack near the power points.
* New Ice Blue Lighting on the instrument cluster, center console, steering wheel and door lock and window switches presents a cool, crisp light that enhances the overall feel of the interior and is easy on the eyes when driving at night.
* On SES models, the dashboard and center console sport a brilliant matte-silver-metallic finish. On SE models, the center console and dashboard center finish panels also feature contrasting colors.

The 2008 Focus offers a larger center console as well as added space in front of the shifter for extra storage. Newly designed door trim features larger bins and cupholders in the doors. The console also provides three additional cupholders. New seats have improved contours and offer more lateral and lumbar support. A new cloth pattern is featured for 2008, while the leather seats include contrast stitching for an added touch of craftsmanship.

Focus S models feature a Stone interior; SE and SES models are available in Stone or Charcoal. Vehicles equipped with the SE Deluxe package feature a white-face instrument cluster and chrome accents on the door handles and side-view mirror caps and unique 16-inch wheels. The SES model also features the white-faced instrument cluster, and adds body colored door handles and mirror caps, rear spoiler and unique 16-inch wheels.

Focus lets you set the mood

Adding to the appeal of the interior, the 2008 Focus comes with an available next-generation color-configurable interior ambient lighting system. Taking the customizable dashboard lighting system first introduced on the 2005 Mustang to the next level, the ambient lighting system on the 2008 Focus can change the light inside the cupholders and in the front and rear footwells. The driver or front-seat passenger can choose from seven different colors, including red, orange, blue, indigo, violet, green and yellow, simply by cycling through a dash-mounted switch.

Customizable and unique interior lighting inside cars and trucks is an emerging trend. According to a recent survey, more than 90 percent of consumers said they would be interested in unique lighting to enhance the appearance of their vehicle’s interior.

Sync connects your digital life to your drive life

The 2008 Ford Focus is one of the first Ford Motor Company vehicles to feature Sync, a cutting-edge way to use cell phones and media players inside a vehicle. This industry-first technology offers unprecedented levels of connection, control, simplicity and personalization for electronic devices inside a car.

A microphone inside the cabin allows consumers to use their mobile phones hands free while operating a vehicle. Using Bluetooth technology as a foundation, Sync can wirelessly connect up to six different mobile phones to the vehicle through a process called pairing. Once the phone is paired, the user’s personal features (such as address book and ring tones) are readily accessed by the system.

Sync is also the only automotive application that offers full hands-free, voice-activated command and control over portable media players and USB storage devices. Sync’s advanced capability allows consumers to access the songs, artists, genres, albums, playlists and more through voice commands. The selections also are shown on the vehicle’s audio display, since Sync allows complete command and control via dashboard or steering wheel controls. Ultimately, Sync acts as an extension of the media player, effectively melding the player’s functionality into the vehicle.

Sync hosts nearly all media players, including all Apple iPods, all MP3 players with “Plays for Sure” technology, and Microsoft’s new music player, Zune. Sync also accepts music saved on USB storage drives. Located on the dashboard near the power outlets, the Sync USB port simultaneously charges the player as the music is being played over the vehicle’s audio system. All music played through Sync is high-resolution digital quality.

Revised suspension settings further refine the Focus driving experience
Since its North American introduction in 1999, Focus has been hailed for being an affordable car that handles and drives like a car twice its price. For 2008, the suspension has been redesigned and retuned to further improve overall driving dynamics.

The Focus gets its great driving dynamics from a suspension setup that features MacPherson struts up front and an independent multilink design in the rear. The spring rates, dampers, stabilizer bars, and bushings are all new for 2008. Generally speaking, the spring rates were dropped and improvements to steering and handling were accomplished by careful tuning and increasing the size of the front stabilizer bar.

Engineers also derived unique tuning packages for vehicles equipped with 15- or 16-inch wheels and tires. Models with 15-inch wheels and low-rolling resistance Hankook tires use a front stabilizer bar only. Models with 16-inch wheels and sporty, responsive Pirelli tires use front and rear stabilizer bars.

The revised chassis settings help improve steering feel and responsiveness over the previous Focus. Changes in body structure also help improve handling. The cross-car beam located beneath the instrument panel has been significantly stiffened for 2008. The steering column is mounted to this beam, which means minimal vibration in the steering wheel as Focus is driven over rough and uneven roads.

Focus gets an all-new brake system for 2008. New aluminum calipers save weight and improve brake pedal feel. The brakes are 10.9-inch vented discs in front and 11.0-inch drums in back with an available anti-lock braking system (ABS).

The 2008 Focus comes with a choice of two engines. The standard engine is a 140-horsepower (up four horsepower from the previous model) 2.0-liter, Duratec 20 dual-overhead-cam (DOHC), inline 4-cylinder. The added power comes from an all-new air intake system and a new cooling system, both of which are designed to improve efficiency and reduce back-pressure in the exhaust.

There’s also a super-clean, 130-horsepower Duratec 20E engine that qualifies Focus as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV). The 20E is cleaner than some hybrid gas-electric vehicles. The PZEV engine is required from dealers in California, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine. For orders from dealers in cross border states – Arizona, Connecticut, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island – PZEV Focus models are available as a limited option.

The Duratec 20 and 20E are available with a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic. For 2008, the transmissions have revised final drive ratios, which let the engine turn at a lower rpm rate during highway driving and get better fuel economy. In addition to powertrain refinements, fuel economy gains were also achieved by weight reduction and aerodynamic improvements. Compared to a comparably equipped 2007 model, the new 2008 Focus is about 100 pounds lighter.

Focus provides a quite, refined ride and low NVH

The new exterior design doesn’t just look good, it provides function as well. Many hours were spent in the wind tunnel developing the shapes of exterior parts such as mirrors and front openings, spoilers, and the shape of the air deflectors under the car. The improved airflow helps reduce the coefficient of drag from 0.33 to 0.32 and delivers a quieter cabin and improved fuel economy.

At a simulated 80 mph in the wind tunnel, the previous Focus had 28.8 sones of wind noise while the new model recorded 25.6, an 8 percent reduction in wind noise. In a road test measuring “boom, rumble and roar,” decibel levels dropped from 70 dBA to 67.3.

The difference between the previous model and the 2008 Focus is far more dramatic than the numbers show. Sones reflect overall noise levels and not the directionality of the noise. A noise coming from a particular area can be perceived as being louder, even though the overall noise level is similar. With Focus, engineers addressed not only the overall noise level, but also where the noise is coming from.

* Engineers reduced wind noise by installing a new acoustic windshield and thicker side glass in the front doors (increased in thickness from 3.2 to 3.8 millimeters).
* Closed-cell foam is used for the dash panel seal, as opposed to open-cell foam material, to help reduce wind noise even further.
* Fluffy cotton-like sound-deadening material is incorporated into the door trim panels, C-pillars and the shelf behind the rear seats to reduce cabin noise.
* The sealing around the side mirrors is redesigned and reduces noise entering the passenger cabin.
* The front air dam is stiffened and produces less noise.

The climate control system is more efficient, with improved cooling and heating performance. Switching to electronic actuators for the floor, panel, defrost and temperature controls improves heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) performance. The completely redesigned climate control system is also quieter and lighter than the system it replaced.

New and improved standard safety features

The 2008 Focus comes standard with Ford’s Personal Safety System®, including thorax side air bags and side air curtains for increased coverage in the event of a side impact crash.

Focus uses Ford’s Safety Canopy™ side air curtains that deploy in certain side-impact collisions to help protect front- and second-row outboard occupants. The curtains remain inflated for several seconds after deployment to enhance protection during an extended crash event.

The air curtains feature “roll-fold” technology. If occupants are improperly seated and resting their heads against a window, the Safety Canopy™ is designed to slide between the glass and occupants as it inflates.

The 2008 Focus is built to last

The 2008 redesign for the Focus is more than skin deep. Engineers and designers improved every part of the body to improve how the vehicle behaves under all driving conditions.

Engineers reworked and improved the strength of the roof structure, the package tray, the connections between the rear floor and the underbody and the door systems. A stiffened cross-car beam beneath the instrument panel connects the car side to side and provides better lateral stiffness.

Even the wiring in the new Focus has been rethought and redesigned. A new Smart Power Distribution Junction Box distributes electrical power throughout the vehicle. In the past, the car had separate connections and unnecessary wires. This modern system is lighter, more efficient and less complex, reducing the amount of wires. It also simplifies manufacturing.

Key Features and Options:

Standard features include: Power front-disc and rear-drum brakes; Power rack-and-pinion steering; 5-speed manual transmission; Rear defroster; Manual adjust side mirrors; Tinted glass; AM/FM single CD/MP3 player four speakers; Audio input jack; Two 12V power points; Padded armrests; Two-way adjustable, manual front seats; 60/40-split rear seat; Visor mirrors; LATCH; SecuriLock® passive anti-theft system; Tire inflation kit.

Available options include: 16-inch aluminum wheels; AM/FM six-disc, in-dash CD/MP3 player; Audiophile system for AM/FM six-disc in-dash CD/MP3 player with four coaxial speakers and 8-inch subwoofer; SIRIUS® Satellite Radio; Ford Sync™; Interior ambient lighting system; 4-speed automatic transmission; Anti-lock brakes with traction control; Floor mats; Power moonroof; Perimeter alarm system; Four-way manual adjustable driver’s seat; Heated seats; Leather-trimmed seating surfaces; Spare tire; Floor mats.

Milestones

1998 Ford introduces the Focus at the Geneva Motor Show
1999 Focus wins European Car of the Year
1999 North American Focus debuts
2000 Focus is Automobile Magazine’s Automobile of the Year and MotorWeek’s Best Small Car
2000 Focus wins North American Car of the Year
2002 High-performance SVT Focus excites “hot hatch” enthusiasts
2003 Ultra-clean Focus PZEV introduced
2005 Ford reworks Focus with major design and engineering improvements
2006 Focus receives AutoPacific’s first Ideal Vehicle Award as top-rated compact car for 2006
2007 All-new 2008 Focus introduced at the 2007 North American International Auto Show

  # 5:32 AM 0 Comments