New Ford Focus introduces expanded line-up

The new Ford Focus has been unveiled today featuring new electrified powertrains alongside advanced connectivity and driver assistance technologies.

They include the next-generation Sync 4 technology, enabling cloud-connected navigation and connected voice control with natural language understanding.

Sync 4 is supported by an all-new, 13.2-inch landscape centre screen with an intuitive interface, while other advanced driver assistance technologies introduced to Focus for the first time include Blind Spot Assist.

New Focus also for the first time introduces an automatic transmission option for the fuel-saving EcoBoost Hybrid 48-volt mild hybrid powertrains, offering up to 155 PS.

Ford has also enhanced the 1,653-litre loadspace of the Focus wagon variant for greater practicality, responding to customer feedback to introduce a new wet zone, easy-clean carpet and side trims, and a vertical divider for simple and effective organisation of the loadspace. A five-door hatchback is also offered.

Roelant de Waard, general manager for passenger vehicles at Ford of Europe, said: “The Ford Focus is a success story more than 20 years in the making, and its appeal has always been grounded in delivering an attractive design and first-class driving dynamics.

“With next-generation SYNC 4 adding Connected Navigation with the largest screen in the segment, new Focus customers will enjoy an enhanced digital experience that fits seamlessly into their lives.” 

Focus electrified performance

More Focus drivers will be able to benefit from the enhanced fuel efficiency and performance of new Focus’ EcoBoost Hybrid engines following the introduction of a seven-speed Powershift automatic transmission option, with WLTP fuel efficiency from 47.9mpg and CO2 emissions from 119g/km.

The Powershift automatic also supports fuel-saving by keeping the hybrid engine at the optimum rpm for efficiency, and by allowing rolling Auto Start-Stop to operate below 12 km/h (7 mph).

Available with 125 PS and 155 PS power outputs, the new Focus’ 48-volt mild hybrid 1.0-litre EcoBoost Hybrid powertrain is also available with a six-speed manual gearbox, with WLTP fuel efficiency from 51.4mpg and CO2 emissions from 116g/km.

The hybrid powertrain replaces the standard alternator with a belt-driven integrated starter/generator (BISG), enabling energy normally lost during braking to be recovered and stored in a dedicated lithium-ion battery pack.

The BISG is also able to act as a motor, providing torque assistance to either increase the total torque available from the powertrain for more responsive in-gear acceleration, or reduce the amount of work required by the engine for improved fuel efficiency.

The new Focus also offers Ford’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine with 125 PS power output and a six-speed manual gearbox, and from 47.1mpg fuel efficiency and 121g/km CO2 WLTP. Features including Twin-independent Variable Cam Timing and high-pressure direct injection contribute to overall efficiency and responsive performance.

For higher mileage drivers, Ford’s 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel engine is available with 120 PS power outputs, with fuel efficiency from 56.5mpg and 120g/km CO2 WLTP, offered with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The new Focus also features selectable Drive Mode technology, enabling drivers to choose between Normal, Sport and Eco modes that can adjust the responses of the throttle pedal, Electronic Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) and automatic gearbox to suit the driving scenario. Active models also feature Slippery mode for increased confidence in low-grip conditions and Trail mode that is designed to help maintain momentum on deformable surfaces.

Ford Focus technology

Focus is the highest-volume Ford passenger vehicle to-date to benefit from the new Sync 4 communication and entertainments system, which uses a sophisticated machine learning algorithm to learn from drivers’ behaviour and deliver more accurate suggestions and search results over time.

Sync 4 is supported by an all-new 13.2-inch central touchscreen, with an intuitive interface that means drivers never are more than a touch or two away from any application, information or control they need.

The new touchscreen also incorporates controls for functions such as heating and ventilation that were previously activated using physical buttons.

The system also delivers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

Advanced speech recognition allows occupants to use natural speech in 15 European languages, combining on-board data with Internet searches – enabled by FordPass Connect.

The Sync 4 system also enables Ford Power-Up wireless software updates that will improve the new Focus over time, and can install much of the new software in the background or at pre-scheduled times, with many updates requiring little to no action by customers.

These upgrades can help improve the ownership experience and may help reduce the need for repair trips, as well as enhancing features, quality, experiences, capability and convenience.

Using the FordPass app, a range of connected services can be accessed using a smartphone, allowing the customer to stay connected with their car from anywhere with a data signal and utilise features such as vehicle status – for checking fuel levels, oil life and more – and remote start.

Ford’s SecuriAlert system can provide extra peace of mind by using vehicle sensors to monitor for any attempt to enter the vehicle – even if a key is used – and send alerts to the user’s phone.

New Focus vehicles with Sync 4 benefit from complimentary trial access to Connected Navigation and Ford Secure subscriptions, which enables features such as live traffic, weather and parking information as well as Local Hazard Information.

The Ford Secure subscription includes Stolen Vehicles Services, which provides 24-hour on-call assistance in the event of the vehicle being stolen, including tracking and recovery.

The Ford Secure subscription will receive Neighbourhood Alerts – notifications from other SecuriAlert-protected vehicles in your area, and Location Alerts – the ability to create user-chosen boundaries and push notifications should the vehicle leave these areas, as Power-Up wireless updates at a later date.

Connected Navigation includes real-time and predictive traffic information delivered by TomTom, with Garmin supplying in-vehicle and in-cloud routing to suggest the most efficient routes.

Live weather information keeps the driver informed of conditions along their route and at their destination and can warn of severe weather events that may affect their journey, while three-dimensional maps of major cities and parking information help navigate unfamiliar environments.

Also new to Focus is Blind Spot Information System with Trailer Coverage, which allows the driver to enter the length and width of the trailer they wish to tow using the Sync 4 touchscreen. The system will automatically compensate, warning the driver if another vehicle is in the blind spot of the trailer being towed.

Meanhwile, new Intersection Assist uses the Focus’s forward-facing camera in combination with radar to monitor the road ahead for potential collisions with oncoming vehicles in parallel lanes.

The system can automatically apply the brakes when travelling at up to 18 mph to help prevent or mitigate accidents where a driver is turning across the path of an oncoming vehicle, such as at a crossroads or junction. The system functions without the need for road markings or furniture and also at night with headlights activated.

“The new Focus is packed with new technologies and features that all deliver a tangible benefit to the driver or passengers in terms of comfort, convenience or safety,” said Glen Goold, Ford Focus vehicle line director.

“Our customers expect to find the latest features when they step into a Ford and that they will blend seamlessly into their lives – this is what we have achieved with the new Focus.”

Ford Focus wagon

In response to customer feedback, a range of innovative new features have been introduced to the new Focus wagon loadspace that make it even more practical and convenient for customers.

The luggage space is now trimmed with a high-quality cropped carpet – previously used exclusively as cabin flooring and floor mats on Vignale-specification vehicles.

An additional side load net is ideal for storing smaller items that could otherwise move freely around the loadspace while travelling, and twin LED lights provide clearer illumination in low-light conditions.

The adjustable load-floor now has a central hinge, allowing it to be folded to create a vertical divider that locks into place at a 90-degree angle, creating two separate spaces to keep items more securely in place.

The load area also now features a wet zone, with a load-floor liner inserted into the space to provide water resistance against items such as wet suits and umbrellas.

The water-resistant lining can be removed from the space for easy draining or cleaning, and the area can be enclosed from the rest of the boot with floor folded down, or separated with the vertical divider to create wet and dry zones.

“The new Focus ST is a crucial part of the new Focus range; it is the ultimate expression of the Focus philosophy that you can have a car that delivers true excitement and driving pleasure while still fitting seamlessly into everyday life,” de Waard said.