2005 Focus: the first salvo in Ford's 'year of the car' blitz

Dearborn MI December 9, 2003; The Ford Focus, a favorite of enthusiast drivers and lately recognized as one of the highest quality small cars available, will receive major design and engineering improvements for the 2005 model year, Ford Motor Company Executive Vice President Jim Padilla told a gathering of 500 Ford employees, state and local government officials and United Auto Workers leaders at the company’s Wayne Assembly and Stamping Plant.

Focus is one of six new Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles – five cars and a crossover – that will launch in next year, following the complete redesign of the company’s sport utility vehicles that began in 2002 and the launch of two new minivans and the all-new F-150 pickup this year.

"The all-new and freshened 2005-model vehicles alone will deliver more than 1.2 million units of volume – that means nearly one-third of our U.S. sales will be from new designs," Padilla said. "When you include the new F-150, Mercury Monterey and Ford Freestar, which just hit the market, that number is closer to two million. That means half of our Ford, Mercury and Lincoln volume in the U.S. – or one-third of all Ford Motor Company vehicles sold worldwide – is new."

Ford Focus: Quality, Performance and Refinement

Since Focus was launched in North America as a 2000 model, auto enthusiasts have frequently praised the car for its sporty handling, modern design and exceptionally roomy cabin. In each model year, Ford advanced the basic concept, and improved quality. Today, J.D. Power and Associates ranks Focus well above the industry average in its Initial Quality Study.

Focus Chief Engineer John Sidelko said the priority for 2005 was to add more refinement to areas customers can see, and make a bold statement in what they feel and hear – particularly in the "stop and go" department.

"We have refined the Focus’ exterior styling and given it a smart new interior with a very clean, very contemporary instrument panel design. We have taken a great handling car and made it steer, ride and stop better. And we’ve backed up a great chassis with some of the most sophisticated, powerful and ‘green’ four-cylinder engines you can buy in any car," he said.

For 2005, Focus will again offer four unique body styles but with new, simpler model and trim designations. The range includes a three-door hatchback (ZX3), a four-door sedan (ZX4), a five-door hatchback (ZX5) and a station wagon (ZXW). The entry-level trim series is S, followed by SE and SES, which have higher levels of standard equipment and unique options.

New for 2005, a Focus ZX4 ST performance sedan has been added to the line up. This sedan will marry chassis components from Ford of Europe’s Focus ST170 and the SVT Focus with a 150-horsepower, 2.3-liter Duratec engine.

Cleaner, Greener and Meaner Engines Three engines will be offered: A new 136-horsepower, 2.0-liter Duratec 20 dual overhead cam, in-line four-cylinder (I-4) engine replaces both the base 110-horsepower, 2.0-liter single overhead cam I-4 engine and the available 130-horsepower, 2.0-liter Zetec DOHC I-4 engines offered since the North American debut of Focus in 2000.

In California, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine, a super-clean 20E version of the Duratec 20 is the standard engine. All Focuses powered by the Duratec 20E meet California’s Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle tailpipe standard and have zero fuel system evaporative emissions in order to qualify as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle. This means the 20E version of Focus is cleaner than some hybrid electric vehicles.

A 150-horsepower 2.3-liter Duratec 23 DOHC I-4 engine will power the new Focus ST performance sedan, which will be available in all 50 states. This free-revving engine is derived from the same family as the Duratec 20 but its larger displacement and performance-tuned exhaust help it produce 10 percent more horsepower. Torque is 153 foot-pounds, a 16 percent increase for exceptionally strong off-the-line and mid range acceleration. The Duratec 20 and 20E are available with a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic. Focus ST is offered with the Duratec 23 engine and a five-speed manual. Horsepower and torque figures are estimates.

Clean, Modern and Refined Design Every 2005 Focus receives a new front-end treatment that picks up cues from Ford’s new flagship sedan, the Five Hundred, which will be unveiled at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in January, and Ford of Europe’s Mondeo.

The most dramatic design departure from the original Focus is the new car’s interior. The instrument panel is an all-new design that directly reflects the priorities Ford has set for its interiors: it is clean and modern looking, highly functional and built of high-quality materials.

"Using simpler forms and straightforward, easy-to-use instruments and controls allows you to achieve a very high level of craftsmanship," said Erickson. "We then use color and texture to create a personality for each vehicle."

The instrument panel is symmetrical, with the driver and front passenger areas divided by two rectangular climate control registers, the hazard switch and a shallow center stack for the audio and climate control systems.

Four different interior color themes are offered across the model lineup. A monochromatic Charcoal environment is offered on Focus ST, ZX3 and ZX5. All models except Focus ST offer a two-tone Flint interior, while Focus ZX4 and ZXW also offer a two-tone Pebble interior. On two-tone models, the lower portions of the instrument panel and door trim panels are finished in a lighter shade, to make the cabin feel open. Both cloth and leather seating surfaces are available, with Focus ST offering unique woven fabrics or Preferred Suede seating surfaces with leather trim.

Several storage areas have been designed into the new instrument panel, including a large glove box, a storage drawer for six compact discs located by the driver’s left knee and an open storage space located just below the climate control dials.

A standard floor console houses the shifter assembly, two cup holders, the parking brake lever and controls for certain optional features, including the traction control system. An overhead console, which includes a sunglass holder and space for a garage door opener, is a new option. Additional storage can be found in the front doors, which now include molded-in bottle or cup holders.

Chassis Refinements Build on a Focus Strength The soul of every Focus is its chassis. Rack-and-pinion steering and a four-wheel independent suspension that uses MacPherson struts in front and a multi-link Control Blade design in the rear combine to deliver nimble handling with a smooth, well-controlled ride.

Entry-level S models now ride on 15-inch steel wheels and all-season tires, instead of 14-inch designs. Fifteen- and 16-inch alloy wheels are available on the SE and SES series.

Focus ZX4 ST delivers an even higher level of performance. It rides on unique 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels, Pirelli P205/50R16 all-season radials and uses the same front struts and rear shocks as the European Focus ST170 and the 2004 Focus SVT. These struts and rear shocks are about 50 percent stiffer than the ones used with the SE and SES suspension.

Customers already familiar with Focus’ dynamic capabilities will notice an even higher level of braking performance. Most models continue to use a combination of front disc and rear drum brakes. But for 2005, new brake linings are used and total brake swept area is increased by 17 percent, thanks to a 1-inch increase in front rotor diameter to 15 inches.

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