The past few days have been awesome, but busy. On Christmas, I found an envelope with a ticket to Detroit in mid-January...so I'm headed to NAIAS 2010! I'm setting up for some great connections while I'm there, so expect live posting from the show floor (if I can figure it out), and plenty of extra media will be available shortly after that. I also had the opportunity to test drive a 2010 Ford Focus SE at a local Ford dealer. I walked in with the intention of having a look at the 2010 Mustang GT, but that would hardly be a practical car for me, or even the average car buyer. The dealer would also prefer that you don't look directly at it unless you show them $35,000...they're a little protective of it, but that's somewhat beside the point. I suppose I would be the same way if I were a salesman. Can't have people coming in for a joyride when it best suits them. Don't get me wrong, the Mustang GT is a fantastic car, but it isn't nearly as versatile as the Focus.
A few years ago, my dad had essentially the same Focus as what I drove the other day. He had a blue 2004 Ford Focus SE with a few simple options; it had power locks and windows, cruise control, and keyless entry. Nothing fancy, but it was a good car. It had a 2.0L Zetec I4 engine (I know that sounds technical...it just means the engine was pretty average for a car of that size), a 5-speed manual transmission, and fwd (front-wheel-drive; the wheels that received power were the front ones). The engine was quite flexible; it had plenty of power when you wanted it, but it also could yield something like 34 mpg on the highway. The steering was also fantastically direct, with no slack on-center, so if you turned the wheel a tiny bit, the car would turn a tiny bit immediately. There were a few cons to the car, though. It may have been advertised as a 5-seater, but Ford probably just wrote 5 to avoid the hassle of having to explain that you can fit only two children in the back seat comfortably. And this is if they're shorter than 5 feet tall. If they were taller, they had to sit cross-legged, or risk the inevitable circulation loss in their legs when they tried to fit them in between the front and rear seats. And don't even get me started on the horizontal challenge of fitting even 3 children in the backseat. It's not pretty, or comfortable. All-in-all, the car was good, reliable transportation at a decent price, and that's what it was marketed as, so Ford did their job. When 2005 rolled in, so did a restyled Focus. I thought it looked a little ugly, but it sold well despite this. I assume the functionality of the 2005 model was at least on par with, if not greater than the previous model.
Well, now we're almost to 2010, and the automotive companies are swimming for dear life amidst this economic downturn. Among those swimmers, Ford Motor Company has appeared to be Michael Phelps at times. I saw on chart in Motor Trend which suggested that Ford was the only major U.S. seller (including import giant Toyota) to post a profit for a specific quarter. I'll have to look more closely at Ford's earnings, as I've heard that their profits cannot be attributed to car sales, but they're still among the financially stronger automakers. Volkswagen also posted a profit in that quarter, but the companies who made money were few and far between. Just look at G.M. and Chrysler, both of whom were financially ground upon the rocks, pleading for government bailouts, and parading in front of government panels to explain the intended path out of the financial storm. So why was Ford able to stay out of all this? Well, not having immediate access to Ford's sales and net income, I can't exactly say where the money was made...or rather, not lost. But even if sales were down, and profits were not made there, I can speculate that it's at least partially because of brilliant vehicles. Let's have a look at one of these vehicles.
The 2010 Ford Focus SE. This is a mid-level Focus. I tested a black model with a 5 speed manual and a 2.0L I4, which would punch your wallet to the tune of roughly $19,000. If you're on a tighter budget, a base Focus can be had for $15,995. One of the first things you'll notice about a newer Focus is the aggressive-looking yet compact fascia. The back end tells the same story, with stylish, unique taillights, and a nicely sculpted small car body in between which rides 15" alloy wheels. Quite elegant, really. Much less outlandish than the current Toyota Corolla, which is a competitor. The styling is also much fresher than that of the Chevrolet Cobalt, another competitor that has remained mainly unchanged for a few years. So the Focus has a nice edge in style, but a car like this isn't purchased purely for style. The basic roles which all previous Focuses had to fill still had to be filled by the 2010 model. So what about the interior? Everything is easy to understand, with simple, easy-to-reach controls, and telescoping everything you could imagine. That's especially helpful if I want to drive the Focus after my mother, who is half a foot shorter than I am. The interior looks good, but I had some preconceived notions of the rear seat space. I didn't have three adults to test with, but the back seat room appears to have increased, despite the deceptively small exterior. A pleasant surprise was waiting in the trunk when I opened it. An 8" subwoofer, which is part of the 8 speaker, 190 watt premium sound system. This system is also MP3 player capable. Just in case you were wondering, 190 watts of stereo is plenty. The system puts out great thumping bass, and the high treble notes are crystal-clear. I wasn't expecting something that nice from the Focus. My only gripe here is that there is less trunk space. Normally I wouldn't care, but I'm sure my cello would not fit in the trunk. Regardless, most people don't have to worry about a cello, and the trunk should suit everyday things like groceries. Another nice feature was SIRIUS satellite radio, though I didn't use it in my limited time. The controls for all of this were made of nice, soft-to-the-touch materials in the center console, though there was also a plethora of steering wheel controls which I didn't bother to figure out. Quite an impressive improvement from the interior from older models, and better than many Chevrolet compact rentals that I've been in.
Driving. Ah, the good part. No matter who you are, it's unlikely that you want a boring car. If you can have a little excitement for the same amount of money, why not? Exactly. This is where I, being an 18 year old car fanatic, am most impressed. The shifter is fine, with easy throws and solid chunky notches to let you know which gear you're in. The engine purrs quietly when idling, and there's very little vibration. Unless you're very still, the only real indication that the car is running is the tachometer, with the needle hovering around 750 rpm. The second I pulled out of the dealer, I knew something was different about this Focus. VERY different. There was some uneven ground, maybe even a pothole between the dealer lot and the street, and I had driven towards it expecting a wobbly bump. It might as well have been a wide crevasse, because the Focus felt incredibly planted. Great, the car feels planted over small bumps at 5mph...that doesn't really give you a great idea of the handing though, does it? Something the salesman had mentioned before the drive is that the Focus has "European inspired suspension." I haven't the faintest idea of what that means. Maybe they're attempting to emulate a nicer German car, like a BMW, Audi, or Mercedes? I couldn't tell you. But I know this; that car feels bolted to the road. That doesn't mean the ride is bad, though. Bumps, potholes, and the occasional Mariana Trench that have become commonplace on Maine roads? The Focus laughs at them. The ride is compliant enough to deal with these, but sporty enough for anyone who doesn't intend to take their car to a racetrack. My dad has a Lincoln Continental with electronically controlled air suspension, and the Focus feels more composed over bumps. Similarly, the 2004 Focus feels like Jell-O in comparison. It's amazing how quickly technology progresses. The engine is easily capable of putting a grin on your face, both on the streets and at the pump.
As a relatively inexpensive, all around fun and functional vehicle, the Focus is a phenomenal deal. The Focus appeals to a wide range of buyers, from first car owners, to those looking for a reliable family car. The Focus is widely customizable, and can even be had in a sportier coupe model with a more performance-oriented drive train, and revised styling all-around. Sadly, the U.S. won't be getting the incredibly sporty RS version of the Focus which embarrasses the mighty Mustang GT from time to time. I'll console myself with the amazing all around purpose and ability of the normal model range of the Focus. For a rating of performance, value, ease-of-use, aesthetics, and comparison to other vehicles in its class, I'll give the Focus a rating based on a ten star system. Only the most mind-blowing vehicles receive a 10, and the worst vehicles would receive a 1...maybe a 0 if it was truly despicable. The Focus fared quite well in my hands, so I'll give it a rating of 8.5 out of 10.
Thanks for reading, I'll be sure to keep everyone posted on the upcoming show in Detroit!
-Stephen
