Cool blue

PERFECT in blue, with the Aston Martin-inspired front inlet mesh-type grilles

THE MIGHTY Blue Oval, Ford, is on a roll of epic proportions. Last year Ford Global reported a massive income of $7.4 billion.

Hard not to see with impressive products such as the Ford F150 and its high-performance variant Raptor, the highly impressive Focus with its RS and ST high-performance variants, and of course the Ford Explorer crossover SUV.

Ford has even found time to release a super limited edition new supercar, the second-generation modern Ford GT, and even went racing at Le Mans this year, trouncing rivals from Ferrari, Chevrolet, Aston Martin and Porsche in the process.

Here in Asia, sales of the mighty Ford Ranger have really been doing very well, alongside its SUV brother, the Everest. But, and there is a big but, rumors abound that Ford has issues with its after-sales parts availability.

Ford Philippines president Lance Mosley has gone on record to admit that there are issues which need to be addressed in our local market.

But that aside, going back to the subject of cars, Ford has done tremendous effort to make its cars truly desirable.

Not abandoned

While the compact sedan/ hatchback segment is shrinking as more people go into either subcompacts, SUVs or pickups, Ford hasn’t abandoned it, thanks to its highly impressive Focus.

The current generation Focus has finally fixed a lot of the previous Focus’ weaknesses, namely the old normally aspirated 2.0-liter engine and the dual-clutch transmission, which was the bane of the Focus (and the Fiesta to date) but has been replaced with a conventional six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.

It might seem like a step backwards in terms of technology, but the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.

Interior

The interior feels like a typical Ford: now a mix of Japanese and European in terms of ergonomics, design and layout.

The Sync2 infotainment system is a little easier to use now versus its predecessors, and the audio system itself is very impressive for a car in this segment.

Seating position is excellent, thanks to multiway adjustable seats, and the electric power-steering has good weight, feedback and responsiveness.

Build quality seems to have improved as well, Ford upping its game and delivering a tighter, more solid-feeling, and thus better refined cabin.

Driving it in a group that included the all-new Honda Jazz and the highly impressive seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf, the poster-boy of Teutonic efficiency, the Focus held its head very high, easily being the sportiest, most aggressive and driver-focused car in this group.

Perfect in blue

It looks perfect in blue, with the Aston Martin-inspired front inlet mesh-type grilles, to the radiator and handsome 18-inch alloy Y-spoke wheels shod with surprisingly wide 235/40R18 Goodyear high-performance tires, and close-to-the-ground ride.

HANDLING like a high-precision scalpel

All these aggressive cues do mean that the Ford can be a bit crashy at faster speeds when the road undulations become big and wavy.

At lower speeds, the ride is firm yet compliant. I fear that the Focus lacks a tad bit suspension travel, forcing the dampers to bottom out quite quickly.

Safety

It’s a pretty safe car too, with six airbags, ABS brakes and vehicle dynamics/stability control coming in as standard fare.

There’s also a hill launch assist to help you move off from an incline and prevent you from rolling backwards.

Of course being a modern Ford, it can park itself (something I have yet to try) and has blind-spot detection, very handy in poor weather or at night.

The 180-horsepower engine, a 1.5-L turbocharged four-cylinder lump delivers an impressive 240 Newton-meters of torque from 1,600 revolutions per minute all the way to 5,000 rpm, making the Focus feel faster, livelier, more responsive and more exciting than the spec sheets suggest.

Way of the future

Truly, turbocharging is the way of the future—all while meeting the latest Euro 6 requirements elsewhere in the world.

And since it is a turbocharged power plant, it’s only a matter of time until some fool/genius figures out a way to make it unleash an additional 30-50 horses lurking underneath the small, direct-inject twin-cam 16-valve lump.

Trivia: Ford uses a special diamond-like coating on the piston rings to deliver far less friction, freeing up more horsepower, generating less heat, and lowering emissions.

Ironically, it sounds a bit better too than the older 2.0 normally aspirated engine it replaces, thanks to boffins at Ford figuring out a way to let in some engine noise through the cabin using speakers.

THE ENGINE is more responsive than spec sheets suggest.

Gimmick or not, it improves the overall aural experience.

Ford has a strong heritage in motorsports: They are active in sports car racing, won in their class at Le Mans 2016 with the all-new Ford GT, and has had multiple victories at the World Rally Championship with older Focus models.

Naturally, you truly expect the Focus to handle like the bee’s knees, as the Brits would say.

High-precision scalpel

On the winding roads of Tagaytay, the Focus handles like a high-precision scalpel, making mincemeat of winding roads.

Despite the suspension sometimes bottoming-out, there’s oodles of grip on the wet and greasy roads.

The immediate power also makes the Focus more forgiving and easier to drive when roads and conditions aren’t familiar to you just yet.

It’s a truly organic experience, not something devoid of analog feedback which some of the older Ford vehicles delivered.

The Focus, despite being high-tech in so many ways, delivers driving thrills for regular folks like us in spades.

On the highway, power feels highly impressive, you’ll easily land yourself in jail should you unleash the Focus’ full potential on public roads. Racetracks are a better and safer place to explore the Focus’ limits (as well as your own).

There’s also torque-vectoring on hand which allows the Focus to handle almost unnaturally on the limit to catapult you into your desired trajectory, repeatedly.

And yet, when you’re not in the mood, the Ford is an excellent highway cruiser. Four hours inside the car coming from a shoot down south was a very comforting experience, which surprised myself given the firm suspension and cosseting seats.

Fuel economy wasn’t so good, but the unit had a still tight engine (under 5,000 kilometers) so my combined city and highway of 8.5 kilometers per liter isn’t too bad.

For the first time, I find myself really desiring to own a Ford Focus.

It’s not perfect: Aside from the somewhat crashy ride, I wish the Focus had HID/LED headlights (considering it already has LED DRLs) and a tad more room in the backseat.

I’ll probably change the wheels, add stickier tires, put in aftermarket suspension, and tune the engine to deliver as much power as I can get.

Sure, the 6-speed automatic means it won’t be a serious performance car. But come on, most people like you and me can only afford a single car, and the Focus is the perfect dual-duty daily driver/weekend project/toy/track car.

It has good fundamentals (great powertrain, impressive steering, powerful feel, and well-modulated brakes), looks good, has an extensive aftermarket support, and has real motorsports pedigree.

All the ingredients to make it one achingly desirable car. And that is what makes a car cool. It has to be desirable to begin with. This Focus truly is. TVJ