2012 Ford Focus Charlotte NC

The all-new 2012 Ford Focus looks, feels, and smells like the future. The engine is super smooth, the fabric seats are super, and the wraparound cockpit is cozy. It's the technology leader in the compact car class. The Focus looks like a big Fiesta, with an unmistakably Ford shape. It's lower, longer and wider. The new Focus Hatchback model is especially aerodynamic looking. The windshield is steeply raked and roofline steeply dropped to the liftgate glass, making about as much of a teardrop as a chopped hatchback can be. Ford calls the distinctive wide-mouthed grille a split trapezoid, and thank heavens it's black and not in-your-face chrome like other Ford models. The Focus is a compact car with the NVH qualities of a full-size car. A lot of productive effort went into making the cabin silent, with sound insulation. Powertrain noise has also been reduced, by attentive engineering of the new engine, transmission, and chassis.

Lineup of the 2012 Focus

Focus S Sedan is well equipped with cloth upholstery, climate control with air filtration, power door locks and front windows, full center console, 110-watt 4-speaker AM/FM/CD3/MP3 sound system, fold-flat rear seat, tilt-telescoping steering wheel, 15-inch steel wheels, halogen headlamps, and black grille, mirrors and door handles. No cruise control or USB port or Bluetooth, rear windows are rollup and rear brakes are drum.

Focus SE adds body-color mirrors and door handles, floormats, foglamps, auto headlamps, illuminated entry, compass and temp display, steering-wheel audio controls, power rear windows, and 16-inch steel wheels. Still no cruise control, USB port or Bluetooth, and rear drums. With the Hatchback you also get a 60/40 rear seat, rear wiper and liftgate spoiler. An optional Sport package features firmer suspension tuning and SelectShift.

Focus SEL Sedan upgrades over SE with dual-zone climate control, a six-speaker sound system, 12-volt power for rear seat, piano black grille, chrome beltline trim, ambient lighting, overhead console, metallic interior trim, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, 60/40 rear seats, 16-inch painted aluminum wheels, MyFord Touch handsfree driver connect, SYNC elements with USB port, cruise control and rear disc brakes. The 6-speed automatic transmission includes SelectShift manual operation.

Focus Titanium Sedan comes loaded with a 10-speaker Sony sound system with HD Sirius radio, pushbutton start, 8-inch touch screen, 4-inch info display screen, sport cloth seats, sport-tuned suspension, and 17-inch aluminum wheels. There's a Hatchback with Premium package that upgrades to leather upholstery with six-way power driver's seat, rain-sensing wipers, backup system, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and rear armrest with storage.

2012 Ford Focus Exterior

The all-new 2012 Focus looks like a big Fiesta, with an unmistakably Ford shape. The new Hatchback is especially aerodynamic looking. Active grille shutters block airflow to the radiator when it's not required, which improves aerodynamics and fuel mileage.  Ford calls the distinctive grille split trapezoid. There are eight thin horizontal bars in a huge-mouthed trapezoid whose wide side is the bottom and is divided into three segments by two body-colored vertical bars. The long thin trapezoidish headlamps wrap forward and downward from the cheeks of the car. The all-new Focus chassis is 30 percent stiffer. It uses a crash structure designed for the larger Taurus. More than 55 percent is high-strength steels, including Boron B-pillars and front beam, and a decoupling powertrain cradle to keep the engine out of the cabin in a head-on crash.

Handling of the '12 Focus

All 2012 Focus models use an all-new 2.0-liter engine with direct injection and twin variable valve timing. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard, 6-speed automatic optional, with SelectShift manual mode an option to the optional transmission. The engine makes 160 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque, an increase over last year's engine. It's plenty powerful, but mostly, it's extremely smooth. The Focus ride is good, with a suspension that's on the soft side, which doesn't help precise turning. We also drove a Focus SE with the 5-speed manual transmission and sport-tuned suspension. The suspension design is the same as the old Focus, MacPherson struts in front and multi-link in rear, but uses all new parts, such as bushings, control arms, shock valving, and anti-rollbar mountings. The track is wider by 2.6 inches in front and 2.3 inches rear. There's an all-new power steering system, electric and rack-mounted, and the ratio has been significantly quickened from 16:1 to 14.7:1. Torque Vectoring Control is a new standard feature. It enhances cornering by imperceptibly applying the brakes to the inside front wheel, under acceleration. There's also Active Park Assist, which will parallel park the Focus for you, while you just sit there.

New Ford Focus Cabin

MyFord Touch powered by SYNC is the connectivity system that Ford is touting with its new cars. The system uses twin high-resolution screens, including an 8-inch touch screen in the center console, to communicate with your car. The driver uses three senses: see, hear, touch. Ford went all-out with the new Focus interior, and there are some great things, starting with the standard seats in sturdy fabric, and the leather-like seats in the SEL. The dashboard and instrument panel are of course all new too, and the gauges that are in front of the driver's eyes are easy to read: big tach and speedo with cool blue needles, fuel and engine temp between them, and easy-to-read digital info above the fuel and temp. The soft materials are clearly high quality.

Conclusions

Safety equipment in all 2012 Focus models includes six airbags with the latest technology, electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist, and tire pressure monitor. The Ford Focus is new and better than ever for 2012. Visit the official Ford Focus website for more on this new model!

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com