THE FORD FOCUS, The Escort
successor has been elected European Car of the Year for 1999. Fifty-five
motoring journalists from Europe chose the Focus by an overwhelming majority,
well ahead of the Opel Astra, Peugeot 206, Audi TT and Volvo S80, which
finished second through fifth, respectively.Strikingly styled by
Ford of Europe's Claude Lobo, the Focus is a much better car than the Escort
it replaces.
Though it is only 0.4 in. longer and wider
than the Escort it is much roomier thanks to being 3.1in. taller and Ford
says its torsional stiffness is twice that of the Escort and 15 percent
better than any of its rivals. Even though the Focus is the lightest car
in its class. Thanks to higher seats, the rear leg room is 3.0 in. greater
than in the Escort. The new car also features a completely new rear suspension.
Its rear upright is controlled by upper and lower wishbones, a trailing
"blade" arm (that reduces squat and is soft in torsion) and a track rod
ahead of the lower tranverse arm, parallel but shorter to create some stabilizing
toe-in of the outer wheel when cornering.
The engines all belong to the moden twincam
16-valve Zetec family, offered with displacements of 1.4,1.6,1.8 and 2.0
liters. The smaller engines have an aluminum block, and power ranges from
74 to 128 bhp. A 1.7-liter direct-injection turbodiesel is also available.
A 1.6-liter model (which Ford expects to be most popular) that I recently
drove lived up to expectations. Road noise absorption is excellent, and
handling is remarkably good for a car of this class. Nor has it been achieved
at the expense of ride comfort, which is rather better than current German
standards. The Ford Focus is a real driver's car. If its quality and reliability
can match that of the VW Golf or the Opel Astra, it's not just the Car
of the Year, it's the Car of its Class. |
"..the
Focus is a much better car than the Escort it replaces."
"The
Ford Focus is a real driver's car."
"Ford
says its torsional stiffness is twice that of the Escort and 15 percent
better than any of its rivals."
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