Ford Focus shows promise in test drive

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Pattaya, Thailand

When you hear the name Ford you expect an American design, but that is not the case with the all-new Ford Focus with its strong European lines.

The first generation of the Ford Focus was designed in Cologne, Germany and released in 1998 in Europe, way ahead of its North American launch in 2000.

And this year, the Ford Motor Company felt the time was ripe to roll out the second generation in Africa, Asia and Pacific regions keeping the successful formulas of European styling, German engineering and superior driving dynamics.

Ford Focus was first introduced to Asia in Taiwan and more than 5 million cars have been sold worldwide.

In Indonesia, it was first introduced during the Gaikindo Auto Expo in June and is scheduled to be launched in September. The Thai public has to wait a bit longer as it will be launched there in October.

Earlier this month, Ford ASEAN operations invited some 30 journalists from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines as well as a band of local Thai media people to be among the first people driving Ford Focus in the region.

The test drive was held on Aug. 4 at the Bira Circuit just outside Thailand's sea resort of Pattaya. Earlier on Aug. 3, the news people were briefed on Ford Focus' strong points at the Learning Resort just next to the track.

The sporty hatchback mainly caters to the European markets while the Asians prefer the sedan.

While there are three Duratec engine options of 1,600cc, 1,800cc and 2,000cc, the 4-door Ford Focus comes with the 1,800cc Duratec engine for the Indonesian market unleashing top power of 125 horsepower (hp) at 6,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) and a top torque of 165 Newtonmeter (Nm) at 4,000 rpm.

This enables the Ford Focus to provide speedy acceleration to its front wheels through the four-speed sequential sportshift automatic transmission.

Such power would be useful in overtaking a lingering bus or overloaded truck, of course provided that there was not a traffic jam.

At least, I could rev it up along the Bira Circuit and found the engine did it easily.

Ford was also "generous" in providing two benchmarks of two Japanese models: the Honda Civic and the Toyota Altis.

The American car maker, however, admitted that the two Japanese models were powered by 1,600cc engines so it was not an exact apple-to-apple comparison.

Ford executives said the provision of such a "benchmark" was necessary to compare the performance of the cars. There were three units for each model.

So, we journalists were paired up and each had a two-lap race in each model. So, all in all we had 12 laps' experience, both as driver and passenger.

The circuit was arranged in such a way that drivers started with a zig-zagging movement along a slalom strip to test its handling and I found the Ford Focus very stable, especially when compared to its potential competitors.

I have to say that Focus was better in handling and stability compared to the two Japanese models. Perhaps the enhanced Focus Control Blade independent rear suspension and the new electric- hydraulic power assisted steering (EHPAS) are responsible for such a stable drive.

Whether or not Indonesia will get the five-door hatchback will depend on the market response and demand, said PT Ford Motor Indonesia marketing general marketing Bagus Susanto who accompanied the Indonesian journalists.

The five-door Focus S is powered by a 2,000cc Duratec engine providing top power of 145 hp at 6,000 rpm and maximum torque of 185 Nm at 4,500 rpm.

We also had the chance to test the five-speed manual transmission sporty hatchback, this time for a braking session as Ford claims it has better braking distance than its two likely competitors.

Unfortunately, all the cars used for the braking session were Ford Focus despite Ford placing cones to mark the typical distance made by Ford Focus and the two Japanese models.

In the interior, rear passengers have plenty of room -- even for three adults -- and the best head room in its class. Usually car makers tend "to forget" comfort for rear passengers, concentrating on the driver and front passenger.

For passive safety, rear passengers also get three sets of lap-and-diagonal seat belts -- and Ford claims only the Focus has such an arrangement. Indeed, usually the rear passenger in the center only get a lap seat belt, which means less protection.

The car also comes with air bags for the driver and front passenger plus two front side air bags and side curtain air bags. The front seats were designed to provide protection against whiplash.

Ford Focus also comes with a four-channel antilock braking system (ABS) for active safety. Unfortunately, we did not try this feature although the shorter braking distance does mean additional safety.