Vehicle: 2008 Ford Focus sedan with Sport Appearance Pkg and Luxury Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$22894

Performance: Even if Ford has called it the “new” Focus, which is nothing more than an ugly nose job. Its powertrain remains the tried-and-true 2.0 liter 4-cylinder 16-valve DOHC Zetec motor that has been used since the early days. 140hp and 136 lb/ft of torque seem to be adequate but certainly not class-leading nor earth-shattering by today’s standards. Its not that its level of engine refinement is up to the high standards set by rivalling Honda and Mazda benchmarks. While the Zetec was able to match the previous generation of Civic and Protege back in the early days, its no longer competitive with the current generation of Civic and Mazda3, which both have been regarded as the segment leaders. The only saving grace is the smooth 5-speed manual gearbox and a progressive clutch, which have decent ratios. As for former, the clutch engagement point is light and progressive with decent enough feedback.

Handling: Given this platform has been dated back to the previous European Focus back in 1998, we are downright surprise by how well-engineered it is even by 2008 standards. Because it still has the merits of being a rigid and stiff chassis, American Ford product planners decided to milk the platform until its no longer competitive. However, the latest retuning of the Focus suspension has resulted in a softer and more comfortable small car. Gone is the fun and eager turn-in that made Focus so tossable in the corners. What it gains back is a softer ride with a more cumbersome feel. To put this into perspective, Focus feels more like a Taurus than a Fusion of what it used to be. And we all know how well-engineered Fusion’s sporty chassis is, at the same time, how softly sprung the FiveHundred rebadged Taurus is. The steering remains precise with nice feedback.

Brakes: Our SES Focus is standard with front discs/rear drums and standard ABS, however, its lower trim levels: S and SE, are optional. While Focus is an affordable small cars, Ford should make ABS standard across the board. When you can get an ABS standard on a Fit LX, its totally unacceptable when Ford still makes ABS an optional extra on base Focus. However, its pedal feel and modulation are decent. With the right brake bite and ABS kicks in at the right time. Stopping distance is also surprisingly short.

Interior: All the quirkness of Focus’s interior has gone for bland appearance. While everything else feel well-placed and logically layout, it just looks totally boring. The bloated feel of the center console feels ungainly compares to the quirky looks of the original Focus. Ford has also cut the corners when it comes to interior materials. The soft-touch plastic we used to like in Focus has gone for harder grain. While it still won’t match Sentra and Caliber for their level of interior cheapness, Focus won’t be too far behind. The use of aluminum trim on the center console feels tacky and cheap.

Conclusion: Ford should have brought us the 2nd generation Focus, which is based on the same platform as the Mazda3, insted of continuing milking the original Focus. With the discontinuation of the hatchback and wagon, this “new” Focus will lost appeal to those who are looking for practicality. That’s because one of the most appealing factors of original Focus is the availability of hatch and wagon at its price point. Combined with the lack of advancement when it comes to engine and chassis, Ford has completely lost “focus” when it comes to revised the Focus. That’s a shame judging by how much we love the original Focus.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2008 Ford Focus
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Performance: 2/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 3/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 3/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 2/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 3/5
Value-for-money: 2/5

Overall rating: 2.25/5