The Ford Focus has remained to be one of the best selling hatchbacks of the modern era; not in Britain only where hatchbacks reign supreme but around the world. It is the best overall rounded cars that you can buy; it’s decently fast, good looking, reliable, practical, and economical. But recently, due to competitors such as Volkswagen upping their game with the cars like the Golf, Vauxhall with the Astra and even Mercedes Benz with the A-Class, the Focus has seen its sales figures trail behind those of its competitors. Well, it looks like that it could soon end because Ford has just taken the covers off their brand new 2019 fourth generation – Ford Focus.
The 2019 Focus goes all out with a brand new design language that’s not only modern but a lot prettier. For the fourth generation, Focus Ford seems to have drawn a lot of inspiration from other car manufacturers this time. You can see the design language similarities between this focus and styling you find on cars from BMW, Toyota and even Volvo with those brand new daytime running lights. Ford promises it will be the “MOST INNOVATIVE, DYNAMIC AND EXCITING FORD EVER.” We thought that moniker would go to the likes of the brand new Ford GT or even the Mustang, but we guess Ford’s marketing department thinks a little differently. On the front end, we get the signature Ford gaping grille, slim, angular headlights with daytime running bar lights and a more aggressive front bumper with wider air inlets. The whole profile of the Focus has been smoothed out with more elegant flowing lines, a lower and more raked roofline and thinner pillars. Around the rear we get the standard roof spoilers, a pair new swept LED rear taillights, twin exhaust pipes, and a larger rear bumper. The Focus will be available as a four-door sedan, five-door wagon, and five-door hatchback. In other regions such as China, a Vignale and Active version will also be launched; the Vignale features slightly more premium features and design while the Active version is a spruced up off-roading Focus. Ford has even developed the brand new Focus on a new platform that will also serve as the underpinnings for many more Ford models to come in the future.
Ford has also revised the powertrain options for the fourth-gen Focus with two brand new 3-cylinder engines and two four-cylinder diesel engines, all of these engines come mated to a 6-speed manual as standard or can be optioned with an 8-speed automatic replacing the old dual clutch system that was known for having its fair share of issues. The smallest engine among all these will be Ford’s 1-litre Ecoboost that will be available in different power output forms ranging all the way from 84bhp in the base model, to 99bhp and 123bhp in the high-end variant. There is also an all-new 1.5-litre that we first saw in the Fiesta ST where it produced around 180bhp. Sadly for the new Focus, it’s been detuned to two power levels 148bhp and 179bhp. With the fourth generation, Ford even went to the trouble of completely revamping the suspension setup so that now torsional rigidity increases by 20 percent and the suspension mounting points are 50 percent stiffer than the previous model. New for the Focus line for the first time are Adaptive dampers which will adjust ride comfort depending on the selected drive mode, these dampers also come equipped with a pothole function, which will recognize when the front wheel is on the leading edge of a pothole and react by reducing the wheel drop on that specific corner. The rear wheel is then fed this information, and it reacts following this information as well.
With better quality plastic trim pieces, improved ergonomics, and better integration of Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system, Ford has tried to make the interior a better all-rounder in the 4th generation. We get a new floating design for the center screen, smoother lines, and a more pleasing design aesthetic. Higher end models such as the Vignale can give leather and timber trim finishes, but the interior still leaves something to be desired. With other car companies such as Volkswagen and Volvo moving on to widescreen infotainment systems, full digital dials, and stunning designs it still feels like Ford is and always will be playing catch up in this department. Though one area where they don’t lack this time around is safety. The new Focus will offer Ford’s Co-Pilot360 suite of driver-assist features. Exact features on this package may vary region to region, but for the most part, you can expect to have Ford’s Evasive Steering Assist, Adaptive Headlights, Active Park Assist that can automatically shift between reverse and drive, Adaptive Cruise Control, Speed-Sign Recognition, and Lane-Centering Functions. Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system will also be compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The 2019 Ford Focus improves on a lot of key areas like styling has now been revamped to match the design trends being set by the industry. It features a diverse range of engines that not only deliver good power but great class-leading fuel economy, enough that Ford doesn’t even feel the need to offer a hybrid variant at launch, new tech and an updated interior that doesn’t look like it’s from 2008.
The new Focus range will start at £17,930 for the entry-level ‘Style’ model and go all the way to £25,450 for the top of the line Vignale. Deliveries are expected to start at around the end of the year with all the different variants being available to order at launch.
