Disclaimer: car models
will be referred to by one of two monikers denoting their place of
origin. Those models with an origin in Europe or east of the Atlantic
will brandish an "Mk" (Mark), in front of Roman numerals which will
refer to it's specific chassis and production period. Models which have
an origin in the Americas will be referred to with a "Gen" in front of
numerals, to specify a certain chassis and production period. In
the period when a model would deviate in chassis design from those made
in it's original place of origin, it will adopt the moniker denoting
it's current place of origin. For instance: the second iteration of the
Focus in North America deviated from those made in it's original place
of origin, Europe. There for, it will be referred to as the Gen 2 since
it is the second iteration of the Focus, but it's place of origin
was America. When, in the case of the third version of the Focus,
different models go back to one iteration of a model, it will be
referred to by it's proper place of origin. I.E. MkIII Focus, which was designed and engineered in Germany.
Ford Focus History
Focus Mk I
Code-named CW170 during its development,the Ford Focus was
launched in 1998 in Europe, and in 1999 in North America as a 2000
model. Since then it has become the most popular car in the United
Kingdom, following in the success of the Escort, its predecessor.
The Focus was a "world car", which saw Ford co-ordinate and pool its
resources from all over the globe though most of the design and
engineering work took place in Europe. The Focus is arguably the biggest
indication of the change in Ford's design and engineering philosophy.
After the Ford Escort Mk V took a beating by the global automotive press
as being designed by "bean counters" , Ford decided to take more risks
in its replacement. As a result the Focus had bold styling and much
improved quality.
the original Focus took its name from a Ghia concept car which was shown
in 1991. Initial spy photographs of the car seen in 1995 took the world
by storm, further developing Ford's "New Edge" styling philosophy which
was first seen in the concept "GT90". The daring styling made it
largely unchanged into production sheet metal three years later.
Mechanically it drew heavily from other European Ford models, using a
sophisticated fully independent multi-link rear suspension (dubbed
"Control Blade") derived from the Short-Long Arm system used in the
Mondeo station wagon, giving the Focus class leading handling and ride.
The engines used are the well-proven Zetec units.
The CVH/SPI Engine made it into a good portion of Gen1 American sedans.
It was essentially an Iron CVH block with an advanced designed (and
poorly executed) aluminum head. The engines had issues with dropping
valve seats at around 100k-120k miles, usually in the number 4 cylinder.
The Zetec engine, which powered many of the MK1 Focus', was first
launched in 1992 as the replacement to the CVH and dubbed the "Zeta"
after the code name for it's head. The name was soon changed to Zetec
when Italian auto maker, Lancia, threatened to sue over trademark
infringement.
A major face lift occurred for the 2005 model year using the CW170 platform.
The MK1 engines included:
1.4 L Zetec-SE (Euro Only)
1.6 L Zetec-SE (Euro Only)
1.8 L Zetec (Mazda "BP")
2.0 L CVH/SPI (US Only)
2.0 L Zetec
2.0 L Duratec turbo (Euro Only)
2.3 L Duratec
1.8 L Endura-D diesel (Euro Only)
1.8 L Duratorq diesel (Euro Only) (TDci)
Bodies (offerings vary by market)
3 door hatchback
5 door hatchback (part of the original line in Europe, added in North America starting in 2002)
4 door sedan/saloon (not available in Japan or New Zealand)
5 door wagon/estate (only available in Europe, Japan and North America)
Transmissions:
5-speed manual (MTX-75)
6-speed manual (Getrag)(Euro ST, US SVT)
4-speed automatic (ATX-75)
Euro Focus Mk II
The Focus Mk II, codenamed C307, uses a
new platform called C1 shared with the Volvo S40, Mazda 3 and Focus
C-Max. It was launched at the Paris Motor Show in 2004 as a three and
five door hatchback and a station wagon. The four-door sedan version was
previewed as a concept by Ford Australia at the Beijing Motor Show in
mid-2004 and joined the range later that year though it sold in much
fewer numbers. The basic suspension design has been carried over largely
unchanged from the Mk I, although Ford claims that the stiffer chassis
further improves the Focus' handling.
The engine line-up for the Mk II is a mixture
of old and new, with the Zetec petrol engines of the original having
been superseded by the newer Duratec range. The 1.4 L and 1.6L (100bhp
and Ti-VCT 115bhp) units, although named "Duratec", are in fact revised
versions of the old Zetec-SE units, while the 2.0 L versions are
Mazda-"MZR" based units. The Duratec 2.5L was added to power both the
ST170 and the venerable RS. This 5 cylinder unit was lifted from the
Volvo T5 and R models, internally known as the "B5234 T" engines,
(Volvo being under the Ford umbrella at the time).
US Focus Gen2
Ford had decided that a new chassis would not be profitable in
the states. Using the old CW170 platorm, most of the major body panels
were replaced. Only a sedan and coupe were retained from the original
line up and the second generation suffered in sales. The drive-train,
however, remained solid, helped by the introduction of the Mazda-derived
"Duratec" line of engines during shortly before the last face-lift.
Central and South America got many different models. They produced a
"Fiesta" using a MkI body with a different facia and lights and at the
same time were importing the MkII including the RS. As recently as early
2011, you could purchase a MkII Focus RS in Mexico and with the some
minor modifications and the proper papers, drive it across the border.
Ken Block prefers his in green
The MkII and Gen2 Engines include:
1.4 L Duratec (Euro Only)
1.6 L Duratec (Euro Only)
1.6 L Duratec Ti-VCT (Euro Only)
2.0 L Duratec
2.3L Duratec
2.5 L Duratec-HE 5 cyl (Euro Only)
MkIII (return of the "World Car")
The latest Focus was introduced in both America and Europe in
2010 as a 2011 model. It is a larger car designed to occupy a up-scaled
market place with the likes of VW Jetta, Mazda 3, Chevy Cruze (which was
also designed and launched in Europe), and Toyota Corolla. Initially,
the newest Focus was launched with a 5 door hatch both here in the
states and in Europe with a second option being a 4 door Sedan for us
and an Estate (or wagon) and 3 door in Europe. The engine line up
remains Duratec derived though now with direct injection. Ecoboost is
also a part of the new line up making a claimed 252 HP. We can only hope
for the return of a proper RS sporting AWD though it is unlikely.
Engines line up includes:
2.0L Ti-VCT GDI I-4 (US Only)
1.6L Ti-VCT Duratec (Euro Only)
1.6L Ecoboost (Euro Only)
1.6L Ecoboost S (Euro Only)
2.0L Ecoboost
Awards:
Since its launch in 1998 the Mk I Focus has won over 75 awards
including 15 Car of the Year awards in both Europe and North America,
including the best family car ever (Autocar UK 2003). The Focus was on
Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for five consecutive years (2000
through 2004). In 2005, in a poll by Men & Motors TV channel in the
UK, it was placed 19th in the nation's favourite 100 cars of all time.
The North American version has been a favorite of Car and Driver
magazine, which has elected it to its Ten Best list every year since its
introduction in 2000 . Motor Trend magazine has also given the Focus
favorable reviews, writing comments like "As entry-level sedans go, few
can touch Ford's Focus on the fun-to-drive front" .
In 2001 and 2002, Focus was the world's best selling car. It recently retook the top spot for 2012 with the sibling Fiesta coming in 5th.
