Within hours of Ford Australia announcing the good-looking all-new Ford Focus range will arrive ‘Downunder’ in August, Ford in Germany announced their versions will gain WiFi connectivity.
Ford SYNC with My Ford Touch will provide a password-protected WiFi hotspot within European Ford Focus models which can accommodate connections for up to five WiFi-enabled devices. Ford Europe customers with existing USB modems or compatible Smartphones will incur no additional expense.
It’s not clear whether Ford Australia will follow the lead of their European colleagues.
What is clear from these photos is the superb styling of the all-new Ford Focus which will be sold in four-door sedan and five-door hatchback variants. From any angle, the third-generation Ford Focus looks brilliant, headlined by that prominently scalloped bonnet, wide grille, modern headlights and sporty wheel arch flares.
The latest installment in the impressive One Ford global product family – which includes the Australian-developed Ranger pickup – the all-new Ford Focus was developed by Ford Europe and vehicles to be sold by Ford Australia will be sourced from the company’s state-of-the-art plant in Saarlouis, Germany.
While not revealing too many details, Ford Australia has confirmed the all-new Ford Focus range will follow the lead of the German-sourced Mondeo and local Territory in adopting the ‘Titanium’ nomenclature for range-topping models.
Under the bonnet, new Ford Focus will headlined by - and share with the Mondeo - Ford’s 149kW/300Nm, 2.0-litre EcoBoost direct injection, four-cylinder petrol engine.
The entry-level petrol will be Ford’s 1.6-litre Duratec.
Ford Focus diesel will employ the 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi (also shared with Mondeo) which is good for 120kW/340Nm.
Standard transmission in the diesel will be a six-speed manual, while petrol models will use a five-speeder. Automatics will enjoy Ford’s six-speed Powershift.
Underneath is a new Electric Power Assist steering system, a further development of Ford’s ‘Control Blade’ multi-link rear suspension and a new understeer-reducing Dynamic Cornering Control system developed by Ford Europe which transfers drive between the front wheels according to available traction.
Driver aid systems will be impressive with both Active Park Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control on the list.
The often-excitable European media has Volkswagen Golf under the pump thanks to the all-new Ford Focus. Certainly the product looks very, very impressive and if Ford Australia gets the pricing sharp, maybe the Germans might feel their collars getting a little tight.
Make no mistake this One Ford thing is massive and the Blue Oval company is back to its best. We’re very keen to drive the all-new Ford Focus.
