Ford has made an art of deeper-than-normal midlife updates since the 2010 Fusion, a strategy that has allowed it to keep models looking fresher in showrooms for longer without needing full redesigns. Instead of slight touchups to light fixtures, new paint colors and perhaps new wheel patterns, Ford has been digging deeper, with significant sheetmetal changes and very different front-end looks, along with an increased emphasis on new in-car technologies to keep models vibrant. Other automakers are following this trend, and Ford itself is continuing on the path with this new 2015 Focus Sedan.
There’s a handsome new SE Sport Package that includes a firmer touring suspension, modest body kit and 17-inch wheels.
We first saw this sleek Aston Martin-like nose fitted to a Focus at the Geneva Motor Show last month, but Ford only showed the new look on the five-door hatchback – this is the first appearance of the sedan, which will bow at next week’s New York Auto Show. The front end treatment is the same, with a new hood, new headlamps incorporating LED accents, a different grille shape and a completely revised lower fascia that does away with the 2014 model’s controversial triangle-shaped corners and gaping intakes. The rear gets a new two-piece, laser-brazed trunk lid with new taillamps, but the overall look is quite similar to last year’s car. In any case, the refreshed look brings the Focus sedan more in line with the design of Ford’s other recently reworked cars, including the Fusion and Fiesta.
For fans of sportier looking models that can’t quite afford or justify splurging on the Focus ST, there’s a handsome new SE Sport Package that includes a firmer touring suspension, modest body kit and 17-inch wheels. SE Sports equipped with Ford’s optional dual-clutch gearbox also receive paddle shifters.
The 2015 model year changeover also brings with it the same spunky 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine recently made available in the Fiesta. It’s available exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission, but so far, Ford isn’t spilling the beans on power or fuel economy figures.
Other key mechanical refinements include revamped electric power steering tuning with a stiffer mount and redone programming. Ford’s global product development czar, Raj Nair, tells us that the goal is to offer “more steering feel” and improve “off-center precision, with a more linear torque buildup.” In addition, the suspension has been retuned with new shock valving and bushings with the goal of delivering a quieter ride and improved control. The dual-clutch clutch gearbox has had its software code poured over again as well, in a bid to increase refinement.
Ford will roll out a revamped version of its slow-selling Focus Electric alongside this sedan in New York, and the 2015 Focus ST should follow this summer.
The interior gets a whole host of small but meaningful improvements, including fundamentals like resculpted seats and a revamped center console and cupholders. New creature comforts include an available heated steering wheel and a revamped Sync voice command system with connected apps.
On the safety front, rearview cameras become standard, and for the first time, active safety features including blind-spot detection and lane-keeping assist will be available, with the latter’s warnings coming through haptic feedback from the steering wheel.
For the second year in a row, Ford is crowing about its Focus holding the title of “World’s Best-Selling Nameplate.” That may not be the sexiest title to wear on a sash, but it’s a very important one to the Blue Oval and its bottom line. Globally in 2013, Focus sales were up by 8.1 percent to 1,097,618 according to Polk registration data, and the model has a lot of momentum, particularly in China, where registrations were up over 50 percent just last year. Here at home, however, the Focus’ recent sales picture hasn’t been quite as rosy, with the model suffering declines along with most of the rest of the C-segment. These new updates should go some way toward reversing that trend at home while solidifying the car’s fortunes abroad.
Ford will roll out a revamped version of its slow-selling Focus Electric alongside this sedan in New York, and the high-performance 2015 Focus ST should follow sometime this summer before deliveries commence later this year.
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